Hogg To Resign As Northport Council Prez; Hinton To Become Northport's Next Mayor

NORTHPORT, AL — Northport City Council President Jeff Hogg has submitted his formal letter of resignation from the council presidency, which elevates District 3 Councilman John Hinton to next in the line of succession to fill the remaining term of the mayor beginning on Jan. 1, 2023.

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Hogg's resignation from the council presidency will be effective Dec. 29 and he will retain his District 5 seat, leaving Hinton to ascend to the council presidency and the mayor's office by default unless he opts against the changes — a potential that is still technically on the table, despite Hinton confirming to Patch on Tuesday that he plans to serve in whatever capacity is asked of him.

"This is something that was not taken lightly, however I feel there is still unfinished business left in District 5 that I want to see come to fruition," Hogg told Patch on Tuesday after submitting his resignation, which will be considered at the next council meeting. "I have enjoyed my time as council president and appreciate my peers for allowing me that opportunity however unfortunately under state law I cannot do both positions until a new mayor is decided."

While the Council has neither confirmed nor denied how the events of the next few weeks will truly play out, once the council president as of Jan. 1, 2023 becomes Northport's next mayor, Hogg will likely be voted back into the council presidency, thus making his resignation more of a formality than anything else.

Hinton, who also serves as as council president pro tempore, learned of Hogg's formal resignation on Tuesday when contacted by Patch and said he had no plans to opt out of the line of succession, effectively confirming that he will be the next mayor of Northport.

"If I'm chosen, I will serve and give it my best effort," he told Patch. "We were all surprised about Bobby [Herndon's] resignation, but if that's what he wanted to do, then apparently he did it. We will carry on and since I'm pro tem I kind of feel an obligation to do it. It's nothing against the people of District 3. I've enjoyed working with them and trying to help, but this may be a need that needs to met."

It should be clarified and reiterated here that due to his standing a pro tem, the matter of Hinton becoming the city's next mayor following Hogg's resignation of the council presidency is left solely up to Hinton and not the City Council at this point, due to Hinton being second in the formal line of succession behind the Council president.

Hinton is retired after serving as assistant superintendent of personnel and general services for the Tuscaloosa County School System and currently serves as minister of music at Northport Baptist Church. He was first appointed to the City Council in January 2019 to fill the vacancy left by Rodney Sullivan after he was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives.

Hinton then secured a full term in 2020 by winning a three-candidate race outright and avoiding a runoff with 52.68% of the vote.

As Patch previously reported, Northport Mayor Bobby Herndon in early November announced plans to voluntarily resign at the end of the calendar year — a decision approved by a 3-2 vote of the City Council the night Herndon offered it up seemingly out of the blue. District 1's Christy Bobo, Hogg and Hinton voted in favor of accepting the resignation.

Herndon claimed his resignation was prompted by a lack of necessary support on the Council to get a street renamed in front of his personal place of business, despite being warned by other city officials of unfavorable optics and a potential ethics violation if the Council were to move forward with the street renaming.

The abrupt revelation caught City Hall officials mostly off guard in the immediate aftermath as the line of succession needed to be established. As such, for municipalities in Northport's class, the council president is next in line to fill the remainder of the unexpired term.

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It's worth pointing out, however, that Northport has a weak mayor system, with the city's chief executive only having limited power that includes veto authority and the ability to appoint to the city's Planning and Zoning Commission.

The position is arguably more ceremonial than anything else and does not have a vote on Council matters, due to having an odd number of council members. The mayor's office is also far overshadowed in authority by the city administrator.

The mayor's authority must to be taken into account when considering Hogg's decision, as the two-term councilman from District 5 has numerous irons in the fire regarding longterm projects like a proposed water park and sports tournament facility, along with his push to bring more business to Northport.

What's more, while both Hinton and District 1's Christy Bobo were both appointed to fill out unexpired terms for their districts in 2019 and 2020, respectively, all four Council members apart from Hogg are in their first full elected terms, with a little less than half of the term remaining before the next municipal election in August 2025.

Northport City Attorney Ron Davis has been tasked with sussing out the legalese regarding the line of succession and explained to Patch on Tuesday that the date of Hogg's resignation from the council presidency was due to the city having two signatories on bank checks — the city administrator and the council president. He explained that changing signatories is a daunting process, which will be made somewhat smoother with the two-day window for Hinton, or whoever, becomes council president before then becoming mayor.

It's also crucial to note that if and when Hinton ascends to the city's highest office, a vacancy will need to be filled for the District 3 seat.

Davis said when a council vacancy occurs in municipalities the size of Northport, state law mandates that the remaining council members have 60 days to appoint a new representative from the district in question. The next steps on this — such as a formal application process — have yet to be discussed by the City Council.

The City of Northport describes District 3 as:

"Areas located east of Highway 69 and north of McFarland Boulevard. This district includes Vestavia, Archwood, Northwood Lake East, and Lakeview Estates Subdivisions, areas south of Highway 69 to McFarland Boulevard and over to Watermelon Road; Vestavia, Vestavia East, Lakeview Estates and other subdivisions east of Hunter Creek Road."

Here's a map of District 3, with district boundaries marked in red.

The next regular meeting of the Northport City Council is set for Dec. 12 at 5:30 p.m. in the Public Safety Building's courtroom. The venue change is due to the Council chambers at City Hall being reserved for Northport's Holiday Open House on Thursday, Dec. 15.

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