A familiar voice for Carroll will be missing come January as Councilman, Mike Kots retires. Kots was sworn in as the Ward One representative in January of 2012 when then councilman, Adam Schweers, was elected as mayor. Now, he says is the time for him to move over to give the city a chance to hear from new voices.
During this year’s election, there was much discussion of resident dissatisfaction with current leadership. Kots says even though media partners do a good and fair job covering city news, it is not enough. He believes they need to invest in a communications specialist to broaden dissemination of information. He cites the Rec Center project as an example.
He believes it would have eased some of the contention if residents were more aware of that timeline.
Kots says one of the most divisive issues faced during his term is one with which most residents are well aware. It had also originated years before his first term.
Kots enjoys working with his peers and city staff and says it is interesting to see how plans come together. This is what he will miss most, diving in and having insight behind the scenes. Though he has no plans for civic service in the near future, he will definitely remain involved. He has offered to provide any background new council members may want. Conversely, he will not miss some of the negativity that accompanies the position. He was surprised when the majority of the people that contacted him over the years made positive comments or offered constructive criticism. However, misinformation can spread quickly and cause those negative responses from residents. He is most proud of the many public/private partnerships that have been forged during his tenure.
The biggest disappointment for Kots is that train horn mitigation was not implemented before his retirement. He does have one thing he would like to say to the people of Carroll.
Kots and his wife, Marchelle, have two grown sons, Matthan and Matthew. He is the shipping manager for American Professional Quilting and is spending a good deal of his free time developing a new venture, Second Amendment Supply. He is a certified NRA pistol instructor and has developed that into a family training plan. He offers classes called Women on Target and Refuse to be a Victim, which teaches people from college ages and beyond how to be situationally aware and how to properly use the available protection tools.
