Reporter for The Canyon Weekly
All four positions up for election in Mill City have uncontested candidates going into the Nov. 8 election.
As of the Aug. 30 filing deadline, Mayor Tim Kirsch was unopposed, clearing a path for a 10th non-consecutive term.
Councilors Janet Zeyen-Hall and Steve Winn are also unchallenged, while political newcomer and local teacher Jason Saari is unchallenged for the seat currently held by Councilor Tony Trout.
Trout said in July he was not certain he would run again, as he felt satisfied with the projects he was able to accomplish during his two terms on the council, including finalization of a federal grant to restore Mill City Southern Pacific Railroad Bridge. When the Aug. 30 deadline passed, Trout had not filed for a third term.
Kirsch had said he looked forward to continuing to work with any incumbents who filed, saying the current council has become a cohesive team. Zeyen-Hall and Winn said they both look forward to helping the city continue down a positive path.
Set to join the team is Saari, who currently teaches civics at Mill City High School. After teaching about the functions of government for nine years, he decided it was time to become involved in local civic leadership.
“I know that there is a great desire to expand by many and in order to do that, we have to update our waste management infrastructure,” said Saari. “I would like to be a part of that as well as working to understand why it costs so much to build in Mill City and how we can change that to make it a more attractive place for builders and homeowners to do their work.”
Saari said he specifically wants to address the cost of sewer permits, and looks forward to working with a mayor and council he said are doing “many good things.”
