Greenville’s Very Own Takes the Reins In Run For Mayor

We all know at least one person who by choice wears many hats on their one head at one time. Some of us may even know multiple. These people are the ones who make the world a much better place and strive to make the lives of those around them easier. Greenville native and long-time resident, Dr. George Barber fits this description to the tee. Not only is Barber the long-time coach of the one and only story-making Greenville University Men’s Basketball program, but he is also an avid professor at the University. Sounds like too much to handle at once right? Not for Barber. Aside from his many jobs on campus, Coach Barber is also a full-time loving husband, a devoted father to his 5 children, as well as father to the family’s newest addition, Chestnut, a puppy who keeps him on his toes. Despite having a fairly full plate, Barber felt that he could be doing more and made the decision to add a bit of more to his plate and run for the Mayor of Greenville. “I was informed there was interest in the community in myself being a mayoral candidate..” Barber shared when asked what sparked the idea of entering the race for mayor in an interview with WGEL.com.

As mayor, Barber plans to make the state of Illinois’ poor financing decisions his ultimate concern. How does he plan on doing this you may ask? By implementing a type of debt-affordability study which would better assist the new mayor in learning where the most spending is being done and decide if any of it is being done wastefully. When asked about his emotions about his father winning the election, Greenville University sophomore Samuel Barber stated, “I feel good knowing that my dad is in office. Being from this city is special to me so knowing that the new mayor is someone who I trust and who I know has the people’s best interest at heart will help me sleep well at night as I am sure it will do for the other natives and residents here in Greenville”. Although Barber is now an elected official, he still plans to lead the men’s basketball team here at Greenville University. Personally, he feels that his new title of mayor may even play a role in bringing new talent to the men’s basketball team. His reasoning is simple. “There may be a certain type of appeal to parents that the coach is a state legislator.”. Think about it. How cool would it be for you to tell your friends that your coach wins games during the season, and also runs a city in his downtime? In a sense, many can see Coach Barber as a bit of a superhero since he does in fact were so many capes of different titles. He is one superhero that the students of the university, residents of the city, and of course the children of his household can truly trust.

On behalf of the entire Greenville community, continue to be the amazing individual you are Coach Barber. We are all rooting for you on the court and now in the office! Go Panthers!

Media by Dustin Bankowski.