‘Most excitement I’ve had in long time’ for avid deer hunter as he closes in on victory in 3rd Ward

QUINCY — Mike Adkins’ victory isn’t quite complete in his bid to win the 3rd Ward aldermanic seat, but that didn’t diminish how he felt Tuesday night.

“That’s the most excitement I’ve had in a long time,” he said during a gathering at Instant Replay. “I’ll just be honest. I’ve killed a lot of big deer. I’ve been on TV for hunting shows. I just don’t get too excited, but I was excited for this because I worked really hard for it.” 

Adkins received 249 votes on Tuesday and leads incumbent Ken Hultz by 21 votes. Tim Lohmeyer had 107 votes, and Robert Eyler received 50. However, Adams County Clerk and Recorder Ryan Niekamp said 37 mail-in ballots are outstanding in the ward. Votes postmarked for return before Tuesday will still be counted. Niekamp will officially canvass the election (account for every ballot cast) on March 11.

With no Democratic challenger awaiting in the April 1 general election, Adkins is very close to joining the City Council in May.

Adkins intends to bring a fresh perspective to city governance with a focus on fiscal responsibility and a commitment to tackling infrastructure issues. He also emphasized his desire to hold town hall meetings to engage with the public and promote transparency. 

“I want to be transparent and keep the people informed,” Adkins said. “If people in my ward want it, that’s how I’ll vote.” 

Adkins said the city does not have an income problem but a spending problem. He said he wants to question the city council’s spending decisions and explore alternative options to save money, similar to how he runs his own outfitting business.

“(Aldermen) don’t question enough where money is being spent. It’s $400,000 here, $500,000 there, and $6 million elsewhere. Why is only one person bidding on these contracts?” he said. “Maybe they are the best bidder, but let’s look at it like a checkbook. Would you just spend money without asking questions? I’m going to be a questioner. Why are we spending money here? What are the alternatives?” 

Adkins said he went to every house in his ward.

“I am very excited about this,” Adkins said. “I got to thank a lot of people, my wife being one of the top ones.” 

Hultz was appointed in January 2024 by the Adams County Republican Central Committee to finish the term of Brianna Rivera. He received the second most votes in the race.

“I’ve got to be really honest with you,” Hultz said during a gathering of Republican supporters in the basement of Tower of Pizza. “I had prepared myself I would be ready to go if I didn’t win. The reason I say that is because I really, really enjoyed the city council, but I’m a little older, and I’m getting to a point I really would like to be able to not have to go to every meeting.”

Hultz said his one year on the City Council opened his eyes as to what goes on in local government.

“It’s so easy for Wills Nixon (a frequent speaker during the public comment portion of City Council meetings) to come in there and bitch and cry about taxes and why the streets aren’t this and that,” he said. “I want him to be a f**king alderman so bad so he can find out what the hell it’s really like. Even on the city level, you’ve got to get planning and development and you’ve got to get architect designs and you’ve got to put all of this together, and it takes time. You can’t do anything over just a couple of months, and people don’t understand it.”

MRN Editor David Adam also contributed to this story.