Andress to campaign for Ward 5 seat

Ward 5 resident Jennifer Andress has thrown her hat in the ring to compete against Rich Laws, the incumbent running for the Ward 5 Place 1 seat.

Andress has lived in Hollywood for 14 years, with her husband Keith and sons John (13) and Will (11). She is the marketing director at Resolute Running in downtown Homewood, as well as a coach.

“I want to be involved in the future of Homewood. I want to direct its growth and it’s an exciting place to be,” Andress said.

While this would be her first experience as an elected official since she was a student senator at University of Texas - Austin, Andress has spoken before the council on multiple occasions, including for sidewalks, the smoking ordinances passed last year and the now-tabled Hollywood pedestrian bridge.

The issues of sidewalks and the pedestrian bridge are among the issues at the core of Andress's campaign.

“I think we could really do something exciting and fun with that [bridge],” Andress said.

Other elements of her campaign include support for the school system and regular communication with Ward 5 residents.

“I love the people in our ward and I want to stay in communication with them. I plan on putting together an email newsletter,” she said.

Andress has volunteered with The Bell Center in multiple capacities for many years, and she was the president of the Birmingham Track Club from 2012 to 2014. She was previously involved with the Shades Cahaba Elementary PTO and will be the Homewood Middle PTO's communications chair this school year. Andress was recently named a board member for Girls on the Run, and her family are members at Trinity United Methodist.

“I’m really excited about serving Homewood. Anyone who knows me can tell you that," she said. "I’m a volunteer, I spend most of my time giving to places like the Bell Center.”

Campaign social media pages for Andress are still in the works.