Voters in Jefferson will elect two persons to the city council next Tuesday – one from District 2 and one at-large council member. Incumbent Lisa Jaskey is challenged by Matt Wetrich in District 2.
There are five candidates vying for the at-large position: Brett Crantson, Brandon Gustoff, MeLinda Madison-Millard, Dave Sloan and Lisa Turner. The incumbent in that position, Shannon Black, is not running for re-election.
All voting is done at large. All voters will select the District 2 councilperson and the at-large councilperson, regardless of where they live. Incumbent mayor Craig Berry is also up for re-election. His is the only name on the ballot.
GreeneCountyNewsOnline invited candidates to respond to six questions. Their answers follow. (Candidate Brandon Gustoff did not respond to the survey.)
What qualifications or experience would you bring to the Jefferson city council?
Lisa Jaskey: At no other time in Jefferson’s history have we faced such a period of change and economic opportunity. This change and the opportunities it brings require knowledge of often complex and challenging issues. My 32 years of accounting and tax experience as a licensed certified public accountant and management and client service skills learned from 26 years as an employer and small business owner of my own CPA firm, will help me contribute to results that will continue moving our City forward.
During my last four years serving my community as a city councilwoman, I have used my decades of professional experience and provided leadership on a number of difficult issues in service to all the citizens of the city.
Matt Wetrich: I have many years’ experience in working for the government, with the public, as well as collaborating with various entities to achieve large goals. I am also currently the vice president of a statewide organization associated with my profession, and have served on various boards. I believe that I bring an open-mind and a fresh perspective to the current city council. I also believe that I can bring a representative approach to the council for families. My wife and I are proud to choose Jefferson as the place that we raise our family.
Brett Cranston: Since I was a young child growing up in Jefferson, I have seen many growth opportunities get passed over and many businesses closed their doors. I left Jefferson to explore my options and attend four different colleges. After enlisting in the United States Navy I decided that I wanted to come back to my roots and be a part of my hometown. I am currently a member of the US Navy Reserves (18 years of individuals on a daily basis.
MeLinda Madison-Millard: I will be bringing a lot of my knowledge from my life experiences about local government and how I can help better serve our great community in which we live in. I will also be able to give my utmost input about new and fresh ideas for how our community can proceed into the future with lots of great new and wonderful ideas.
Dave Sloan: I have owned and run Central Iowa Memorial with my brother Aaron since 1999. I have operated on budgets and had to make difficult decisions in my own business. I have also attended council meetings for approximately 10 years and have a good knowledge of the procedures and many of the current topics the council is considering.
Lisa Turner: My past experience of service and volunteerism includes serving on the Perry Planning & Zoning Commission, 2003-05; the Bell Tower Festival steering committee, 2006; as court appointed special advocate (CASA) for Greene County, 2008-12; on the Greene County Chamber & Development (vice president, president, and past president), 2010-12; Jefferson Matters: Main Street, organization committee, 2012-13; and Beta Tau Delta (children’s charity), 2007-11.
I care about the present and future of Jefferson, and would like to see the city maintain the momentum it has helped create. I am also a good listener, and have a history of making sound decisions.
What should be the city’s top three priorities and why?
Jaskey: My list of priorities in no particular order includes: Leveraging public/private partnerships as a means to more collaborative projects – As the economic development opportunities have dramatically increased for Jefferson and Greene County, especially over the past few years, I’ve had a front row seat as a board member of the Greene County Development Corp (GCDC) and Midwest Partnership Economic Development Corp (MWP) and as a councilwoman. My participation proved to me that such multi-million dollar projects as Hy-Vee, Cobblestone Hotel and Wild Rose Casino would not have happened without public financial support such as tax increment financing and multi-year property tax rebates along with private investment. The city council involvement is integral to the success of these public/private partnerships. Housing – I’ve been involved in housing issues for more than 15 years, including working with affordable housing developers in Council Bluffs and Omaha as clients of my CPA practice to more recently chairing housing committees for GCDC and the City of Jefferson. From my leadership on these committees, we’ve determined that the immediate need is for rental housing, especially affordable rental housing. We as a community cannot grow without adding additional affordable housing properties and homes. Historic preservation and building renovation of our downtown historic district – Jefferson Matters: Main Street (JM: MS) recently completed and released the results of their market analysis which clearly demonstrated the desire of Jefferson residents to preserve the historic qualities of the buildings in our Main Street district, fill our empty storefronts with interesting new businesses and develop upper story housing in the buildings around the square. These results support and go hand in hand with goals such as economic development, job creation, shopping locally, and enhancing Jefferson as a tourist destination. I fully support these goals. The city council collaborates closely with JM: MS and currently has two building projects in process.
Wetrich: 1) It should be a priority to invest in the future, keeping long-term achievements in mind. Losing sight of the future is not an option. We are at a stage in which great potential awaits and we need to be proactive with a long-term mindset. Housing being one issue. 2) Tied in with the long-term, we need to continue to make our town appealing to new families moving here by promoting local business success, building restorations, new cultural endeavors, and sufficient daycare options. 3) I would be interested in seeing the city take the initiative to employ a fulltime animal control person. For the safety of our citizens and the health of our wildlife, the domestic animal situation, in particular, needs addressed. This person’s duties would also free up important time that law officers spend on “animal calls”.
Cranston: 1) City utilities– Jefferson’s water mains and sewer lines are extremely outdated. In order to keep and/or bring people to our community, these need to be fixed immediately. 2) Housing shortage– We need addition housing if we intend to grow. 3) Jefferson Welcome Center– This welcome center will not only provide the Chamber a new home but it will promote tourism within our town and county (additional growth).
Madison-Millard: 1) Our fire department and first responders because they are a vital part of helping our community with 911 emergency calls by getting there on the scene first and helping to stabilize those who are involved with the emergency calls. 2) The youth of our great community, because they need to have a better place to go where they can all feel like they are a part of our community and feel less like they have to get into trouble in order for us to pay attention to them. By this I simply mean that there needs to be a place for them to go to that doesn’t always cost them money to go to and that there are plenty of older teens or adults that will work with them. 3) our housing crisis/ employment wages – these two go hand in hand in my opinion because without enough fair and equal affordable housing made available to not only new citizens but to the current residents as well many of the current employers here in this great city might not feel like they have to start out with such a higher pay amount and can work equally with our city administrator and Chamber to come up with a good list of good respectable landlords that are fair and are willing to work with the new citizens that want to move to our great city.
Sloan: 1) Affordable housing for lower to moderate incomes. Currently the wage level is a little low to support rent payments of $600 and up. Having places for recent college or high school graduates is important to increase our population base, which will increase our tax base. Local investors are critical in this process. 2) Maintaining infrastructure. We need to keep up with city infrastructure now so that we don’t have to come up with possibly millions of dollars to catch it up in the future. 3) Code compliance. We have already started this process. Remember that the appearance of your property affects your neighbor’s property values also. We all like a neat, clean-looking town; someplace we are proud to call home.
Turner: My hope is to see Jefferson sustain its current growth and momentum. Progressive thinking is needed to build on Jefferson’s assets. The city’s continued strong partnership with Main Street is a priority. The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) that the city is working on together with building owners and Region XII Council of Governments is due in February 2016. The city also recently purchased two dilapidated buildings at 205 N. Wilson and E. Lincoln Way (former Linda’s Fashions). The stabilization of those buildings is also a priority. The resolution of hotel/motel tax issue is also a current issue facing the city.
How should the city participate in efforts to provide housing for low and moderate income households?
Jaskey: I’m not a fan of the label, low and moderate income households. From my service on the GCDC and city of Jefferson housing committees, I’ve learned that though this label applies to amount of family income levels, it does not define the people that fall into a published range of income. Our mortgage lenders tell us that many college graduates starting out in entry level jobs can’t qualify for a loan to buy a home in any amount because of student loan, vehicle and credit card debt. There’s lots of anecdotal evidence that a need exists for more affordable housing, but this need must be proven. First step is obtaining a qualified housing study.
The city and the council do participate in efforts to provide affordable housing. Housing is a multi-faceted issue that comes with big challenges requiring creative and innovative solutions such as: recruiting developers willing to invest in and take on the financial risk of building new apartment complexes or other types of affordable multi-family housing in Jefferson, lining up sources of funds including private debt financing, and exploring new funding solutions utilizing public sources of funds such as TIF and low cost loans.
Wetrich: The city needs to be willing to participate in some assistance to the process, as investing in reasonable housing options is investing in our future. We need to offer housing options that fit the wages that are being paid locally if we want to keep employees here, spending their money in our businesses, rather than driving to another town to live and spending it there. That will also strengthen our tax base, and in turn strengthen our local economy.
Cranston: Well the days of a single fixed income for families are about over. The city should provide land or tax abatements to builders willing to develop suitable housing for our community.
Madison-Millard: By taking a survey of how many low to moderately low income families we actually have in town and work with existing landlords who have a baseline of some of these families already and come up with a very good plan of action to help keep these families and the other families, even the single adults that are of low to moderate income here in our great city.
Sloan: I feel that the city should make every effort to provide the proper services (water, sewer, good streets, etc.) to any developments in our city. We should be very careful in helping on the funding of projects. I don’t feel the city should shoulder all the financial risk for companies to receive all the financial benefit of their projects. I also feel the tax incentives, possible TIF funds, and any in-kind services offered to developers are good options.
Turner: Iowa and its larger urban centers – Des Moines, Ames, Iowa City – continue to rank high nationally in terms of quality of life, standard of living, and affordable housing. Housing in Iowa is affordable compared to many other areas of this country. But if housing is not affordable in Jefferson, we may not be addressing the right question. Maybe it’s wages. Maybe it’s quality, affordable housing. Maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s deeper than that. I know that the city’s housing committee has been studying this issue, and I’m sure more study needs to be done and more questions asked.
What should be the city’s role in downtown revitalization? To what extent should public funds be used for that work?
Jaskey: The city already takes an active role in downtown revitalization in collaboration with its partners such as JM: MS, Region XII Council of Governments, Greene County Chamber of Commerce and local banks. Projects, such as streetscape improvements, conversion of alleys into attractive public spaces, renovation of deteriorated commercial buildings located in our historic district, often require large amounts of investment. The city cannot fully fund these improvements, but it can provide, as examples, matching funds through tax increment financing, in-kind donations of city employee provided labor, construction project management, and grant writing support. A vibrant and active downtown business district benefits the quality of life of every citizen.
Wetrich: Again, investing in our town is investing in our future. We need to be willing to get things rolling – showing that success can be had, which leads to good things, including more people willing to bring their business endeavors to our downtown.
Cranston: The city’s role should be taking the lead and assisting the Chamber with the “half finished” welcome center. Besides this, the vacant buildings in our downtown area need to be rejuvenated. There are multiple people currently working on downtown projects. Just last week, I personally had a meeting with the Jefferson Matters Design Committee to see what could be done with my property downtown. The city should invest some but not be the sole contributor. There are several grants available for business owners to utilize for such things.
Madison-Millard: Our city’s role in the downtown revitalization should be to help monitor and maintain those key projects that are already in the works and supervise those projects to help get our downtown back to the original way that it once was. As far as the public funding for a project such as this it should be an equal amount of money that we as a city should spend on helping out with a project of this magnitude.
Sloan: I support the efforts of the downtown revitalization. The city can receive grants and possibly assist with procuring loan funding in some instances. The Streetscape project is a good example of what can be done. I’m sure there are many more things can be done, and I feel all ideas should all be carefully considered. I would like people to remember we have businesses all over town that could use some help sometimes.
Turner: I was recently invited by Jefferson Matters: Main Street to rejoin a conversation about design guidelines for downtown buildings in Jefferson. I had the opportunity about five years ago to develop these guidelines with then Councilwoman Nancy Teusch. Since that time, Jefferson has become a Main Street community, and had its downtown placed on the National Register of Historic Places. These guidelines are now more relevant than ever, especially in light of the Community Development Block Grant that the city, Main Street, and many business owners have partnered together in.
I believe that historic preservation has a direct impact on economic development, and the sustainability of small towns. I support the city of Jefferson and Jefferson Matters: Main Street in the adoption of these guidelines as guiding principles in the rehabilitation, renovation, remodeling, and continued economic development of Jefferson’s central business district.
Several volunteer groups are working in Jefferson with similar community betterment goals. What should the city’s relationship be with those groups, particularly Jefferson Matters: Main Street and the Greene County Chamber of Commerce?
Jaskey: Jefferson and Greene County are fortunate to have many effective and strong community organizations, including the Greene County Chamber of Commerce, the Greene County Economic Development Corporation and Jefferson Matters: Main Street. Each contributes to the strength of the whole. Each is also vitally important to the economic success of our community. As a means to foster communication and collaboration between these groups, monthly status meetings are held that include the directors or president of each group and the Jefferson city administrator. I support these important partnerships and their collaboration on all current and future joint projects.
Wetrich: The city can’t do it all, and that is why the success of the other two mentioned groups (and others) is pivotal. The great things those groups have achieved recently are very promising. A fluid, solid relationship between them and the city is going to be extremely important moving forward. We are a small enough town that these three entities need to be on the same page and have a strong, well-balanced working relationship. I would be a strong advocate for strengthening this relationship from the city’s side of things.
Cranston: I believe that the city should be working with these groups and following up on projects. I have utilized Jefferson Matter on several different matters and with their assistance I have improved my downtown business. I think that if you want your community to grow, you need to take an active role within your community.
Madison-Millard: As our name is in the first part of “Jefferson Matters” I strongly feel that we should have should have an equal amount to do with Jefferson Matters as well as with Main Street and Greene County Chamber of Commerce. This way we are not showing favoritism between any of the three groups. I feel that when a city as large as ours starts to show favoritism with any one group that has similar interests in common with each other is that this is when they (we) tend to divide and not agree on anything which is not good for everyone involved in those groups nor is it good for the Mayor and city council to be at odds with any one of the groups.
Sloan: Volunteer groups are extremely important in any community. These groups generate some of the best solutions to problems. It’s also important to remember that city entities have rules and regulations that must be followed. These rules make them unpopular at times. I have coordinated volunteers for some motorcycle rallies in recent years, and we could not have had a good rally without the volunteers. Those committees and others are very important, but please remember there are limits to what the city can allow these organizations to do.
Turner: The city and the Chamber have a history of working well together, and continue to partner every day that they share work space and resources. Having been on the Chamber board, volunteering for the Chamber, and serving on the Bell Tower Festival steering committee, I have great respect for Angie Pedersen and Sheilah Pound – the work they do is long, hard, and thankless. City and Chamber employees are servants, and their work, at times, is exhausting. I have seen both firsthand. I have no doubt that the city and the Chamber will continue to do their best. I am also supportive of the ongoing partnership between the city and Jefferson Matters: Main Street, and look forward to being a part of that.
In fewer than 50 words, why would you be a great city council member?
Jaskey: I live here. I work and own a business here. I volunteer here for a wide variety of organizations. I know and understand the issues facing the city of Jefferson. I bring leadership, experience and can work effectively with others to get results.
Wetrich: I represent young families of Jefferson. I am a fair, open-minded person with the big picture in mind. I choose to live and raise my family here; therefore am heavily invested in seeing Jefferson be a strong, well-rounded community that has a wealth of opportunity for of all ages.
Cranston: It would be my privilege to serve the people of Jefferson and be a part to make our community grow to its full potential. I have the ability to lead, to listen and to communicate, just what Jefferson needs.
Madison-Millard: I’ll be a great addition to the city council because I will be a fresh new face who truly cares about how her city is run as well as a voice for our local citizens.
Sloan: I have knowledge of council proceedings already, and feel I can get right to work with the present council. This is an exciting time in Jefferson, and I want to be an integral part of that. Remember, working together, we can keep Jefferson towering above the rest.
Turner: Community service has always been an interest of mine. Growing up in California, I had a front row seat as my dad served as a city councilman and mayor for more than 16 years. That model inspired me to give back as I have been able. I would like to serve the city of Jefferson because I believe that a diverse council benefits the city. I would also like to see continued momentum and growth for Jefferson and the county.
