The Jesup City Election will be held on Tuesday, November 8. Polls will be open from 7 AM-8 PM that day at the Presbyterian Church, 643 6th Street in Jesup.
A sample ballot was published in the Citizen Herald on Oct. 26 on page 2.
Mayor Richard Quackenbush is running for re-election, uncontested. There are four candidates for three open city council seats. Candidates are incumbent Darren Engbretson, Todd Rohlfsen, Susan Schabacker and Larry Thompson.
Mayoral and council candidates have provided background information and answered questions posed by the Citizen Herald to help you choose your city leaders.
Because the Mayor is running uncontested, the answers to his questions, even though they are the same as the council candidate??s questions, are presented in a separate article.
Darren Engbretson is employed at John Deere Waterloo Foundry, is a member of UAW Local 838, and has served on the Jesup Volunteer Fire Dept. for 10 years. He has been a Jesup City Councilman for the past eight years.
He and his wife Kiya have one daughter, Sydney.
Todd Rohlfsen and his wife Netty have four children, Kelly, Amy, Joe and Justin. Rohlfsen is a graduate of the University of Iowa, and the President/CEO of Farmers State Bank, having been employed there for 29 years.
He is the president of the Jesup Economic Development Foundation and Jesup Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Jesup Lions Club, the St. Athanasius Church Finance Committee Chair and Church Council member, on the Jesup Planning & Zoning Commission, and served on the Jesup City Council for two terms, first elected in 1991.
Rohlfsen is the Buchanan County Community Foundation Board Chair, and a Buchanan County Economic Development Commission Board member. He sits on the boards of Cedar Valley Junior Achievement, the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, the Hawkeye Community College Foundation, the Winnebago Scout Council Advisory Board and is a Rotarian with the Downtown Waterloo Rotary. He is a former school board member for both Jesup Community and St. Athanasius schools, and is a former Cub Scout Den Leader.
Susan Schabacker has lived in Jesup her entire life. She graduated from Jesup High School in 1989, and has been married for 17 years to her husband Scott. They have three daughters, ages 14, 11 and four.
Larry Thompson is a lifetime resident of Jesup. He graduated from Jesup Community School and served in the army during Vietnam. He has been married to his wife, Dorothy, for 41 years, and has two children.
Thompson is President/CEO of Hawkeye Metal Spinning in Jesup, and the Starlight Cinema in Independence.
He has served for 12 years on the Board of Adjustment for the City of Jesup, and for six years on the Jesup School Board. He was School Board President for three years. Thompson has been a reserve officer for the Jesup Police Dept. for 14 years.
??Why did you decide to run for city office?
Engbretson: I decided to run again for Jesup City Council because, although this past year has been a difficult one with my illness, it made me realize not to take anything and anyone for granted. I believe there is a lot yet to be accomplished and I would like to be a part of it. I could not see myself living anywhere else or raising my child in any other community that is as giving as Jesup.
Rohlfsen: I decided to run for City Council because I want to help. I want to make sure that the city is running smoothly financially. I foresee many challenges in future budgets for the City that will need to be scrutinized and I believe with my experience I can offer help in this area.
Schabacker: I decided that it was my turn to get involved with this wonderful community. I feel that everyone needs to have a turn at public office. This gives a person an opportunity to see government from both perspectives. I feel that everyone in the community has something positive and valuable to contribute to their community. Serving your community also gives you a chance to make a difference to safeguard the future of your community??s continued growth and prosperity for generations to come.
Thompson: In hopes of using some of my life experience and long business background to help put the city on a sound financial growth pattern and to improve the overall well being of the city for the citizens of the community.
??What is your vision for Jesup??s future?
Engbretson: My vision for Jesup would be a community with job growth and continued development of the Industrial Parks, to keep taxes as low as possible for not only our current residents but those who may be looking to relocate to Jesup as well. I believe there are some streets as well as curbs in town tat are falling in disrepair that will need to be addressed.
I believe although it was a very unfortunate coincidence to have so much construction going on this past summer, seemingly all at once, some of these repairs were very much needed.
Rohlfsen: My vision for Jesup??s future is the same as everyone??s, I hope ?? continued steady growth in both housing and the business sector ?? as this will affect the entire community in positive ways so that the community can grow.
Schabacker: We need to continue to support our local businesses. We need to work in a partnership to look for ways to keep and grow the business we currently have, and to try to promote our community and invite other potential businesses into our city that will expand our economical growth.
We also need to have affordable housing for our citizens and good schools to raise our families. Each of has an investment in our community??s future.
Thompson: I would like to envision a manageable growth pattern coupled with a steady or possibly reduced tax structure for the citizens.
??What are Jesup??s greatest assets?
Engbretson: Again, some of Jesup??s greatest assets are the giving spirit of the people. When someone needs help there are those who lend a hand, whether it be business or individual, from the track to the MDA Boot Block or donations to the Fire or Ambulance departments, Jesup comes together to get the job done.
Rohlfsen: Jesup??s greatest assets are the people who care about our community enough to become involved in any way that they can.
Schabacker: I feel that our families are our greatest assets. Like my self, I have an investment in our community. It is important that we have a safe place to raise our children, and that they have a good educational start for their future. The entire community is a part of this.
Thompson: Without a doubt, the people of the community.
??Are there any ordinances in Jesup City Code that you would like to see better enforced? Dropped? Added? Modified? Etc.
Engbretson: One of the ordinances that I believe needs a second look is the sidewalk ordinance. I believe in homeowners?? rights and feel that as a city we need to work on our streets and sidewalks before we make homeowners or businesses do theirs.
Rohlfsen: No answer submitted.
Schabacker: Like any organization, you have rules and regulations that govern your city. As times change, we need to constantly review our policies for updating and modifications. Some policies of the past are no longer current for the times and may need to be dropped. Rules and regulations need to be enforced, but common sense needs to be kept in mind.
Thompson: Without getting the total picture of our ordinances by viewing a codified copy of our ordinances, I do not believe it would be fair to comment.
??How will the new City Hall improve efficiency for the City of Jesup?
Engbretson: I believe and hope that the new city hall will last for a very long time and be a one-stop-shop for everybody to be proud of and do their business in the most efficient and timely [way] as possible.
Rohlfsen: Without seeing the City??s budgets, I can??t speak to the efficiencies that the City hopes to realize from the new city hall financially, but I would hope the council has done their homework as to the future financial budgets in relation to this building.
I was an advocate for a new City Hall at this location from the very beginning. I do have an issue with the cost and how it was financed after it was defeated twice in city-wide votes by approximately 66% of the voting public and the council went ahead and spent the money to build it anyway by taxing us with increased water/sewer rates.
With all City services under one roof it should be more efficient, but to me that will depend on City personnel.
Schabacker: City Hall is the center of local government. The new City Hall will dramatically improve efficiencies that translate to saving energy, and saving money, while providing first-hand experience regarding the most effective ways to incorporate sustainable practices into a built environment. Jesup is ??thinking ahead?? as our city anticipates continued growth for the next 25 years and prepares for the different opportunities and challenges that brings.
Thompson: I am unsure of how to answer this question due to lack of information about the new City Hall. I was not involved in the planning, and I am unsure of what the mayor??s and council??s thoughts were towards efficiencies. I really do not know what was planned or intended to happen.
??What do you see as the number one problem in the city right now? What other problems are there?
Engbretson: What I see as the number one problem in Jesup right now is an aging fire station, no longer large enough to accommodate today??s larger more modern fire equipment. I believe Sixth Street is in very bad condition and feel that seal coating our streets is only a temporary fix, not a long-term solution. There are also several curbs in town that are no longer doing their job of channeling water, but are actually impeding it.
Rohlfsen: Our number one problem in my opinion is city finances ?? we have spent our reserves down to a negligible amount so we have to be cognizant of what we do and how we do it in future budgets.
I don??t like to see an article from the Mayor like the one we just had in the paper a few weeks ago. It should not have been needed. Again though ?? I have not been privy to the day to day finances of the City ?? but I promise I will be if elected.
Schabacker: I think we need to get back to common sense government. By this I mean set up some planning for the future, set goals, prioritize these goals. Then, decide what needs to be done first. Inform the citizens. It is their government. In public office, everyone must remember that they are the voice of the people.
Thompson: Long term financial stability. As in any business, there are always problems, and this is not the forum to address them.
??What do you intend to do about these problems?
Engbretson: I don??t believe raising taxes to fund these projects is the answer. We need, as a city, to look at cost cutting measures whether it be sharing purchases with other cities or the county, or consolidating services. We need to always remember that when we vote to spend money as a city on anything, it has to come from somewhere and that somewhere is the people who live, work, shop and do business in this town. We need to respect and be very diligent of the taxpayers?? money to stretch it as far as we навещаемою the very minimum to provide the services that are very vital to the community I love and support!
Rohlfsen: My hope is that I can offer suggestions/ideas so that we don??t have to raise property taxes, water bills, sewer bills or any other fees/costs to our citizens to pay for normal city services that our citizens deserve and expect. I am a very conservative person by nature and this is what is needed to help manage our budget.
Schabacker: I will keep an open mind and listen to all aspects of any problem. Some issues are an easy fix and others are complicated. There will always be disagreement in the way people envision the city of Jesup in the future, and also different ways of getting there. Simply taking all parts of a problem into consideration and using common sense in solving the problem will hopefully equal the best resolution for all.
Thompson: [I will] work with the mayor and other council members to come up with solutions to benefit the city and taxpayers of the community.
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