×Hoover City Council President Casey Middlebrooks speaks to city employees at the Finley Center in Hoover, Alabama, on Nov. 4, 2025.

For too long, the rhythm of municipal governance has been dictated by a quiet fear — the fear of setting the wrong precedent. This preoccupation with how today’s decision might affect a hypothetical situation often leads to inaction, delays, and a thicket of bureaucracy that frustrates the very residents we were elected to serve.

As we embark on this quadrennium, the mayor and council are united behind a more proactive principle: Set the Hoover standard.

Moving from ‘safe’ to ‘excellent’

is a difference between relying on precedent and committing to a standard. A focus on precedent is often backward-looking. It asks, “What rule prevents us from doing this

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