Hoover City Council, Pl. 3 Candidate Liz Lane Responds to Attacks

Guest Opinion by Liz Lane

Today, my first hit piece was published by your favorite source for racially charged "journalism"—1819 News.

Honestly, I wear it like a badge of honor. Straight into the scrapbook it goes! I must really have some people scared. Which is funny, considering I'm just a 36-year-old woman running for Hoover City Council in seat 3—a mom, a small business owner, and (their words, not mine) "an accomplished artist." Thanks for the compliment, y'all.

The worst thing they could dig up on me? A poem about patriotism I wrote on the Fourth of July. They published the entire thing. So, I guess I'm officially a published poet now—and if that's not as American as apple pie, I don't know what is.

Trying to paint me as a "culture vulture," they included a photo of me wearing a pink headscarf while speaking at Hoover's Crescent Islamic Society. All city council candidates were invited to speak there, and I gladly accepted. It was a meaningful opportunity to connect with a part of the community I don't usually get to engage with. And yes, I covered my hair. Because when you're a guest in someone else's house of worship, you dress respectfully. Isn't that what decency looks like?

Being American means embracing diversity. Most of us are here because our families immigrated—whether by choice or by force. Hoover is no longer an all-white city, and thank God. How boring would that be? We speak over 40 languages here. People from all over the world have chosen Hoover as home. That's what makes us special.

I mean it when I say: I will represent everyone. Even those, like Apryl Marie Fogel—the journalist who wrote this "flattering" article—who hold vastly different political opinions than I do. Honestly, if I read that article about someone else, I'd vote for them.

Fogel seems to think it's a scandal for a local candidate to have opinions about national politics. For the record, yes—I've shared plenty of views over the years on my business Instagram (which, by the way, thanks for the extra traffic—really helping my algorithm). But let me be clear: I've always kept business and politics ethically separate.

It's interesting that the Republican candidates aren't getting the same scrutiny for their national views—1819 News has done a great job platforming those, if you want to go digging. But don't worry, I'm classy enough not to name names.

Just to clear the air: I'm not a communist. I'm not anti-capitalist. I've worked in small businesses since I was 14 years old. I know what it takes to get an idea off the ground. In fact, my platform includes strong support for small business because the tax revenue they generate helps fund our schools, first responders, and city services.

I opened my first gallery at 27, focused on women underrepresented in the art world. Today, I paint full-time and ship my artwork across the country—from Nashville to Dallas to Fairhope. Even Nicole Kidman owns two of my paintings. So yeah, I'm pretty entrenched in the capitalist system.

What I am against is unregulated capitalism. What I'm against is developers pouring massive donations into entire slates of candidates, who then turn around and push through millions in tax incentives—with no oversight. Those tax breaks? They could've gone to your schools. Your police. Your fire department.

I'm against shady deals where the developer claims their candidates will "fix flooding," while quietly making way to cut down more trees, reduce permeable land, and build whatever they want—contributing more to the problem. Wouldn't it make more sense to redevelop our ghost-town commercial spaces instead of paving more green space?

I stand against corporate corruption. I stand for community. I stand for transparency.

I stand for diversity. I stand for accessibility. I stand for ethics. I stand for strong public schools. I stand for respect—especially in politics.

I stand for the arts. They build critical thinking and self-awareness, but they also raise test scores, reduce crime, improve mental health, increase property values, and boost tourism and local business revenue.

I stand for thoughtful redevelopment. I believe Hoover deserves a glow-up—areas like the Galleria and Patton Creek could become vibrant community hubs where we can live, work, play, and shop.

I stand for small business investment. Small businesses are the backbone of our society. They create jobs for local people, and money spent in small businesses stays in the community far more than money spent at large corporations.

I stand for grassroots campaigns. Yes, campaigns take money—but more importantly, they take community. Organizing sign-up sheets, checking spelling on posters, volunteering at events, lifting spirits through humor and support. With all that, I was able to raise just over $8,000 in donations. I didn't need more, because I had people who believed in me—and I'll never stop fighting for them.

So go ahead—write your hit pieces. Yes, I'm a blue dot in a red state, and I've never hidden that. But this is a nonpartisan race. That's allowed me to talk with people from all walks of life. And it's been beautiful.

When I said, "I volunteer as tribute" (yep, Hunger Games-style) to run for City Council, I meant it. Politics can be messy, corrupt, and cruel. People go low. And yeah, it's been a fight.

But I'd do it all again—because I know I'm doing the right thing.

Oh, and one more thing:

There is a genocide happening in Gaza. Denying it now puts you on the wrong side of history—and you should be ashamed. Just like you should be ashamed of your journalism surrounding the death of F.L. "Bubba" Copeland. I hope you can rest in peace, far, far away from these guys. I'll keep making good trouble. 

VOTE Aug, 26th for Liz Lane, Seat 3, Hoover City Council. 

Liz Lane is a candidate for Hoover City Council, Place 3, in the August 26, 2025 municipal election. To learn more about her, follow her on Facebook or visit her campaign website, LizLane4HCC.com.

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