GREENFIELD — When Mitch Pendlum was considering running for a fourth term on the city council, he said, several people asked him to run as an at-large candidate so they could vote for him to represent the entire city.
He’s glad he took their advice.
Pendlum and Dan Riley, an incumbent at-large councilman, secured enough votes — 804 for Riley and 698 for Pendlum — in Tuesday’s primary to be nominated as the two GOP winners in a three-way at-large race. Joe Skvarenina, an at-large councilman, received just 471 votes in his unsuccessful bid for a second term.
No Democrats filed for the primary at-large race. June 30 is the cutoff day for residents to file as independent candidates or for the Democratic Party to appoint candidates for the November election.
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Over his past three terms representing the city’s District 2, Pendlum has worked with three Greenfield mayors, served on several committees and formed relationships with many citizens and businesses leaders. Pendlum said he’s always felt “welcomed and cared for” by people in Greenfield.
“It proved that they still believe in me, and that I’ve got enough in me to do four more years,” he said.
Riley, who currently serves as the city council president, is hoping to continue his long history of public service as the November general election approaches.
Before his election to the city council in 2015, Riley served three terms on the Greenfield-Central School Board. He also was a member of the Greenfield Parks and Recreation Board for 12 years and spent four years on the Greenfield Redevelopment Commission.
“I’m pleased that I’ve gotten the confidence of the people,” said Riley, who spent much of his day campaigning at the Hancock County Public Library in Greenfield. “I think we had three good candidates, and I’m sorry one of them had to leave.”
Both Riley and Pendlum have built parts of their campaigns on finding ways to retain and recruit the workforce in Greenfield, building upon the recent business growth in the area and expanding options for housing.
Riley, a resident of Greenfield for 40 years, has previously said the city should work to manage its growth. He points to Greenfield’s strong manufacturing base as a positive focus of growth and said officials should strive to support high-tech incubator businesses that focus on coding and other businesses of the future.
He also spearheaded a citywide branding initiative to try and attract younger people to move to Greenfield. The city council recently decided to pay $90,000 in economic development tax dollars over the next two years for an Indianapolis-based marketing agency, Matchbook Creative, to maintain a new city tourism website and multiple social media pages.
Since joining the council in 2008, Pendlum said he’s helped balance the city’s budget, prepared the city for future growth and enacted ordinances focused on the needs of citizens. Improving public safety is his top priority. He said he wants enough police and fire protection to line up with growth expectations.
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Greenfield City Council at-large
Dan Riley;804
Mitch Pendlum;698
Joe Skvarenina;471
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