Mayor Babcock makes 20 Under 40 list
Oak Harbor Mayor Quinton Babcock has been chosen for the 20 Under 40 Award, a program honoring dynamic leaders under 40 in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.
Most years, about 200 people are nominated. Winners are chosen by an independent panel of judges including past honorees and community leaders. Since 1996, 20 Under 40 has recognized over 500 people.
The full list of nominees and winners is online at 20under40toldo.com.
According to the site:
“At just 19 years old, Quinton Babcock was elected in 2015 to City Council in the Village of Oak Harbor, the youngest person to ever serve. Three years later, his fellow council members voted to name him the Village’s next mayor, following the then mayor’s resignation, making him the youngest serving mayor in Ohio. According to Babcock, he is a true advocate for northwest Ohio and knows it “takes a village” for a community to thrive. He believes in connecting with people, engaging with them, and then undertaking projects that resonate with the community.
Projects that Babcock has led include the Oak Harbor Riverfront Project – the only community project in Ottawa County to receive funding from Ohio’s biannual (2021/2022) capital budget and the largest funding amount in County history of $500,000. He and the Oak Harbor Development Group captured over 1,000 letters of support from many different individuals and stakeholders, including the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG), the Ability Center of Great Toledo, the Ottawa County Commissioners, and the Ottawa County Democrat and Republican parties.
He also led the Church Street Improvement Project – an 18-month, $10 million project to transform the Village’s sewer infrastructure, which has resulted in substantial reduction of residential basement flooding and a decrease in combined sewer overflows into the Portage River.
Babcock serves the community as a TMACOG trustee, -a trustee for the Ottawa County Improvement Corporation (OCIC), director of Riverview Industries (RVI), director of the Oak Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce, and as a member of Port Clinton Arts Garage Steering Committee.”
Nominations are now underway for the 2022 honor and can be submitted at 20under40toldo.com.
