Howell Mayor-elect Nikolas Hertrich lays out vision for city after election
City Councilmember Nikolas Hertrich ran unopposed in Howell's mayoral race on Tuesday. Today, he says he wants to continue improving the city that was faced with controversy.
Hertrich will officially take over in January after he is sworn in. He succeeds Robert Ellis, who was elected mayor in 2021.
"Very nervous, excited for the opportunity," said Hertrich. "I've been on the council for the last four years, not looking to change anything, just looking to continue to support the community, support the residents, the local business owners."
That idea of continuation is an important one to Hertrich. He said he's happy to see the city embark on long-awaited projects, like the Fire and Ice Depot, improvements to the city sidewalks, and the major Motorsports Gateway project.
"Bringing those projects to completion and then paying down our debt and so again just really kind of looking at keeping our house in order and keeping it clean, I guess you could say," said Hertrich.
He acknowledged that in recent years, multiple instances of racist behavior in Howell made headlines, such as reports of a Nazi demonstration that was held outside a production of "The Diary of Anne Frank" last fall. He said that he plans on continuing work with Burch Partners, the PR firm hired by the city to clean up its image and better communicate Howell's message that hate isn't welcome.
"I'm trying to make communications and reaching out to different communities to hear their perspective on Howell and how we can change that. What are their perceptions? Good, bad? Bad-- what can we do to change that narrative to address their concerns and say 'Hey, this is a welcoming community,'" Hertrich said.
Hertrich will serve as mayor for the next four years, during which time he said he plans on using his experience from his time on the city council and the decades he's spent as a resident.