Danny Higdon Enters Race for Northport Council Seat Stressing Transparency

A familiar face is running for a city council seat in Northport, running on a background of fiscal responsibility and a commitment to transparency.

Danny Higdon, the longtime chief financial officer for the Tuscaloosa County School System, has confirmed to the Thread that he is running to represent Northport's District 5 when citizens go to vote in August.

The seat is currently held by Anwar Aiken, who was appointed to the seat by the rest of the city council following the shock resignation of Jeff Hogg last year. Hogg was in the middle of his second term when he stepped down just weeks after suspending normal procedural rules and pushing through a vote to make the city an official partner in University Beach - the infamous $350 million water park and lagoon resort.

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The way Hogg and others on the council behaved was enough to convince Higdon to run for the seat again - he sought the same office in the 2016 race that ended with Hogg's first election win.

"The main reason I'm running is a lack of transparency and openness with the current city council and the way the University Beach has been handled by this council," Higdon said. "There was no public input allowed with University Beach. It was presented in one night and voted on in one night. And there are still a lot of questions that are unanswered about that, and City Hall is basically just ignoring the citizens of Northport."

Higdon's bona fides for the role include decades of public employment and oversight as city auditor for Northport and then at the county schools, where he just retired as CFO after 20-plus years there.

He's also a lifetime resident of Northport and has three married sons and six grandchildren in city limits, pushing him to improve the area where he can.

"That's another main reason I'm running," Higdon said. "I want a city that my grandkids can be proud of, that's viable and also where infrastructure will match the growth of Northport."

Higdon said he was committed to financial transparency at TCSS, releasing public financial reports monthly. He told the Thread that won't change if he wins the seat in District 5.

"You want your voice heard? Vote for me. There will be no ram-rodding of stuff through in one council meeting," Higdon said. "The citizens are going to be involved and citizens are going to be informed on what's going on at City Hall."

Northport's municipal elections will be held on August 26, 2025. All five city council seats and the mayor's office are up for vote. Check out our just-launched coverage hub for those races here.

Any incumbent or challenging candidate seeking coverage on the Thread can reach the editor at stephen.dethrage@townsquaremedia.com.

For updates on those races and more, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.