Oct. 12--The conversation about running for reelection may have started four years ago but Ron Mallicoat did not make a decision until this year.

The 72-year old At-Large Councilman said he had made up his mind. He was going to spend his winters somewhere warm and relax while he still could. But through some convincing from residents urging him to run again and the help of his election committee, Mallicoat is looking to turn the eight years he's served on the council to 12.

He said he still enjoys helping the "little guy" and providing "common-sense leadership." He added that it's important to have a councilman with the business experience he has.

However, he knows that if reelected he will be 76 when his term expires. Hopefully, he said he'll still be able to do the same things he does now.

Jason Nevel: Why should somebody vote for you?

Ron Mallicoat: The thing I like the most is trying to help people that have problems. There is always a problem and somebody needs to help the little guy. I feel it's very important to have people on the council who know about business. People who have always worked in the public sector don't know about profit loss.

JN: Why did you have a change of heart about finding a restaurant owner at the Clinton Marina?

RM: The original restaurant that was planned was going to be about half that size. Then, they decided they wanted to double the size of it and said it would be a high-end restaurant.

It was sold to the city council that it would be the most up scale restaurant in Clinton. In the specifications from GEC it said the average customer would spend $10 to $30 per person. It's not going to happen. The city council bought it. I voted against it everytime.

Now that the building is built, whether or not I approved it or not, something has to be done. This thing is a liability to the citizens of Clinton. I would bet this thing is costing us $5,000 a year to sit there empty.

I've been doing my best to get something going. Even though I resisted building it this large we've got to fill it.

JN: Everybody thinks the streets need to be improved. What do you tell constituents about what the council is doing to prepare streets?

RM: When I first ran for city council that was one of the big things. Then I get on the council and the first thing I find out is that all the money is spent. You feel like a fool who just woke up and said what happened.

My feeling about streets is that everybody deserves a good street to drive on but it's also a matter of affording it. With all the hard hits we took financially in Clinton it's been hard to make the right choices.