By Natalie Dupuis, Correspondent, The Times
Republican Tony Babcock, left, and Democrat Josh Maxwell, right, are vying for Mayor.
DOWINGTOWN— Inceumbent Mayor Josh Maxwell faces Republican nominee Tony Babcock on Tuesday in the race to hold the mayoral seat.
Maxwell, who is the borough’s youngest mayor ever, has been in his position since he was sworn into office in 2010.
Babcock, a car salesman at Roberts Honda in the heart of the borough, is running both for mayor and for a seat on the Borough Council.
Both men have been long-time residents of the borough, and both have a vested interest in seeing the town thrive and grow.
Babcock has lived in the borough for 20 years. He and his wife, Elaine, serve on the Historical and Parks Commission. They are invested volunteers in the events sponsored by Historical and Parks, like last week’s Ghost Walk and the annual Duck Race. They have twin sons who are seniors at Downingtown West High School.
In the spring, Babcock ran for a seat on the Borough Council, but was missing some crucial paperwork in his petition to run. So instead, he ran a write-in campaign, and earned a nomination for the seat. Maxwell, a Democrat, won a write-in campaign for the Republican nomination for Mayor, so that in the fall he would technically be running against himself.
Fast forward to August, when a miscommunication between Maxwell’s campaign and Chester County Voter Services led to Maxwell’s Republican nomination being rescinded. In the event of this vacancy, the Republican Committee of Chester County nominated Babcock to run as the Republican candidate for mayor.
“Ironically the thing that got me kicked off the ballot for Borough Council, got me on the ballot for mayor,” said Babcock.
If Babcock were to win both races, he will have to choose which seat to accept.
“I would really have to do some soul searching to decide,” he said. “It would have to come through fellowship with my friends to see where they thing I would be best suited.”
Both candidates for mayor say they feel strongly about the preservation of parks in Downingtown. With 80 acres of park space, residents have access to fields and courts for sports leagues, as well as walking or running trails.
Maxwell said he would like to see Downingtown have “vibrant parks; a greener, more walkable community from Downtown to the parks. More trees, more lights at night, more interconnected trails. We have an opportunity where we have these great parks, great trails, and you want to connect it to your downtown.”
Babcock agrees that Downingtown parks are of the utmost importance. “Protecting parks is number one,” he said. “We’re a unique town that we have so much green space, so it’s important to keep that in place and develop that.”
Also, both candidates are passionate about the safety of Downingtown. One of the most important duties of the mayor is to oversee the borough police. The Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed Maxwell, but that hasn’t stopped Babcock from being committed to promoting the work of the police.
“Our police do great work, they have a great chief,” said Maxwell. “We have one of the most varied departments as far as officer background in the county.”
Babcock, a former sergeant in the 101st Airborne Division, is enthusiastic about maintaining the low crime rates in Downingtown, as well as fostering a healthy relationship between the police department and residents.
“Safety is of the utmost importance,” said Babcock. “Our police are great at their job, and I’d like to see the people of Downingtown get to know them.”
Come Tuesday, Downingtown residents have a choice to make for their mayor, but both candidates feel strongly about the success of their campaigns.
“Elections are meant to be competitive – you’re meant to have two people on the ballot,” said Maxwell.
“You know, I’m not running against Josh,” said Babcock. “I’m running for the position, and that’s what matters.”
