CALDWELL, Idaho — On Tuesday evening, Eric Phillips upset incumbent Jarom Wagoner to win the Caldwell mayoral race.
Phillips, a veteran and longtime member of the Caldwell community, most recently worked with officials from the Caldwell School District to ensure student safety.
RELATED | Eric Phillips faces defamation suit after accusations in Caldwell mayor’s race
During his campaign, Phillips said his main focus as mayor would be to reestablish trust between residents of Caldwell and their local government.
During an interview with Idaho News 6, Phillips acknowledged ongoing issues with city leaders, saying, "We have a broken system and I'm willing to admit that."
Phillips will be tasked with leading the city for the next four years, as the municipality faces exponential growth and an increased need for services.
ALSO READ | Community celebration honors Farmway Village annexation milestone
Eric Phillips expressed amazement at his election as Caldwell's new mayor, saying he was "astounded" by the number of voters who chose to trust him with their vote.
When asked about his feelings upon seeing the election results, Phillips said he was overwhelmed by the support from residents.
WATCH: Interview with Mayor-elect Eric Phillips and his full plans for Caldwell's future:
"You know, I was just astounded to be standing there looking up. You know, knowing that that many voters chose to trust me with their vote," Phillips said.
The newly elected mayor identified repairing trust in city government as his top priority. He claimed this is the change residents will feel fastest.
"So really, the first, and I've talked about this extensively, is repairing the trust in the way city officials used to govern Caldwell," Phillips said. "Different things that I think just a little bit of TLC would start to set the standard of how the city should look."
Phillips also emphasized the need for increased police presence to address traffic issues throughout the city.
"We need more officers out on the street, traffic signals, speeding, reckless driving all over the place, and I know our police department is trying very hard to get a handle of that, but you know, power in numbers," Phillips said.
Regarding the multiple lawsuits and tort claims currently facing the city, Phillips said he wants to avoid dragging out legal proceedings and focus on implementing protections for both leadership and employees.
"I don't want the city to have to drag out their portion of these lawsuits," Phillips said. "What can I do to put protections in place for not only leadership, so they're making smart decisions, but the employees themselves."
When asked about his plans for current city staff, including police chief Rex Ingram who is named in several ongoing lawsuits, Phillips said employees will have time to make their own decisions about staying with the city.
"People are gonna have to also make decisions themselves. They're gonna have 2 months to decide to stay on board or what their decision is, and that's not me making an ask yet. I'm just simply saying they'll have to make that decision," Phillips said.
Phillips clarified that he is not currently seeking to fire or remove any staff members, calling such action a disservice to both the community and employees.
"That would be a disservice to not only the community, but employees themselves. If I came in just saying I'm publicly gonna fire somebody because of legalities involved, right? Once again, I've made a statement more than once that I will look at all things and make an informed decision," Phillips said.
The mayor-elect emphasized his commitment to serving Caldwell throughout his term.
"My motto is from Caldwell and for Caldwell, and that's going to stay true from the first day I'm sworn in all the way to the end," Phillips said.
DIGITAL EXTRA: Eric Phillips Watch Party WIN Reaction
For Canyon County happenings, news, and more— join our Facebook Group: 2C Neighborhood News - Nampa, Caldwell, Middleton
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.