Newton mayoral candidates make their arguments for the city’s center seat

Editor’s note: The following is the second in a series of articles covering the forums hosted by the League of Women Voters of Jasper County. In the interest of space and to not conflict questions featured in the Newton News candidate Q&As, we featured responses to questions not asked before and most related to the city.

All three individuals running for mayor of Newton — Lonnie Appleby, Randy Ervin and Evelyn George — endured the hot lights and the hot topics of the League of Women Voters candidate forum inside the DMACC auditorium. The meeting of the maybe-mayors on Oct. 26 was well attended by the community.

Initially, it was anticipated a face-off will all three candidates was impossible due to Appleby being unable to attend because he had to travel for work as a court reporter. As alluded by his presence and his opening statement, the trial date was pushed back a day, allowing him to drive back to the forum and participate.

Trying to catch his breath, Appleby said due to the last-minute change of plans (which he learned at around 2 p.m. after already traveling to Clarinda) he did not have a planned opening statement. Quoting author George Moore, Appleby said a man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.

“That is what I’ve done, but what I did find is that Newton is losing too many businesses or we are having businesses that come in to take advantage of our tax abatements, and when they start having to pay full taxes they decide to pull up stakes and leave and come back a couple of years later,” Appleby said.

It is important to get Newton back on track, he added, especially when it comes to spending. Appleby claimed the city’s debt has ballooned.

“We’re spending a lot of money, but we don’t have a lot to show for it.”

Ervin, whose at-large seat on the Newton City Council is open for the taking, recounted his experience working in UPS where he had to negotiate contracts, work on budgets and sometimes give bad news, but he was also willing to celebrate the good news. When he retired from UPS, he ran for council.

“Four years ago, I took this seat as an at-large, and I thought a lot of things I could do very similar to some of the things being said today,” Ervin said. “Then when you get into the city council you realize there are a lot of guidelines, a lot of buckets for different funds and finances. It was a lot tougher than I thought.”

As a result, Ervin said he has learned a lot during his tenure on the council, and he is ready to take Newton to the next step; the next few years are important.

“And you need a solid leader to take us in to that time,” Ervin said.

George, who has lived in Newton for more than 35 years, also holds an at-large seat on the city council, but unlike Ervin she will still retain her seat if she does not win the election. She recalled 12 years ago when frustrated citizens ran for city council. They were tired of the negativity and the whining. Things changed.

“I joined the city council two years later to support their progress and excitement. And I can tell you elected leaders serving the best interests of the community as a whole and not in their own personal or special interests groups or for political gain, there’s energy and there’s accomplishment,” George said.

The local climate, she added, has changed again, but not for the better. She recalled a recent incident to emphasize her point. George’s boss was told she made a negative comment about insurance agents in a discussion on the commercial building inspection program. George works for Iowa Farm Bureau.

“After we had a discussion, it was no problem with my boss or my company. But it was a big problem for me,” George said. “The concern is that the pro-business council and their candidates think that personal and professional attacks is appropriate for people who disagree with them.”

ROLE OF THE MAYOR, INCREASING SOCIAL INTERACTION

Candidates were asked several questions during the forum, including what the mayor’s role should be and how they might increase social interaction with the public. Ervin said the mayor’s role is quite simple in a city the size of Newton: the mayor is the CEO of the town. As such, a mayor needs to know the city.

“You have to know the good and the bad, and I think you have to work with your city council,” he said. “You are the leader. You need to bring things in front of the agenda and bring things to the city council and give them all the information so they can make educated decisions.”

While it is important to have a city council, it is also important to have a true leader to follow. Ervin also advocated for more discussion with city leaders. He also stood up for current mayor Mike Hansen, but added that it is time for a new face. Ervin said an issue the city has is itself. It’s not friendly.

“It’s not friendly sometimes to businesses. It’s not friendly sometimes to growth. It’s not friendly to some of the people we should be co-partnering with, such as the Jasper County supervisors, some of the smaller towns in our county,” Ervin said. “We need to start working on being a city that people want to grow.”

The city cannot close its shutters and not talk to people, he added. Ervin advocated for more of an open-door policy to the office of mayor.

George had the same sentiments as Ervin regarding the role of the mayor, who she said sets an example and sets the tone for the city leaders as a whole. The mayor needs to look at the general welfare of the entire city, make recommendations on policies and serve as the presiding officer at meetings.

“And most importantly be an ambassador for the city throughout the state and nation,” George said.

When it comes to engaging with citizens, George recalled the past city council candidate forum in which there were calls for more communication and interaction. George said the city can probably look at more ways of utilizing social media with Facebook Live or share information about the city in short videos.

“We do have so many communication channels but we need to make sure citizens are aware we are on most social media,” George said, noting that residents can also tune in to city council meetings, keep up with major news in the local newspaper and radio station or subscribe to city notifications.

The mayor’s responsibility to the council and the city, Appleby said, is to make sure every citizen is and feels heard. To him, it is important for the mayor to set the agenda and set the example for the city. Appleby said the mayor and council are also responsible for making sure citizens’ constitutional rights aren’t violated.

“As a sworn servant, we serve everybody and, as Miss George said, not special interest groups,” Appleby said. “I think there are better ways to make sure money is spent on roads that everybody uses and not specific roads in one particular section of town under new development.”

Appleby said his interactions with the public would differ from the current mayor by making sure nobody is ever arrested at a city council meeting, referring to the incident where resident Noah Petersen was arrested twice for criticizing his government and as a result has filed a federal lawsuit against the city.

“That is an abomination to me … And I’d like to try and foster more of a friendly, welcoming community,” Appleby said, recalling an incident where someone called him a homophobic slur to his friends, who had a yard sign of his on their property. “…I think we need to develop programs that teach people respect.”

PUTTING A FACE ON NEWTON

In one of the more wordy questions submitted by the audience, the mayoral candidates were essentially asked of their vision for Newton for the next two years, putting “a face” on Newotn. Appleby wants to meet leaders from similarly sized communities to find out what they are doing to keep their businesses filled.

Newton has far too many empty buildings, he added. One of Appleby’s favorite towns is Pella. He doesn’t know how they do it, but the leaders in Pella “keep their square full of businesses,” and the locals support their own town. Appleby said other communities like Grimes and Altoona should be studied.

“They have grown exponentially,” Appleby said. “When I graduated in 1987, we had right around 15,000 people. It’s 2023 and I think we have right around 15,000 people. And that does not make sense to me … I would like to beautify Newton. I would like to put a happier face on our downtown.”

The downtown in Newton used to “smile,” he said.

“When I was kid growing up, downtown was the place to be. And I just don’t get that happy feeling from our downtown area anymore.”

Ervin seemed to disagree, to an extent. The mayoral candidate said Newton is a a great city, but sometimes it gets caught up in “little wars here and there” and can get caught up on some discussions. But figuring out how to get that “face” out in the state and outside the state is a challenge.

“I have been part of some initial discussions with some of the other leaders in the county, as well as the businesses in Newton, and we’ve talked about putting together a strategic plan group where we can sit down and start saying, ‘What is best for Jasper County? What is best for Newton?’” Ervin said.

He also stressed the need to work together, especially with the Jasper County Board of Supervisors.

“But Newton needs to stand up to be the face and to be the leader of this county,” Ervin said.

George referenced the updated comprehensive plan, where it says Newton has authentic small town charm with city amenities. That is what she and her family love about Newton. It has a small town charm, she said. George disagreed with Appleby’s description of downtown Newton.

“I feel like I’m in a Hallmark movie,” George said. “The downtown square we have thriving businesses around, we have festivals, we have lots of activity. And we also have full-time fire, police, we’ve got a medical center, an ER, urgent care, how many parks, we’ve got pubs, we’ve got a brewery, a local theater.”

The amenities of Newton are plentiful, but George said the city needs to figure out how to get more of that story told in the metro. People who are afraid of congestion and crime, she said, will look for places like Newton that not only have the public school but places like DMACC to earn college credits.

“Those are the ways we engage our citizens to help put a face on it, to tell the story about why I chose and why my family lives in Newton, and why we love it.”

CLOSING STATEMENTS

Several other questions followed: Campaign funding, the use of local contractors and the $10,000 housing incentive (Ervin says it’s good but could be tweaked, George says the city has to market itself, Appleby called for cheaper incentives to help existing homes). Candidates were also asked about funding city partners.

Ervin affirmed he is very pro-partnerships, like United Way and YMCA; George feels the same way, but she also relented tough financial decisions are on the horizon that may require more creative solutions; Appleby was disappointed in some organizations, hoping they could change back to old ways.

In closing, George said she is running for mayor because she is excited in the progress the city has made in the past 12 years.

“I want to keep it going, and I want to give you a chance as voters to make that same decision,” George said. “I don’t see that negativity, fault-finding, finger-pointing is going to attract new residents, new businesses, new visitors. I think we need to continue our positive momentum.”

George pointed to the Legacy Plaza project at the former Maytag headquarters and the Montgomery Ward building downtown being renovated to support entrepreneurs as signs of that momentum. People are putting in time and energy to make Newton a great place to live.

“Our Main Street has been revived. We have invested more in streets than the past five years than we did in the previous 15 years. There is pride again the community. We have new buildings. We have new homes,” George said. “Let’s keep it going.”

Ervin said he doesn’t know if there is anybody more passionate about Newton than he is. He loves the community and he loves the people. Sometimes they might disagree. “And that’s OK,” said Ervin. When he retired, he had three goals in mind: Give back to the community. Give back to the schools. Coach football.

Which is why Ervin continues to be a volunteer coach for the Cardinals, substitute teach at the schools and threw his hat in the ring for both the city council election in 2019 and the mayoral election in 2023. In the final seconds of his comments, Ervin pushed for more new housing.

“We need to do something with new housing, so anybody that wants to share my ideas with that I’d be glad to share them with you,” Ervin said.

Appleby referenced comments made by George, specifically the finger-pointing, and the meet-and-greet hosted by the four candidates representing the Newton Business Council. For him, it was a good experience “to actually listen” to potential voters, which is something “a mayor needs to do.”

He also expressed disappointment about past actions from the mayor regarding Petersen, and he worried legal action could cost the city a lot of money. Appleby said people have come after him because he has no experience. Well, he admits those folks are right.

“But with the experience at this table, look where we are,” Appleby said. “We got a lot of years of experience and yet still bad decisions are being made.”

Appleby again referenced how he thought work would get in the way of him participating in the forum. But when he found out that he did not need to be in Clarinda until the next morning, he made the two-and-a-half-hour trek back to Newton so that he could participate in the forum.

Which also meant he would have to get up at 4 a.m. the next day to make it to work and then be back in town in time for a Halloween event.

“People have said I was afraid to debate,” he said. “If I was afraid, I certainly wouldn’t be driving seven-and-a-half hours in about the next 15 hours. I would like to be your mayor. If I made a fool of myself tonight, it’s not the first time. And I promise you it won’t be the last. But I needed to be here to say my piece.”