Lake Elsinore City Councilmember Michael Carroll is running to continue representing District 4, with priorities that include advocating for youth, improving public safety and addressing the city’s infrastructure needs.
Carroll was appointed to the council last year after then-Councilmember Natasha Johnson resigned following her election to the California 63rd Assembly District. Carroll is currently the only candidate who has qualified for the District 4 partial-term seat, which runs through 2028.
Carroll attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and worked pumping concrete to pay his way through college. He met his wife, Nicole, there and they have been married for 12 years. After college, they moved to Lake Elsinore in 2004, where they started a landscape construction company.
Carroll’s path into local government began when then-Councilmember Daryl Hickman approached him about serving on the Planning Commission. Carroll said he spent 10 years on the commission and served as chairman three times, which gave him a strong background in planning and zoning.
“That comes in handy every day, certainly as a council member,” Carroll said. “Planning is a huge asset for me and making sense of what our city is and where it will be in 20 years.”
Carroll said one of his main reasons for wanting to continue on the council is to advocate for families and children.
“For me, it’s about creating a space where families have a place where they feel home,” he said.
Youth sports have also become a focus during his time on the council.
“Advocating for youth sports is the number one thing I think I’ve been able to do,” Carroll said.
He pointed to new restrooms at Tuscany Hills Park, potential new batting cages and additional resources for city fields for soccer, baseball and softball. He also mentioned continuing to advocate for children’s summer programs, including STEM programs.
“I think those are all really important things I’ve been really trying to push, and I think I’ve had some fairly good success in that so far,” he said.
When asked what issues he hears most often from residents, Carroll pointed to concerns about developments that residents feel do not make sense for the community, as well as street improvements, including Lake Street.
“Sometimes you have people that want to put things in our community that nobody wants and you have to advocate for those people that maybe feel that they don’t have a voice,” he said.
Carroll said his priorities going into another term would include youth, public safety and infrastructure.
“My number one top priority to advocate for is the youth here,” he said. “Ultimately, at the end of the day, kids don’t have a voice, right? Or their voices are lost amongst the voices of adults. My hope is that I can help fight for underserved youth in our community.”
He said city-offered sports and STEM programs can provide opportunities for young people.
Carroll also said the city needs to address homelessness, zoning issues and the expansion of sidewalks for pedestrian safety. Infrastructure is also another concern.
“We have an old town, We have a lot of infrastructure that needs improvement,” Carroll said.
For Carroll, his connection to Lake Elsinore is part of why he wants to continue serving on the council.
“Ultimately, I’m a resident,” he said. “I’ve been here for 22 years and I have a lot of passion for this city. I have a young family and my parents live here in the community. And through that, I have a unique perspective of what’s needed here in the community and what people want, and I want to implement that through my time on council.”
Carroll said he hopes the work he does while serving on the council will have a lasting impact.
“My wife and I, we say this all the time that this may not be forever, but the impact that I can have, I hope that it’s great and grand and will help people in our community,” he said.
He said one of the things he enjoys most about serving on the council is seeing improvements in the city and hearing children enjoying local parks and sports fields.
“Those are the moments that I truly cherish,” Carroll said. “Lake Elsinore is a family and a community, and it’s important that we understand that, and I understand that as a city council member, and bring that to every decision that I make.”
