Longest-serving Mitchell City Council members Jeff Smith, Marty Barington to seek re-election
Feb. 26—MITCHELL — A pair of longtime Mitchell City Council members will be on the ballot again in June.
Marty Barington and Jeff Smith have both decided to seek re-election. The two council members, who have been on the council since 2006, confirmed Monday they are both eyeing another term on June 4.
Unlike previous years, Smith and Barington were leaning against running for another term. They both had a change of heart after words of encouragement from the residents in their respective wards.
"The fire in me is still there. There are some big projects I'd like to see go through and make progress," Smith said. "I was convinced I wasn't going to run, but I had a lot of residents in my ward ask me to run again."
In an attempt to gauge support from the residents in Ward 3, Barington made some calls prior to deciding on making another run for the council seat he's held for nearly two decades.
The responses Barington received from the residents solidified his decision to seek re-election.
"I made some calls to the people in my ward to see what they think about me running for another term, and I got great feedback from them. It was clear to me that they wanted to see me run in hopes of continuing to represent them," Barington said.
Smith and Barington are the longest-serving members on the council. Each has served six terms on the council, and they are seeking a seventh term. All council member's terms span three years unless they were appointed to fill a sudden vacancy.
A few major city projects that are on the table also played a major role in Smith and Barington's decision to seek re-election.
Bringing a Lake Mitchell restoration project to life and improving the Corn Palace are atop the list of projects Barington and Smith are hoping to advance, if elected.
"I really want to see a conclusion to the lake, Corn Palace and possibly City Hall," Smith said.
Both council members have been vocal supporters of the proposed Lake Mitchell dredging project, which will also be decided on by voters in June.
The $16.8 million loan application the city is seeking to fund a proposed mechanical lake dredging project will alos be on the June 4 ballot.
Regardless of the outcome on the $16.8 million Lake Mitchell dredging loan application voters will decide on in June, Barington said tackling the lake's ongoing algae issues will remain a top priority, if elected for another three-year term.
"If the loan gets approved, we will know that the community wants to see us move in the direction of dredging the lake. If it's not approved, we know the community desperately wants to see a healthier, cleaner lake. I'm confident we can come up with a plan to improve our lake that the community will get behind," Barington said.
While Barington and Smith have announced they are running for another term, petitions for the pair of council seats up for election cannot begin circulating until Friday, March 1. Petitions must be submitted to City Hall by Friday, March 31 with enough signatures from registered voters. The city election will be held June 4.
