Jeff Olson elected new mayor of Seneca

Seneca Mayor-elect Jeff Olson has his eyes set on improving the downtown.

Olson, who is the streets commissioner, was elected Tuesday to succeed David Spicer, who is retiring from the mayor's post. He bested Public Safety Commissioner Rich Applebee by 257 votes and Ed Callahan by 353 votes in unofficial totals.

"Our downtown is one of the biggest things," Olson said of his goals. "We have a lot of good things going on to build on."

Commissioner Randy Timmons was the lone incumbent in the commissioner race. He finished ahead of Frank Wiza IV by more than 100 votes to retain his seat on the council.

Due to the combined movement of Spicer retiring, as well as Olson and Applebee vying for the mayor's seat, newcomers David Higgins, John Lamb and Brennan Callahan were elected to the council.

"We'll need to sit down and see what's the best fit for the next four years," Olson said.