Short, bloodthirsty type got cold and got sick - otherwise he might still be in office (10)
I believe the answer is:
councillor
'short bloodthirsty type' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both people as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?
'cold and got sick otherwise he might still be in office' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'cold' could be 'c' (eg on taps) and 'c' is found within the answer.
'and' could be 'n' (common abbreviation for 'and') and 'n' is found in the answer.
'sick' could be 'ill' (synonyms) and 'ill' is located in the answer.
'otherwise' could be 'or' and 'or' is located in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'got' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for councillor that I've seen before include "Member of a county administration" , "Elected representative" .)