Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Incumbent mayor faces challenger
Downingtown Mayor Josh Maxwell and Adrian Martinez face off in mayoral race
DOWNINGTOWN » Downingtown Mayor Josh Maxwell is facing competition against Adrian Martinez in the election on Tuesday as he seeks his third term.
Serving as the mayor since 2010, Maxwell, a Democrat became Downingtown’s youngest mayor in its history at the age of 26. Adrian Martinez, a civic leader, businessman and artist, is a Republican. In the mayor’s role, they oversee the Downingtown Police Department that operates in Downingtown Borough and East Caln Township. The mayor votes as a tie-breaker for borough council members.
Maxwell and Downingtown Police Chief Howard Holland collaborated to have a mandatory training for the police officers to learn more about resources following domestic violence. Maxwell wrote an ordinance in 2016 ensuring that all police officers are trained on resources available to survivors of domestic violence within six months of their hire.
Maxwell noted that the police department consists of the largest part of the borough budget and he explained that borough officials have funded services in ways that have not required a tax increase in the past four years. Council members are reviewing the preliminary 2018 budget that proposes a fifth consecutive year without a tax increase.
Martinez is looking forward to being involved with police programs. He said that some residents are concerned with speeding and lack of parking. He said while there is no easy answer to this, he looks forward to being involved with the police, and if elected, to work on issue together to find answers.
Maxwell and Martinez said that the police department functions well. Martinez added that the police
are “people I can work with to keep it running well.”
Martinez is a past president of the Downingtown Main Street Association. Martinez and Maxwell, both previously served on Main Street and the Downingtown Planning Commission. Martinez said that during his time volunteering he listened to concerns from residents and he wants to continue his service in a new role as the mayor helping to address such concerns of economic development and parking. Maxwell said he is proud of the development in Downingtown, including increasing restaurants in the business district, improvements to the parks, the new Minquas Fire Company station and the improvements to the Downingtown Library. He is looking forward to the relocation of the Downingtown train station project to the former paper mill property.
Maxwell works full-time for a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) subcontractor, developing strategic communication campaigns for education, public finance and gender-based violence programs in Africa. He also supports other causes including It’s on Us, Chester County Coalition to End Gender-Based Violence and Men Can End Domestic Violence Campaign.
Martinez has had his artwork featured at the White House, Camp David, and the George W. Bush Library in Dallas. Locally he is displayed at St. Joseph’s Church, the lobby of DNB’s main branch, Green Street Grill, the Downingtown S.T.E.M. Academy and Downingtown Library.
Visit Daily Local News staff writer Ginger Rae Dunbar’s blog about journalism and volunteering as a firefighter at FirefighterGinger.blogspot.com.