Mike Todd apparently held onto his position on the Mill Creek City Council Tuesday with 62 percent of the votes cast over rival Ed McNichol.
Todd was appointed to the council two years ago and later elected in an unopposed race to fill the remaining term of Councilman Jack Start, who died from a heart attack.
“I am thankful that the people in Mill Creek seem to approve of the job I’ve done on council,” Todd said moments after learning he was reelected. “There are many important issues facing our city in the next four years and I look forward to further representing our residents.”
McNichol, who could not be reached for comment, challenged Todd on several areas, including community policing and what he perceived as failure councilwide to communicate with residents.
“I think the results of the election demonstrate that people are pleased with the work of the current council,” Todd said. “Policing was mentioned several times as big issue by candidates, but voters I talked to never really addressed that with me.”
Todd said while policing made good headlines and sound bites, it didn’t end up being a top priority with voters.
“We had some problems related to turnover a couple of years ago. The police chief laid out a plan and the Council responded,” Todd said. “We’ve actually seen a reduction in crime here, and citizens appear to be satisfied with what we’ve done related to the police department.”
In terms of improving communication, Todd acknowledged that residents in many cases don’t understand how to weigh in on issues or express their concerns to city officials. He said he will make greater effort over the next four years to reach out to people in the community and inform them how they can affect decisions in the city.
“When I was out campaigning I heard from many people upset about issues that we as council members have no control over, like development in the county,” Todd said. “I think it’s up to us to do a better job educating the public on the decision-making process.”
He believes issues related to growth and traffic are the top concern among residents, and said solutions will come from a better partnership with the county and surrounding cities.
“We need to work better with the county and tell them how their policies are affecting people in Mill Creek,” Todd said. “But, we also need to accept that the city we remember in the old days as being part of the country has changed. We can’t go back to that time.”
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