By STEPHEN DAWKINS

Staff Writer

Hoover Mayor Gary Ivey hopes residents will decide to stay the course toward continued progress in the city.

Ivey is running for re-election in the Aug. 23 municipal election.

“We’re the No. 1 city to live in in Alabama for the last two years,” Ivey said.

Ivey said there are many accomplishments he takes pride in during his time in office, including Veterans Park, the renewal of the Southeastern Conference’s contract to hold its baseball tournament at the Hoover Met, the construction of a senior center and park for children with special needs.

“We’ve recruited 50-plus new businesses into the city, maintained a balanced budget since 2004, had some of the lowest crime rates in the state and have one of the best libraries in the country,” Ivey said.

Ivey said there are also several projects under way that he believes would benefit from his continued leadership, including the under-construction sports complex.

“It takes quite a bit of time to get up to speed about what’s going on,” Ivey said. “There are some projects out there we’ve gotten started that I would like to see to fruition.”

Ivey said his administration also enjoys positive relationships with other municipalities and counties in the area. An example was a joint effort between the city and Jefferson County to open a satellite tag office in Hoover to relieve long lines at the Birmingham office.

Ivey said safety would continue to be a priority.

“We have police officers in every school, and we’re going to continue to maintain that,” he said. “If kids aren’t safe, they won’t learn. If parents don’t feel safe, they won’t live here and our economy will suffer.”

After 34 years of being in business in Hoover and working for the city, Ivey said he would like to continue to serve.

“The community has given to me, and I’ve tried to give back to the community,” he said. “No one thing makes us the No. 1 place to live. It takes everybody working together. Hoover is an incredible place to live and raise your family.”