02/18/11 With the last day to file as a candidate in the municipal elections being noon on Friday, February 18th two more candidates threw their hats into the ring for Plymouth City Council on Thursday.
Shawn Grobe filed just after 8 a.m. Thursday as a republican for the City Council District 4 seat.
When asked why he was running Shawn said, “Because it will provide me an opportunity to be more involved in Plymouth.” He continued by saying, “I was not really thinking about running, but I was encouraged to run by a couple of people that I trust and respect. The more I thought about running, the more excited I was to having the opportunity to serve my community.” He closed by stating, “I’ve been on the City of Plymouth Redevelopment Commission for the past two years and I am passionate about making sure Plymouth stays a great place to live and raise a family.”
Shawn Grobe has lived in Plymouth for nine years, and has a lot of family here. He is married to Patty (Fortin) and they have an 18 month old daughter. He said, “Patty’s entire family is from Plymouth, and my mother was born and raised here and has family here, so my ties to Plymouth run deep.”
Grobe has engineering and a business degree from Purdue University and after graduation started at Honeywell in South Bend. He spent yen years with them but recently decided to leave the company rather than relocate. Shawn said, “I love living here and there is nowhere else I would want to raise my family.”
He closed by stating, “I look forward to serving the people of Plymouth on the Council.”
Filing Thursday afternoon was Ryan Ripley on the democratic ticket for City Council District 4 seat. He is not a stranger to politics. Ryan ran for County Council last year but wasn’t successful.
When asked why he said, “With the departure of Mark Neidig from public service, the city council is losing a critical eye and a sharp mind. He leaves large shoes to fill, but I hope to bring the same type of critical thinking and pro-active attitude to the council that Mr. Neidig is known for.”
We asked Ryan what he sees for the city and he said, “I would like to us my technical background to help guide the city into the future. We need a vision of how technology will play a part in growing our city and our economy.” He continued by saying, “With my business and technology background, I believe that I can play a positive role in that.”
Ryan and his wife Kristina have been in Plymouth for almost 8 years and live on Kingston Road with their 7 month old son Dawson. He works in Warsaw, is responsible for budgets in excess of $5 million and manages a global information technology team. Ryan said, “My career focuses are in corporate compliance and spend management, meaning I am responsible for the ethical and efficient spending of the company’s dollars.”
Ryan is also a board member of the United Way of Marshall County.
