POST FALLS — Voters chose to retain incumbent Councilman Joe Malloy Tuesday night with nearly 59 percent of the vote over former Mayor Clay Larkin.

“I did everything I could, so win or lose, I could sleep at night,” Malloy said, adding he was grateful the campaign remained positive and professional. “My hat’s off to Clay Larkin, who was a formidable candidate who ran a clean campaign.”

Malloy, who won 744-521, said he was surprised to see the turnout as high as it was during this election cycle.

“I think the turnout is higher than anyone predicted,” he said. “I want to send a very sincere thank you to the voters for trusting me.”

At age 38, Malloy is the youngest elected official on the city council. He ran for the position again to ensure working-class families are represented. Malloy said he falls within the largest demographic group of Post Falls residents, which is age 25 to 44 with kids still in the house.

The top three issues Malloy ran his campaign on were similar to Larkin’s issues, including updating codes and ordinances, building infrastructure to accommodate growth and maintaining responsible property tax rates.

“The hottest topic right now is updating the city codes and ordinances,” he said, adding he is working with some in the business community to make Post Falls more business friendly.

Larkin, 79, has a long list of experience serving as an elected official in Post Falls, which includes five years on the city council and 13 years as mayor. He also served for eight years on the Post Falls School Board. Larkin ran on a platform of keeping property taxes in line and strategic planning to provide for future growth.