Issues Important To The Citizens of Indianola

These Are Some Issues I will work for:

- Vibrant and Varied Economic Development
I believe that one of the most important responsibilities of the mayor is to ensure economic development and growth. Please don’t get me wrong, I don’t want Indianola to be a Waukee or an Ankeny, but I do know that if we don’t have controlled growth and proper planning, we will stagnate. If we don’t have controlled growth and proper planning, Indianola won’t be a great place to retire. People can retire but cities can’t. We can’t have a city like it was 20 years ago. Times change and so has Indianola.

I intend to work with the city and county’s economic development staff and their committees in whatever ways are most beneficial. As your mayor, I will have high expectations for those staffs and committees. I see the role of the mayor as the key person who will keep the citizens of Indianola informed of the necessity for, and the progress made in economic development. The average citizen might not normally think of our city’s need for economic development. The average citizen might not have much of an idea of what progress is being made either. As your mayor, I will continually work with individuals and groups to help them understand how vital this is to our future and build consensus. As we get citizens more in tune, more involved and more supportive, we can then work on improving our systems.

It is not uncommon for economic development efforts to be in need of additional funds. It will be interesting to see from the professionals what additional resources would enable our town to achieve. One of my concerns as a city is, “Are we able to integrate the Indianola residents who are executives in the greater Des Moines area into our economic development effort?” I would see the mayor as a key player in working with those individuals.

I would make it a priority that Indianola under the direction of the city manager offer yearly training and refreshers to all city staff about the importance of economic development in our community and their important roles in it.

- Taxes

The recent city survey indicated that less than half of the respondents felt they received a value for the taxes that they paid. This means one of the first things that must be addressed is to explain to Indianola citizens what they receive for what they pay. Taxes reflect both what a city is obligated to provide a particular sized population as: size of police and fire departments, sewer systems, infrastructure and etc., and also what the citizens want in the way of other services and buildings.

I believe that the mayor and city council should first plan discussions for what citizens might want and actively get more citizens involved before annual budget decisions are made. Indianola’s tax rate should reflect the needs and wishes of its citizens.

Taxes are generated from both our business and residential base. As a suburban community, we have a many citizens employed outside of our city limits. Many of them have higher incomes generated from businesses that are paying their property taxes to other cities, yet as residential taxpayers may have different expectations from the taxes they pay.

If our officials want to know what tax rate is best “for the good of the community,” more open dialogue, communication and community involvement can accomplish this goal.

 

 - Continued Enhancement of the Square

As we work together to develop the culture of Indianola and its city government, I believe the continual development and enhancement of our Square is of high importance. For us to have a great Square, we must create the opportunity for current and potential new businesses on the Square to be successful. So as a city government, Indianola's attitude should be, "What can we do as a city to make the Square profitable for new and existing businesses?" The Square is and will continue to be the center of our identity as a community.

The key is to attract and assist businesses so they may be successful when they do locate on the Square. The Square is not a public property, but a collection of independent businesses located there for the purpose of making money. It is the desire of all that they succeed and prosper. As a city we can assist new business and industry to some extent, and as citizens we can support them. The people of Indianola should make a commitment to locate, attract and support businesses willing to locate in our Square.

The people of Indianola will have to make a commitment to locate, attract and support business and industry throughout our city. However this is a tough area and might be our greatest challenge as a community over the next several years.
 

- Quality Buildings Matter
Quality buildings do matter. Unfortunately they cost, but they do matter and they do contribute to a sense of community pride. Think how you feel when you walk into a great high school gym facility, or when you walk through a new school? How do you feel when you walk through the refurbished State Capitol building? These all matter: city halls, city fire stations, libraries, swimming facilities, recreation centers, senior centers and performance centers for the arts.

I am experienced with the bond issue approach if buildings and other infrastructure are needed. I believe in it. Having to convince 60% of the voters to add a new amount to their tax bill is a good and fair process for a community to go through when considering a new building or additional taxes. I do have experience with bond issues and will put it to use if needed, while being cognizant of this hard economic time we are experiencing.

As a sales person, some time ago I saw a training film by Vince Lombardi. It’s title was “Second Effort.” It is not uncommon for great things not to happen on the first effort. That concept has sustained me during my school board involvement when bond issues did not pass the first time and when new concepts did not get approved when they were first presented. As a city, we can keep this kind of open mind.

Maybe the citizens of Indianola may want some new buildings or maybe they will want none. I would envision my job as mayor would be to make sure such ideas and initiatives are discussed and consensus achieved by greater citizen involvement in a structured format.
 

- A City Culture of Acceptance, Respect, Involvement and Fun!
A recent city survey showed that less than 50% of the respondents felt that Indianola's government welcomes citizen involvement, and only 40% felt that the Mayor and City Council meet the expectations of the citizens of Indianola. It is obvious that our city's culture must change and this is what I will be working for.

During my tenure on the school board we had the respect of our community, and as a board we respected our community. We worked hard to achieve the involvement of our community. We accepted and respected the various groups involved with the educational community and tried to understand their goals and needs.

I am accustomed to an environment where public officials enjoy what they do, and have fun while they move forward. I look forward to developing this same environment as I work with the council, the city staff and the community. I have picked as a campaign slogan, "It's A New Day!" and I truly believe that. We as a community are better than we have sometimes shown. Together, by treating each other with dignity and respect and working towards consensus for a better future, we can have a city culture that we can all be proud of.
 

- Parks and Recreation Matter

There can never be enough activities in, or beauty from our city parks and recreational facilities. My father was a long serving member of the board of directors, and later president of the National Park and Recreation Association. My sister is a retired professor of recreation. I want the citizens of Indianola to see my commitment to Indianola's parks and recreation.