EAGLE, Idaho — Brad Pike, Eagle City Council President and a candidate for Eagle mayor in the upcoming runoff election laid out his vision Wednesday for the city over the next four years if elected. Pike sat down with KTVB for an extended interview on hot topics in Eagle.
Pike said getting into local governance is a "calling" for him, driven by a desire to improve "public safety and economic development" in the Eagle community.
"My priorities as a mayor, is the general welfare of a community. That means safety and economics," Pike said.
On the issue of public safety, Pike advocated for increased funding and staffing for the Eagle Police Department, which he sees as currently "deficient."
"We need to be proactively approaching our future and have a strategic plan in place. And I do have one," he remarked. Adding, "The sky is not falling. We're not going to become Chicago or any other big city, but we need to be proactively approaching our future and have a strategic plan in place."
In terms of city growth, Pike acknowledged past opposition to the contested Avimor annexation but agrees that growth will continue.
"If you look at it from a families perspective, I use that analogy, they were the unexpected birth that came into the family. You love them, you nurture them, you feed them, you take care of them," Pike said.
Still, growth in other areas of Eagle continues.
"We always have 40 projects on the floor here that we have to allow to come to fruition and finish out building them, and that's going to put us up, you know, in the mid 40,000 just on its own," Pike said.
Looking four years ahead, if elected, Pike envisions an Eagle that is more "harmonious" and unified as a community. He aims to "bring back communication" between city government and residents.
"I want people to be proud of living in Eagle. We're the representatives for those people. We're supposed to be listening and representing the people," stated Pike.
The runoff election for Eagle mayor will take place on Dec. 5. Pike looks to unseat the incumbent mayor Jason Pierce.
You can see more of the in-depth interview with Brad Pike on Viewpoint at 9 a.m. Sunday on KTVB Channel 7.
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