Craig McCullah explains why he is what District 2 in Topeka needs

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Craig McCullah, the Topeka City Council District 2 candidate, joined the 27 News Morning Show to discuss his plans if elected.

As far as how the campaign trail has been since 27 News last spoke with Craig, he said it's been busy, but it's been going well.

"I'm still hearing pretty much the same things from people," McCullah said. "Public safety, homelessness, infrastructure; these are the big three in this city."

He said that because of the recent horrific crimes that the city has seen, people are more concerned than ever regarding public safety.

"I'm putting forth my plan to increase the numbers of officers we have to try and reign in the homelessness that we have and I think its been resonating with my neighbors," he said.

He continued, saying his first move going into office would be addressing that concern of public safety.

"The city cannot thrive if we don't have a safe community," he said. "Right now, I think we are pushing 40 vacancies in our police department. We have got to recruit more officers."

McCullah said that these problems need to be addressed as quickly as possible so that District 2 doesn't start back-tracking in its progress.

"All of the economic development that we've done, all of the progress we have made downtown and in NOTO, all of that is in vain if we cannot get our city under control," he said.

McCullah also emphasized the need for change in leadership moving forward so that those improvements can be made. He said he is the one for the job with a background in law enforcement, military and city management.

"I understand how things work and how things get done," he said. "I think right now that our representation in District 2 hasn't been able to get anything done. You have to be able to work with other members of the council, you have to be able to put forth solutions and not just complain about problems."

He finished off the interview by encouraging people in the community to educate themselves on the different candidates and to get out and vote.

To see some upcoming important dates for this election season, click here to go to the Shawnee County Election Office's calendar. For more information, watch the full interview linked above.