Bo Hicks
Bo Hicks has lived in District 5 for 16 years. He owns Druid City Brewing Company and Ell’s Kitchen. He is running for the open City Council seat to continue the work Kip Tyner started in East Tuscaloosa.
Why this seat
I’ve lived in that community for a long time and saw the great things that Kip did there,” Hicks said. “With my work building community and my venue here in Tuscaloosa, I just think it’s important to continue to bring great things to all of District 5, but also the city of Tuscaloosa.”
He has been plain about the size of the job. “Under Kip’s stewardship, District 5 has been amazing. He was a true force and one of a kind, and I don’t believe any of the candidates will truly be able to fill his shoes at first. But I would like to think I’m going to do my best to make him proud and continue the work he started.”
“I know I’m not the smartest man in the room, but I know how to listen to people. I want to hear what they have to say and then be a part of the solutions that they come up with.”
-Bo Hicks
Brookwood, then Tuscaloosa
Hicks grew up around Lake View and Abernant and graduated from Brookwood High School in 1998. He came to Tuscaloosa for school, found the local music scene and the service industry, and stayed. He has lived in District 5 for 16 years, in Alberta.
He walks the city, including the streets around home. He told the Tuscaloosa Thread he covers about 35 miles a week and has logged roughly 12,700 miles, which he joked is about halfway around the Earth. That is also how he plans to campaign: out in the district, listening. What happens in District 5, he says, shows up in the rest of Tuscaloosa.
A Moon room for the people
1998
Brookwood High, then jobs at Manna Grocery, Egan’s, the Bama Theatre, and the YMCA. With friends, he started WellThatsCool.com to tell people what was happening in town and to put events on the calendar.
The Early Years
2012
He and Elliott Roberts opened Tuscaloosa’s first production brewery in Parkview Center. The taproom followed in 2013. In 2019, they partnered with Straight to Ale so the beer could be sold around Alabama. Hicks kept a stake and kept running the Tuscaloosa room.
Druid City opens
2023
The taproom moved to 700 14th Street and added a kitchen named for Roberts, his late partner. In 2025, USA TODAY named Druid City one of its Bars of the Year.
Ell’s Kitchen
The Moon Room has hosted live music, comedy, open mics, community forums, English department readings, and a ukulele club. “I want to function as a place where people feel safe and welcome, and to help grow several different communities in Tuscaloosa,” Hicks said. Owning the business is also why rent, rising costs, and empty storefronts are on his mind. He wants someone with a real idea to be able to find a space in East Tuscaloosa and open.