A political newcomer has announced a run for mayor of Bloomington. He is 29-year-old Nick McClintock, a radio technician for the Illinois Farm Bureau. He also has been a part-time producer and show host for various radio stations in Bloomington-Normal.
"I'm running because I'm fairly young and a lifelong resident and I feel, like based on, you know, being in radio and the number of council meetings I have covered and things like that, I think that's a voice that's kind of missing in Bloomington politics," said McClintock.
Current Mayor Tari Renner said he won't run for a third term. The other announced candidate so far is consultant and entrepreneur Michael Straza.
McClintock acknowledged he doesn't have a history of community involvement, but said he has considered a political race for a while. Instead of running for the council or serving on a board or commission, McClintock said he views Renner's decision not to run as an opportunity.
"You know being able to be trusted to come in at 2 a.m. during a severe thunderstorm warning for WJBC to inform the community that you know a severe storm is on the way, I feel that's one definition of how people can trust me," said McClintock.
He also acknowledged a lack of leadership experience, but said he approaches mediating and moderating contentious issues at a basic level.
“I’m really really into common sense, negotiating and listening to stakeholders. I believe most things do have a, you know, multiple sides to each story, but being able to tune out the fringe side of both of those topics is really important,” said McClintock.
McClintock said he views the most pressing problem facing the city as fixing the roads. He said the city also should review the timeline set by the administration and council a couple years ago and check to see if things could be done more efficiently.
He said he loves what Renner and the council have done on quality-of-life improvements around town, but with current economic times, the city may need to take a step back and “make sure they are really what is pressing for the city.”
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