January 2026 | Vol. 8 Iss. 1
FREE
See Inside...
Millcreek
Goodbye 2025
Some of our favorite photos from the past year Page 6
Health and Wellness
How to keep those resolutions top of mind
Page 14
Millcreek City Council appoints Nicole Handy to District 3 seat By Alexandra Straumann | a.straumann@mycityjournals.com
Council interviewed nine candidates to determine who would carry out the rest of Cheri Jackson’s term.
O
n Nov. 24, the Millcreek City Council met to determine who would fill the vacant District 3 seat. This vote came following the retirement of Millcreek’s first mayor Jeff Silvestrini. A special election was held, and Councilmember Cheri Jackson was unanimously selected to fill the position. Incidentally, Jackson won her city council seat three times and did so with over 70% of the electorate voting for her each election cycle. Silvestrini acknowledged during his time in government that some people have a desire to hold public office without ever having participated in local government as a constituent, something he thought was very important for anyone wanting to be successful in government. Jackson was praised by Silvestrini for her ability to represent a district whose boundaries had changed multiple times over the past nine years. The news of her appointment to mayor meant not only a new city leader, but it opened the door for a Millcreek resident to become part of the city council. To run for the District 3 seat, an application was open to residents until Nov. 14, where the candidates were asked to submit a resume and questionnaire to the council with information about their work history, educational backgrounds, and priorities for the city if elected to public office. The candidates (in order of appearance before the council) were Amber Measom (participating electronically), Linda Zenger, Ian Wright, Leslie Moss, Matthew Gardner, Michael Gura, Nathan Gibby, Patti Hession and Nicole Handy. These individuals came from a variety of backgrounds and represented decades of Millcreek residency, with some candidates having lived in the area for their entire lives. Each candidate was given one minute to present an introduction to the council, before participating in a 10-minute question and answer period, and a short closing statement. Following the introductions, the candidates were asked to leave the room until it was their time to speak, ensuring a fair interview process could take place. The councilmembers and mayor were each allowed to ask the candidates questions regarding a variety of topics ranging from the candidate’s top priorities to presenting
Nicole Handy during the question and answer period. (Screenshot via Millcreek City)
them with hypothetical scenarios they could face while in office. The candidates could spend as long as they needed to answer each question, and the number of questions asked depended on how fast they could answer the council’s questions. A big topic of discussion was that of community participation in local governments. Many candidates for councilmember emphasized the need to ensure members of the community had the ability to communicate with the council and make their voices heard. Currently, at every council meeting the members provide time for public comment, and the city hosts events throughout each month that provide residents with the opportunity to get directly involved with their representatives and to advocate for issues that matter to them. Councilmember Bev Uipi of District 4 centered many of her questions for the candidates around their history of participating in local government prior to this election, such as through engaging in one of Millcreek’s four community
councils or attending a city sponsored events. Many of the candidates had experiences participating at the local level. Candidate Gura mentioned his participation with Millcreek’s Promise Program to uplift the schools and kids who need it most, stating his belief in the program to provide resources through the program as “not a handout, but a hand-up.” Another pressing topic during the interviews was that of housing affordability and the need to create better options for individuals and families wanting to live in Millcreek. Mayor Jackson explained that District 3 has been “characterized by stable and established neighborhoods,” a component that is important to preserve about the area. Candidate Wright said that people in the community need to understand that there is a need for these homes, and that it hurts the entire community to have a lack of housing options. District 1, represented by Councilmember Thom DeSirant, contains a lot of Millcreek’s moderately dense housContinued on page 4