Tucker, GA — Tucker resident Neal Stubblefield, a retired engineer, is running for Tucker City Council District 3, Post 1.

The seat is currently held by Michelle Penkava, who is term limited and can’t run again.

Stubblefield has lived in Tucker for 31 years.

“Neal retired at the end of 2020 following a nearly 42-year career primarily in public water infrastructure with an eye toward increasing his involvement in the community,” Stubblefield’s campaign announcement says. “He has served on the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals since its inception in 2016, both as an at-large member and as the chair and currently as the vice chair.

“During the cityhood movement he knocked on doors around Tucker informing residents about the benefits of incorporation, wrote and testified before state legislators, and observed precinct voting during the historic vote in November 2015 that resulted in Tucker becoming a city.  Since 2018, he’s represented the city’s development and infrastructure interests as the city’s appointee to the DeKalb County 2070 Water & Wastewater Capacity Master Plan since 2018.  As the new city commenced operations in spring 2016, he reviewed and provided input on consultant proposals to provide initial contract staff services.”

Stubblefield and his family are members of Northlake Church of Christ and he’s currently an elder at the church. They’ve been members for 35 years and he chairs the adult education committee and led both phases of the building construction program when the congregation relocated to Tucker from Decatur in 1996, his campaign announcement says.

“Other activities in the community have included Cub Scout leader, volunteer at NETWorks Cooperative Ministry, and serving on the board of Georgia AGAPE, a Christian child-placement agency for four years, where as the chair he facilitated their first strategic plan,” his campaign announcement says. “As a long-distance runner for nearly a half century, Neal was a board member and a race director for over 30 years for multiple events for the Atlanta Track Club where he’s been a member since 1975 and a founding board member of its associated charitable foundation, in addition to serving as finish director during the 1980s for the world-famous Peachtree Road Race. He was a volunteer for the club on out-of-stadium running, racewalking and cycling events for the 1996 Atlanta Centennial Olympics and the Paralympic Games that followed that summer. He has been a member of the club’s masters competitive team and is a veteran of 35 marathons and ultra-distance races. He was a 35-year regular at Tucker’s own Charles Harris Run for Leukemia 10K!”

His priorities for Tucker are:

– Delivering a high level of service in the city’s core service areas (parks & recreation, planning & zoning, code enforcement) so that property values are enhanced, and all residents, businesses and visitors enjoy a satisfying quality of life.

– Encouraging smart growth as well as thoughtful re-development and providing the infrastructure necessary to sustain both – this includes attracting and helping employers grow as well as the workforce those employers need in a vital economy.

– Nurturing an atmosphere where all who choose to make their homes and businesses in the city feel welcome and integral to the success of Tucker with opportunities for volunteer efforts, public involvement, and other forms of service to the community.

“Tucker has been as innovative as any new city in Georgia in leveraging the strengths of the county to deliver services that scale up to the needs of a metropolitan populace, such as sanitation, water and wastewate,” he said. “Its creative intergovernmental agreement with the DeKalb County police consolidated law enforcement coverage for the city into a single precinct responsive to all its citizens and businesses.  Its efficient use of SPLOST tax dollars has expedited the resurfacing of over 129 of the City’s prioritized roads and streets since 2018, with another 62 scheduled for 2021.  These are the types of thoughtful initiatives that have helped make Tucker thrive from the start and I would continue to work with mayor, council, staff, and our various boards to develop and execute similar ideas.  We want to continue to be a “smart government” at work serving everyone within our borders and to maintain solid relationships with our government partners.”

The election is Nov. 2. Candidates who have announced a run this year are:

– Imani Barnes, candidate for District 2, Post 1

– Cara Schroeder, candidate for District 2, Post 1

– Shawn Woods, candidate for District 1, Post 2

– Virginia Reece, candidate for District 1, Post 2

– Roger Orlando, candidate for District 1, Post 1

– Neal Stubblefield, District 3, Post 1

The seats on the ballot this year are:

– Mayor, post currently held by Frank Auman

– District 1 Post 1, currently held by Pat Soltys

– District 2 Post 1, currently held by Matt Robbins*

– District 3 Post 1, currently held by Michelle Penkava*

– District 1, Post 2 is vacant and was held by the late Bill Rosenfeld

*These council members are term limited and can’t run again

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