Mayor Sonja A. Brown

Sonja A. Brown serves as Mayor of Glenn Heights with a clear mission: deliver results that residents can feel at home, on their street, and in their daily lives. She leads with transparency, data, and steady collaboration. Her focus is simple and firm. Safe neighborhoods. Responsible budgets. Strong local businesses. High-quality city services.

Mayor Brown builds partnerships that turn plans into projects. She prioritizes clear communication with residents, consistent follow-through with staff, and measurable outcomes at every step. Her work in government affairs and community relations keeps the city connected to schools, faith communities, regional agencies, and small business owners. She is also a sought-after public speaker on equity, education, and empowerment.

Under Mayor Brown’s leadership, Glenn Heights is advancing a practical roadmap for a modern, people-centered city. Her 21st Century City Initiatives focus on:

• Infrastructure: modernizing the city’s foundation to support growth and sustainability through road improvements, water system expansion and upgrades, broadband expansion, economic development, public/micro transit, and housing initiatives
• Education: providing and enhancing lifelong learning opportunities to ensure all residents are college, career, or life ready through high-quality K-16 education, high-quality summer learning, higher education partnerships, an education hub, and workforce partnerships
• Health & Wellness: enhancing access to quality healthcare and promoting wellness through access to quality healthcare, food equity (fresh fruits & veggies), senior programming, health symposium, walking/biking trails, and more

Mayor Brown believes progress should be visible, fair, and fiscally sound. Her north star is service that earns trust. She invites every resident to participate, ask hard questions, and help keep Glenn Heights moving forward together.

Click here to read more on Mayor Brown's 21st Century City Initiatives. 

Click here to read Mayor Brown's full bio. 

Councilman Harry A. Garrett is the most tenured member of the Council. His institutional knowledge provides context that strengthens policy, budgeting, and long-range planning. Because he understands the history behind prior decisions, he helps the Council avoid missteps, maintain continuity, and build on what already works. He mentors newer members, builds consensus, and keeps clear lines of communication with neighborhood leaders and regional partners. His approach is data-informed and community-centered, prioritizing fiscal responsibility, reliable city services, and measurable outcomes. The Council benefits from his steady judgment when issues are complex or time-sensitive.

His voting record reflects those values. Councilman Garrett has consistently supported balanced budgets and responsible financial planning, pairing essential service delivery with disciplined spending. He has voted to invest in core infrastructure, backed public safety readiness with training and equipment that keeps residents and first responders safe, and he has supported economic development measures. Together, these decisions show a record of practical, results-oriented leadership that keeps the city moving forward. 

Marcel Howard, a father, Army veteran, servant leader, and Teamster, is committed to moving Glenn Heights forward with a clear, practical agenda. His four-pronged platform (L.I.V.E.) sets measurable goals and timelines the community can track. 

• Labor: Grow good jobs close to home. Prioritize local hiring on city projects, support small businesses, expand apprenticeships and CTE pipelines with regional employers, and promote fair, safe workplaces.
• Infrastructure: Fix what people use every day. Repave streets, improve drainage, modernize water and wastewater systems, add sidewalks, lighting, and broadband, and publish a transparent capital plan tied to grants and cash flow.
• Veterans: Keep the promise to those who served. Create a one-stop navigator for benefits, housing, mental health, and job placement; expand veteran preference in city hiring and procurement; and support veteran-owned startups.
• Education: Strengthen partnerships with Lancaster ISD and area colleges. Invest in tutoring and after-school programs, boost literacy, align CTE with local employers, and expand scholarships and parent engagement.

His Motto: L.I.V.E. better in Glenn Heights!

Mayor Pro Tem Cornel D. Benford II grew up in Chicago, graduated from Hyde Park Academy, and earned a B.S. in Information Systems from DePaul University. His career spans software engineering and outside sales with companies such as Coca-Cola, 3M, and Pfizer; he now works as a solution architect in the biomedical field and lives in Glenn Heights with his family. He’s been active locally, especially around youth, sports/recreation, and is guided by the maxim “Do not confuse activity with results.” 

Platform highlights

• Close-Up Program (civics): Expand access so more Glenn Heights students experience hands-on civics and bring lessons back to their schools and the community.
   
• Economic Development: Foster small-business growth, recruit quality employers, and align workforce opportunities so residents can workand thriveclose to home.
   
• Better Lighting Citywide: Improve street and park lighting to enhance safety, visibility, and quality of life in every neighborhood.

Click here to read Mayor Pro Tem's full bio.