Ward 2 Councilman Rick Mihalevich will run for his fourth and final term on the Jefferson City Council in 2018.
Mihalevich filed for re-election Tuesday and said some of his priorities if re-elected to City Council would be to continue managing the city's finances, improving downtown Jefferson City, renovating the Missouri State Penitentiary, building the new Fire Station No. 2 and fixing up East Capitol Avenue.
He added he wants to continue revitalizing the historic southside. The Jefferson City Planning and Zoning Commission approved the Historic Southside/Old Munichburg District and Neighborhood Plan to the city's comprehensive plan in July, which looks at revitalizing the area.
"It gives us all kinds of opportunity for development and getting those neighborhoods to start building in a coordinated way," said Mihalevich, who also serves as dean of institutional research and planning at State Technical College of Missouri in Linn. "Some have said that some of those neighborhoods have gone down, and I think we need to put a stop to that downward spiral and do the things necessary in that plan to help that neighborhood."
Mihalevich said his past experience on City Council gives him background knowledge on several topics and a rapport with Jefferson City residents.
"It's amazing how much you learn every year and you continue to learn not only the issues of the city but the citizens that really make the community work," he said. "We have so many people who work for commissions and committees and councils that make this city operate. I learn from them and the more I interact with the public, the more I understand what their concerns are."
The 2018 city election filing period runs 8 a.m.-5 p.m. through January 16.
Candidates need three endorsements from registered voters in the ward they want to serve before filing. They also must fill out a Missouri Department of Revenue Form 5120 and signed it before a notary. They must file the form with the Department of Revenue and provide a copy of it to the city before filing for office.
After endorsements are verified, candidates must complete a declaration of candidacy form at City Hall, 320 E. McCarty St.