(10/15) The Town election in September saw three commissioner seats open with four candidates in the running. Commissioners Cliff Sweeney and Jim Hoover, both currently serving, managed to keep their seats on the Council, with Sweeney receiving 124 votes and Hoover 116. Commissioner Kevin Hagan received 82 votes, winning over the last candidate by 22 votes.
New Commissioner Hagan joined the Council after serving as chair of the Planning Commission and will serve until October of 2025. Commissioners Jim Hoover, Valerie Turnquist and Cliff Sweeney will all serve until October 2027, as will Mayor Frank Davis.
Commissioner Tim O'Donnell ended his time on the Council, however, he will be serving on the Parks and Recreation Committee until 2026 and the Planning Commission until 2027. He was honored with a proclamation for his work on the Council and specifically as a part of the Parks and Recreation Committee.
Upon ending his term, O'Donnell told his fellow commissioners to "Support one another, collaborate, don't compete when you don't have to and always make each other look good." He had words for the community as well, stating "This board will look at water and sewer rates and you need to support them and give your feedback."
For O’Donnell, "growth is necessary" and it will occur whether they chose to see it happen or not. "It's in your best interest to prepare rigorously for it and dictate what we want to see growth wise in our community," he said. He specifically asked the community to pay attention to the North County regional park, an over 152-acre park on Motters Station Road. "I continue to harp on the need for pedestrian safety. Our young kids are bold and independent, and they will ride their bikes over [Route] 15 if we don’t give them a path to that park," he said. He said it was imperative that a safe route is discovered and committed to, and he asked for this to be a top priority.
After swearing in the new commissioners, the Council spent some time rearranging council duties. Commissioner Amy Pollitt will remain Council President, Hoover will remain Council Vice-President and Turnquist will remain treasurer. Sweeney volunteered to be the Parks and Recreation liaison and Hagen will work as Citizen Advisory Board liaison. Hoover will work alongside the Planning Commission.
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