2025 Voter Guide: Ask the Candidate
Homewood voters will choose their next mayor and city council on Aug. 26. Candidates Greg Cobb, Chris Lane, John Manzelli and Keith Young are running to represent Ward 3.
Q: What motivated you to run for office in Homewood’s 2025 election?
Greg Cobb:
I've sat in those council meetings for 20 years. I went to every council meeting, board of zoning adjustments and planning commission meetings. I watched projects come in that would come to our office and they'd have to go to the Planning Commission for approval, or the BZA for variances and then they'd go from Planning Commission to city council. It was a process. Having spent all that time and all those meetings, and I saw a lot of things that I couldn't agree with, and so I said, “One day I'd like to, like to be on the council.”
Chris Lane:
Homewood is a city full of good people who want the same thing — a community that works, leadership they can trust, and a future that feels steady. But over the past few years, that trust has been tested. Too often, important decisions are made behind closed doors — and by the time citizens realize they should care, it’s already too late. When I ran for mayor in 2020, we pushed for meaningful changes including — more transparency, more accountability, and a better way of doing business. Those things were promised during the campaign but other than a new website there has been little visible change. And we still have work to do. After a lot of thought and conversation, I decided to run to represent my neighbors in Ward 3. My priorities are to stay grounded in what’s best for the people who live here and that includes protecting the heart of our community: our businesses, our neighborhoods, and most importantly our schools.
John Manzelli:
Honestly, I hadn’t planned on running. But when the Creekside proposal was announced, I started speaking out—and before I knew it, people began finding me and sharing their concerns, their frustrations, and asking, “What can we do?” I felt a deep responsibility to my neighbors to keep fighting. As the filing period approached, I realized there was a lot of work that can be done in our community and there was an opportunity to step up, serve my community, and give something back. That’s what ultimately motivated me to run.
Keith Young:
I’ve always believed in public service and I’ve spent much of my career working behind the scenes to support ideals and leaders who were trying to do the right thing for their communities. I’ve worked for two Attorneys General, helped lead a statewide nonprofit focused on government reform, and stayed involved in the issues that impact people’s everyday lives. Public service is something I’ve always felt called to and now it’s the right time to step forward myself.
My wife, Summer, and I chose Homewood because it felt like the kind of place we wanted to raise a family. After more than a decade here, this city means a lot to us. But like many people, I’ve also been paying close attention to how our local government works, the good, the bad, and the missed opportunities.
What motivated me to run is a combination of all of that: a lifelong passion for service, a desire to see more accountability and transparency at City Hall, and a belief that Homewood deserves fresh energy and new ideas. This is the right time for me, for my family and for Homewood.
To read Cobb’s full Q&A, click here. See Lane’s full Q&A here. Read Manzelli’s full Q&A here. Find Young’s full Q&A here.
