Kyril Mitchell bids for Ward 5 seat

Kyril Mitchell, who returned earlier this year from a tour of duty in Iraq, became the first candidate to apply to complete the unexpired term of Rick Judkins, the City Councilor from Ward 5. Judkins resigned the seat effective June 30 because he intends to move to Madison.

A staff sergeant in the Army Reserve, Mitchell served briefly on the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) in 2003 before leaving for Iraq and was recently appointed as an alternate member of the ZBA. In a letter accompanying his application, he said that if he was named to the council, he would resign his seat on the ZBA.

Mitchell, who is employed as an assistant manager at the Coach store at the Tanger Outlet in Tilton, grew up in Laconia, attending Woodland Heights School and Memorial Middle School before joining the class of 1994 at Bishop Brady High School in Concord. After two years at the University of Hartford, where he concentrated his studies on journalism, he enlisted in the Army, serving on active duty at home and abroad from 1996 to 2000. Mitchell described his specialty as "transportation management," adding "it's a relatively safe job trying to keep others safe." After tours in Korea, Albania, Egypt and finally Iraq, Mitchell was discharged on St. Patrick's Day this year.

"I don't want to be a Monday morning quarterback," Mitchell said, explaining that he wanted to contribute to the life of the city. He said that the future of the middle school and high school was the "biggest challenge facing the council." As a councilor, Mitchell said he would carefully weigh all the options to balance the needs of the community and the interests of its taxpayers. He noted that the growth underway in the city could alleviate the cost of new or renovated schools by expanding the tax base.

"This is a good town," Mitchell declared. "Of all the places in the world I've been — 30 states and six countries — this is where I want make my home and raise my family." He said it was coincidence that he and his wife Renee bought a house on Baldwin Street just as Judkins announced his resignation. He said that if he was appointed to complete Judkins's term, he would run for the seat in November. If he was not appointed, he said his decision to seek the Ward 5 seat in November would be contingent on who the council appointed. "I want what's best for the city," he said. "All I can do is the best I can."

Former city councilor and local radio personality Niel Young said he considered tossing his hat in the ring, but decided against it, confessing that "for once I put my wife's wishes above my own wants." Young said that after bowing out, "I started looking around." He said that Ward 5 included a lot of "blue collar families and people on fixed incomes" and that he was looking for a candidate "to reflect that when they vote on matters of money." Bob Hamel, named by Judkins as a possible successor and one of those approached by Young, decided not to apply for the position, Young said.

The deadline for applications, which should be forwarded to Marie Bradley in the City Manager's Office at City Hall, is Friday, July 8 at 12 noon. The council could interview candidates at its next regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, July 11 and make its choice when it meets two weeks later on July 25. A simple majority of the five remaining councilors is required to appoint Judkins's successor.