On Nov. 7th, Green’s citizens will vote between mayoral candidates Rocco Yeargin and Barbara Babbitt, and decide on the three at-large members of City Council. Of the five candidates for City Council, two are incumbent: Richard Brandenburg and Clark Anthony DeVitis, who is the current President of City Council. Two candidates are not incumbent, but have previous political experience: Justin Speight, City Councilmen from 2015-2019, and Gerard Neugebauer, the current Mayor of Green. The final candidate, Erin Yoder, is pursuing a career in politics for the first time, reasoning that the people of Green aren’t represented in Council.
Rocco Yeargin is currently serving his second term on City Council for Ward 3. On top of this, he is a partner at the law firm Young and Yeargin.
“I’ve always been interested in public service. In my 6 years on City Council, it has taken over my vision and goals. I enjoy problem solving, and I do it everyday as a lawyer. City Council allows me to do this, and mayor is the next logical step,” Yeargin said.
Barbara Babbitt is currently serving her second term on City Council for Ward 1. Babbitt also has a background in law, receiving her law degree at Northwestern and working professionally as an assistant prosecutor.
“I want to get back to the basics: bring in businesses that fit into our community and build our tax base and focus on maintaining the standards our residents expect and deserve, without incurring more debt and further disrupting day to day life within the city,” Babbitt said.
Clark Anthony DeVitis is the current President of City Council. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, DeVitis received certifications in firefighting and EMT. In 2019, he received his national certification as a paramedic.
“My experience and active involvement with fire and police services on a daily basis gives me a greater understanding of how we can best serve our residents when it comes to safety services, ” DeVitis said.
Richard Brandenburg is a Certified Public Accountant who helped in the success of businesses, non profits, and the City of Green for the past 25 years. On top of his CPA status, Brandenburg worked thoroughly in auditing, economic development, and tax policy.
“Many cities in our area are struggling with a heavy load of debt from making poor choices,” Brandenburg said, further adding that the City has considered “many very expensive, long-term projects that Council must scrutinize.”
Justin Speight currently serves as the Aerospace Science Instructor for Green High School Air Force JROTC. He also served as a City Councilman from 2015-2019, but decided to not run for re-election until now.
“After my first term, I decided to withdraw to dedicate time to my family and military career. Since then, I have retired and have received an overwhelming amount of support for me to re-engage with City Council,” Speight said.
The choice of Mayor Neugebauer to run for City Council was met with some opposition. Many point out that the Mayor has already termed out, believing he shouldn’t keep his influence. Neugebauer supporters point out that the City Charter allows him to run for Council, and that he will only keep political influence if the people decide to elect him. Despite the opposition, Neugebauer is intent on winning a seat on council.
“With over 20 years of serving our community, I felt my extensive experience and knowledge of the city, departments, staff, and services would make me an effective council member and decision-maker for our citizens,” Neugebauer said.
Erin Yoder is the only candidate for City Council without previous political experience. But even without the experience of the other candidates, Yoder posits that she has what it takes to help run the city.
“I’m a mom of 6 kids in a blended family, so I’m pretty good at thinking on my feet. I have 25 plus years of customer service experience, so I’ve worked with all kinds of people, people who I don’t like, agree with, or even respect – but I’ve managed to get the job done,” Yoder said.
Yoder believes that the current city administration is short sighted, and that they don’t see the world changing. She says that the focus of the city on tax revenue from big businesses is misguided, as evidenced by FedEx leaving the city, and in turn leaving us without a vital source of revenue. Instead, Yoder believes that we need to invest in solar power that we can sell back to the power grid for revenue.
As election day approaches in Green, citizens will get the chance to choose from a diverse range of candidates. The election marks a pivotal moment in deciding the path of the city in the coming years
