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Name: Michael McCall
What office are you seeking: Princeton City Council
Age: 51
What elected positions, if any, have you had previously: City councilman for the past 4 years
Education: 1991 Princeton High School graduate/1994 graduate with associates degree from IVCC
Family: Married with three grown children and two grandchildren
Why are you running for office?
I am seeking reelection for City Council, that I have been a part of for the past four years. When I originally ran for office back in 2021, my main reason was to help support small businesses. I work for a food service distributor, and I could see the toll that COVID was taking on restaurants at the time. I wanted to be part of the bigger picture to help and support the city and its residents. My goal is to continue positively grow the city of Princeton and help navigate the challenges that we may have in the future.
What is your vision for Princeton? And what would you do as an elected official to bring it to fruition?
My goal is to continue on the positive things that we have accomplished in the past four years. My vision would be adding an economic director at some point to help us grow and bring more jobs to our community. We have added Ollie’s, which has been a great addition to our community. We are on the I-80 corridor which opens up a lot of opportunities for future growth. We need to advertise ourselves a little better and be on the forefront of bringing more business to our city.
How would you rate the city’s services? If anything, what would you improve? And how?
We have top notch safety services with our fire and police departments. We are fully staffed in our police department and the need will always be there to add more to our EMS/Fire department. Our Street, Cemetery, Water and Wastewater and Electric departments do a fantastic job. We’ve also recently added a planning and zoning department head with the retirement of Pete Nelson.
I would like to see continued improvements with our streets and water/wastewater projects. All of this takes money and includes good budget planning to be able to continue these projects. The more we grow, the more tax dollars we receive, which helps create these projects. The city has a lot of great employees that help make these things happen.
Volunteers have stepped up to create a warming center for homeless individuals in Princeton. Do you believe the city should do more to provide a permanent solution, or do you believe the nonprofit organizations have developed a suitable resolution?
The city has worked with these nonprofit organizations, to help create ideas with our homeless situation. We do have less of a homeless population than we did last year, which means we are moving in the right direction. Chief Kammerer and Mayor Mabry have done a fantastic job being part of the warming center. We have had many conversations as a council the past year to brainstorm how to help in these situations. I believe the nonprofit organizations have done a fantastic job and we will continue to support them as best we can.
How much of a role should the City Council play in assisting nonprofit ventures?
I think each situation is unique. It is tough with our budget being so tight to monetarily help each and every nonprofit organization. Giving them a platform at our City Council meetings over the past two years, I think has helped spread the word on the needs they may have and helped everyone have open conversations on how the community or city can help.
Maintaining Princeton’s image as a place welcoming for visitors has been a regular conversation in city meetings. What can the City Council do to ensure that image is kept?
We have a historical Main Street, which is always kept in top notch shape. Supporting our local festivals, such as Homestead Festival, helps us show off our great city. We have so much more to offer, such as Beef Days, Fourth of July, street concerts ,Christmas parade, etc. The list goes on and on. The city works side by side with the Chamber of Commerce for their events as well and have a shared vision of how we can continue to grow the number of people who come to Princeton. I think working hand in hand between the city and the Chamber of Commerce, and other organizations, such as the Lions club, for example, is a good working relationship that will continue for years to come. We have a great City Council and Mayor that works together to openly communicate with each other for new ideas and help preserve the reputation of the City of Princeton.
How would you make yourself accessible to constituents?
I will continue to do the same as I have in the past four years. You can always contact me via phone, email or text. All my information is posted on the city’s website. I always follow up with anyone that has contacted me during the past four years and try to come up with a resolution on any issues they may have had.