‘I do enjoy most of the days’: Troup says he’ll decide about running for second term in August

QUINCY — Quincy Mayor Mike Troup says he plans to announce his decision about running for a second term “sometime in August.”

Troup set his own deadline during his appearance on “Spilling the Tea with Steve Kennedy,” a Quincy Tea Party-sponsored show on Rumble, an online video network. He told Kennedy he hasn’t decided.

“I do enjoy most of the days,” Troup said. “There’s been a couple of days I have left the office scratching my head, wondering, ‘Where did that come from?’ But overall, I’m proud of what my administration has done. Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t that I’m able to do all these things by myself. The city is lucky we have the department heads we have who are experienced, who are really interested in doing what’s right for Quincy. 

“I’m just asking them a little bit different questions from time to time that maybe they aren’t used to. I don’t care if this is the way that we’ve always done it. My question is: Does it benefit the taxpayer? If you can’t tell me there’s a benefit to the taxpayer, why are we doing this?”

Troup, 66, said during an interview with Muddy River News last week he will consult with his wife, Sharon, before deciding.

“We’ll go through the whole thought process and make sure she’s OK with it,” he said.

Troup edged Paul Havermale in the Republican primary for mayor in March 2021, winning with 1,708 votes to 1,682 to Havermale. Then, on April 6, 2021, nearly 61 percent of the barely more than 6,000 people who voted chose Troup to be Quincy’s next mayor over Nora Baldner. 

Democrats held the position of mayor in Quincy from 1985 until 2013, when Republican Kyle Moore defeated the incumbent, Democrat John Spring. Moore eventually spent two terms in office before Troup replaced him.

Before becoming mayor, Troup was a small business owner for 22 years and spent 15 years as chief financial officer for several international companies. The lifelong Quincyan also previously served on the Quincy Public Schools Board of Education, was chairman of the Adams County Ambulance and EMS Board, and was a member of the Great River Economic Development Foundation Board of Directors and the Adams County Board.

Troup said he believes more work remains to be done.

“It’s a time commitment to do it,” he said. “Do I feel that I’m being received well enough that it’s worthwhile running and trying to move this city forward? Do I have enough support to get other things done with the city council? It’s just all about how you’re going to operate within the structure of our city government.”

He says he’s in good health and still has energy for the job.

“I probably spend more time working than most people in political office,” he said. “I’m really trying to get some big projects done. I’ve never developed a hobby that takes a lot of time.” 

Asked to elaborate about big projects he wants to complete, he mentioned in particular:

• The renovation of City Hall;
• Improvements to the terminal building at Quincy Regional Airport;
• Reduction of sewer overflows from the wastewater treatment plant into the Mississippi River;
• Completion of the Sixth Street Promenade;
• Construction of more hotels and more housing in the city.

“There’s something like 40 projects that we’re still trying to implement,” he said. “I’d like to see a few more of those things come together.”

Troup also was pleased the Quincy City Council approved in December a $7.112 million annual property tax levy ordinance. It created a tax rate around 96 cents per $100 of assessed value.

“That hasn’t happened in 40 years. I think that’s significant,” he said. “I get excited by doing that.”

He said he can’t do much for taxpayers, however, without City Council approval.

“That was confirmed my first year with the housing study,” Troup said. “That’s one disappointment I had, not being able to get the City Council to agree with a free housing registration process. The benefits of that for police and fire are so significant, and the cost to the property owners was zero. I’m disappointed that was not approved.”

Troup bristled a bit when asked if he thought the city’s negotiation with the local police union would hurt a re-election bid.

The Police Benevolent and Protective Association Labor Unit 12 represents Quincy police officers and supervisors who have worked without a contract since April 2021. The PB&PA and the city participated in an arbitration hearing about the contract in May. A decision from the arbitration judge is expected by Aug. 31.

The PB&PA Unit No. 12 also filed two unfair labor practice lawsuits against the city for failing to provide health insurance or vision coverage to all police officers. An arbitrator will hear those suits in October.

“There’s nobody in Quincy who wishes we had an agreement with the police union more than me,” Troup said. “What a lot of people still don’t understand is (the city administration) did not stop the discussions. The police union, by filing an unfair labor lawsuit against the city, forced us to go outside. We had to stop all conversations. So we have to deal with the attorneys to represent us in the arbitration.

“It’s a shame, and it took over a year for the arbitrators to give us a schedule as to when they were available, so there’s been a lot of wasted time. I’m not happy with that, but I didn’t make up the rules.”