Photo courtesy of Jennifer Andress for Mayor campaign.
Homewood City Council member Jennifer Andress is running for mayor. If elected, she will become the first woman to serve as the city’s mayor.
Happy New Year, Homewood! I hope 2026 is off to a great start for you.
My family and I traveled to Pasadena to cheer on the Homewood High School band in the Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 1. Our band is one of my favorite parts of this community. Even though we never had band kids of our own, I’ve always had a little “FOMO,” so it was a joy to celebrate these incredible students and their leaders along the parade route. Congratulations to Director Chris Cooper and the entire HHS band.
Our centennial celebration officially kicks off this spring, and it’s going to be a memorable year. A fantastic committee is planning events across the city, and we’ll be sharing details soon.
January also marks the start of our Comprehensive Plan. Our consultant conducted policymaker interviews with the City Council and Planning Commission Dec. 16-17, 2025. Public input sessions will begin in late January, and we’ll make sure every resident has the chance to participate. Stay tuned to our social media and website, as well as your email and mailbox, for updates. We want to hear what YOU envision for Homewood’s future.
We’re also moving forward with the Shades Creek Greenway Pavilion project. The structure is scheduled for delivery Jan. 26. We anticipate installation and trailhead construction to wrap up by spring. You may have noticed construction along Green Springs Highway — we know residents in our Woodmont neighborhood are enjoying the new pedestrian connectivity.
We’re excited to welcome our new Human Resources Director, Kim Kinder. Kim joins us from the Jefferson County Personnel Board, where she led both the Employee Relations and Compensation departments. This has been a long-standing need for Homewood, and Kim is the perfect person to lead our HR efforts. Welcome to Homewood, Kim.
Make plans to join us Jan. 20 at the Valley Hotel for the State of the City address, sponsored by the Homewood Chamber of Commerce. This annual meeting includes an awards ceremony for our Employee of the Year, our Police Officer of the Year, our Firefighter of the Year and — for the first time — the Mike Kendrick Award for Service to the City of Homewood. This award will go to a citizen who has positively impacted Homewood and is named in honor of our former city attorney, who retired in 2025 after 45 years of service.
I would love to hear from you for any reason at jennifer.andress@homewoodal.org. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your mayor.
