June 6, 2025 • 9 mins
Season 1, Episode 16: In this special episode of Indy Unplugged, we welcome new city manager Jacob Meshke, who joined the City of Indianola on Wednesday, May 28. In this episode, Jacob shares his professional journey from his early beginnings in city government. He also discusses what drew him to Indianola, what excites him about being part of the team and his approach for guiding Indianola into its next chapter.
Find more information online: https://www.indianolaiowa.gov/1195/Indy-Unplugged-Podcast
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
[Music]
(00:11):
Welcome to Indy Unplugged,
the podcast that’syour front-row seat
to the real talkof Indianola.
I’m Aaron Young,your friendly neighborhood host,
and we’re diving deepinto unfiltered stories,
candid chats and the nitty grittyof our vibrant city.
Think of this as a crash coursein all things Indianola.
No fancy jargon,just real conversations.
(00:32):
So, get comfy,hit that play button
and let's explore the heart and soul of our community
on Indy Unplugged.
Alright, welcome back to another episode of IndyUnplugged, a City of Indianola podcast,
and we're joined today with a new face,
but an influential figure with the Cityof Indianola leadership team.
(00:53):
I'm talking about new city managerJacob Meshke.
Jacob, you're a week, about a weeknow on the job.
How are you doing?
How has the past few days been for you?
Aaron, first of all,I just want to say thank you so much
for having me on Indy Unplugged.
You know, as I was prepping for this roleand coming into it,
you know,your podcast was influential in that.
So I want to thank you for the hard workthat you've done here a week into it.
(01:16):
I'm doing fantastic.
The community is fantastic.
Everyone has been so warm, so welcoming.
Just getting a chance to get out and know,our department heads, our city
council members.
Definitely taking in a lot of information.
It's been comparedto drink from the fire hose
a couple of times already,but just very happy to be here.
And everyone has been great.
Well, firstappreciate the plug for Indian plug.
That's awesome.
(01:37):
So listeners,you always hear me say leave a comment.
Leave a review.
You heard it from the source right there.
That's that's
awesome news at this podcast has helped,in many different ways, of course.
But now, welcome to a new Noah.
We're so excited to have you here.
Just first tell listenersa little bit more about you
and your backgroundand what drew you to our community.
(01:58):
Absolutely.
I grew up in northeastern Wisconsinin the Appleton Green Bay area.
I have both of my degreesfrom Arizona State University.
I have a bachelor's degree in urbanand metropolitan studies,
and I have a master's degree
in public administrationwith an urban management concentration.
After I graduated from ASU,proud Sun Devil,
I got my first job in the citymanager's office in Casa Grande, Arizona.
(02:20):
It's about a 50,000 person communityright between Phoenix and Tucson
on the ten, startedthere as a as a management office.
As I mentioned,I was there for about 18 months.
After that time,I had an opportunity to move up.
I became the assistant village managerin Bayside, Wisconsin.
It's a suburb just north of Milwaukee,
right on Lake Michigan,a community of about 5000 people.
A lot of my mentorsat that time really suggested
(02:42):
that if I wanted to learn the insand outs of local government,
go to a small community, because you doa little bit of anything and everything.
My boss at that time told me thatwhen you come to a small community,
you look leftyou look right, and it's only you.
And I laughed at that.
I thought he was joking at the time,but I realized that's very true.
Because you are such a small staff,
you really are, rely on to do many different things.
(03:03):
Ultimately, after two and a half yearsthere, I learned a lot.
I had a really great experience,
but missed that team environmentwhere we have, talented department
heads across the organization
where we're able to collaborateand really do things and, together
fashion that really drew me to, Brookings, South Dakota.
It's a community about 25,000 people, justabout 50 minutes north of Sioux Falls.
(03:24):
With that, it's also home to SouthDakota State University.
So, another college town.
But again,that was a great experience for me.
I started there as the assistantto the city manager.
I was promoted to assistant city managerand ultimately deputy city manager.
Also during that time,I served as the interim director
of the streets department.
We laterconsolidated that into a public works
department,and I served as the interim director
(03:45):
of the PublicWorks Department for 13 months.
And then I served as the interim directorof the parks, rec and forestry director
for eight months after that.
So a very well-rounded experience.
I also managed our budget process,served as our intergovernmental affairs
coordinator,and chaired our development review team,
where we reviewed all of the commercialand industrial and residential projects
that were coming into the community.
(04:06):
So again, just a very well-roundedexperience there, and I was very happy,
there, truthfully.
But ultimately, the Indianola,opportunity came across my desk
and I definitely had to give it
some good hard thoughtand ultimately put my hat in the ring.
And I just came here and was immediatelyblown away,
you know, meeting with the city council
members, meeting with the staff, meetingwith members of the community.
(04:26):
This was just a truly special place.
It stood out and it made it, frankly,
a very easy decision to want to come hereand be a part of this great community.
I know when we've had Mayor Richardson onand just hearing the comments publicly
from our city counciland of course, staff,
they definitely saythat you check all the boxes.
So when you talk about your well-roundedcareer and the impact of,
(04:49):
you know, smaller citiesin the aspect of local government,
what excites younow that you're in this seat?
A weekend, albeit,but finally being here and tapping
into that experience and the dedicationof our staff moving forward?
Yeah, what excites meis the community most, coming here.
I just really get that sensethat everybody
(05:10):
in Indianola, from the councilto the staff to the community,
are all rowing in the same direction
and truly what they want,what is best for this community
and leading an organization that,where you're seeing that is just
it makes itso fun to come to work every day
because you just have a lot of talentedindividuals that truly want to do the best
for this community.
So getting to know them,
getting to know their stories,what they're passionate about,
(05:32):
you know, what brought them to Indianola,
you know how they landedin their positions.
That's just been really, exciting for me.
It's been great conversations.
And ultimately,
you know, it just really excites me
to have the opportunityto work with that talented group
and really do the best we canfor this community.
And you've been a busy guy this past weekfrom visiting with those departments
and the staff, like you said, attending
(05:53):
community events like last Thursday,being the library's annual summer bash,
the groundbreaking at Wesley Lifefor the village, just talk about what
those conversations.
And again,using your words, the fire hose.
How has that process of just been
and building and fosteringthose relationships been for you so far?
Absolutely.
You know, I really go back to, everyone is being so warm, so welcoming.
(06:16):
And the enthusiasm around me coming intothis position, it's been overwhelming,
the amount of supportthat I've gotten so far. And it just
it makes it such a reinforcementfor the decision to come here.
Just seeing how many folks, are happythat I'm here and again,
just getting to know them, learnmore about them
getting out into the community,just seeing how people enjoy
this communityso much and truly love the community.
(06:37):
And that's been very rewarding for me.
So as I continue to move forward,you know,
I want to make sure that I'm present,invisible at these public events.
I want to engage with our residents,certainly engage with our staff and key
stakeholders, and really integrate myselfand become part of this community.
Again, you know, coming here withouthaving any roots necessarily to the area.
I want to make surethat I really embed myself
in this fabric of communityand making it all my home.
(06:59):
Right.
And there's so many opportunitiesthat Indianola has right
in front of itself as a community, as wellas navigating some some challenges.
Of course.
What are the ways as a city managerbeing new to a community?
Do you kind of put yourselfin that situation to continue to lead,
but then also continueto build upon that momentum?
(07:20):
Whether it's already been establishedbefore your arrival.
But but to make sure that you,we put our best foot
forward to reach that endall goal for the sake of the community.
Yeah, absolutely.
That's a that's a great question, Aaron.
For me, it startsbefore I even set foot in Indianola
to officially startmy duties as city manager.
I started off with, I've got a fourinch binder full of all things Indianola
(07:42):
from plans, studies, policies, codes.
So it starts with that preparationto really give yourself
as much background, contextand information as you can,
to really paint a clear pictureof how we got to where we are today.
And then ultimately,when I come into the position,
I've, as you've mentioned,I've been very busy meeting
with members of the staff,the public council.
Then you start to connect those dots,because I'm able to hear
(08:03):
firsthand from folkswho have got more historical context of,
how those plans came to be, wherewe're at and implementing them.
So you do thatindependent study, as a starting point.
And then I come in hereand I have those conversations,
and it really starts to kind of painta picture for me.
Understanding the different elementsand the different angles
of the opportunitiesas well as the challenges.
And then from there, it's
(08:24):
just a matter of kind of takingthose next steps to put all that together
and getting out in the community,
doing the tours, stepping on sight,seeing things firsthand.
And really, I also want to just sayit's a matter of trusting and empowering
the staff that we work with,because we've got
a lot of talented individualswithin this organization.
So to me,I end up being that key facilitator,
to make sure they have the resourcesand support they need to be successful
(08:46):
in carrying out their projects,programs and services.
Is there anything elsethat you'd like to add
for listeners to learn more about you?
I'm sure Council, as we move forward,the will likely be a community
meet and greet at some point,but just kind of
want to open up the floorfor you to share.
Kind of any final or closing remarks.
Just go back to saying,I'm very excited to be here.
I'm thankful to the staff,the council, the members of the public
(09:08):
that I've had the opportunity to engagewith.
I couldn't imagine, a more welcomingand warm group of individuals,
everyone from, any aspect that you can think of
to people I'm seeing at the gas stationsof the grocery stores, you name it.
Everyone has just been so warm,so welcoming.
Again, I just can't really containmy excitement to continue
to integrate myself into this community,to be part of the community
(09:30):
and look forward to doingsome great things together. Very cool.
We're excited to have you again.Welcome aboard, listeners.
Make sure you leave a comment.
Leave a review that helps us
make sure that we're hitting the markon every single episode of Indy Unplugged.
And who knows, maybe next time you'll bea future guest of Indy Unplugged.
[Music]
(00:11):
Welcome to Indy Unplugged,
the podcast that’syour front-row seat
to the real talkof Indianola.
I’m Aaron Young,your friendly neighborhood host,
and we’re diving deepinto unfiltered stories,
candid chats and the nitty grittyof our vibrant city.
Think of this as a crash coursein all things Indianola.
No fancy jargon,just real conversations.
(00:32):
So, get comfy,hit that play button
and let's explore the heart and soul of our community
on Indy Unplugged.
Alright, welcome back to another episode of IndyUnplugged, a City of Indianola podcast,
and we're joined today with a new face,
but an influential figure with the Cityof Indianola leadership team.
(00:53):
I'm talking about new city managerJacob Meshke.
Jacob, you're a week, about a weeknow on the job.
How are you doing?
How has the past few days been for you?
Aaron, first of all,I just want to say thank you so much
for having me on Indy Unplugged.
You know, as I was prepping for this roleand coming into it,
you know,your podcast was influential in that.
So I want to thank you for the hard workthat you've done here a week into it.
(01:16):
I'm doing fantastic.
The community is fantastic.
Everyone has been so warm, so welcoming.
Just getting a chance to get out and know,our department heads, our city
council members.
Definitely taking in a lot of information.
It's been comparedto drink from the fire hose
a couple of times already,but just very happy to be here.
And everyone has been great.
Well, firstappreciate the plug for Indian plug.
That's awesome.
(01:37):
So listeners,you always hear me say leave a comment.
Leave a review.
You heard it from the source right there.
That's that's
awesome news at this podcast has helped,in many different ways, of course.
But now, welcome to a new Noah.
We're so excited to have you here.
Just first tell listenersa little bit more about you
and your backgroundand what drew you to our community.
(01:58):
Absolutely.
I grew up in northeastern Wisconsinin the Appleton Green Bay area.
I have both of my degreesfrom Arizona State University.
I have a bachelor's degree in urbanand metropolitan studies,
and I have a master's degree
in public administrationwith an urban management concentration.
After I graduated from ASU,proud Sun Devil,
I got my first job in the citymanager's office in Casa Grande, Arizona.
(02:20):
It's about a 50,000 person communityright between Phoenix and Tucson
on the ten, startedthere as a as a management office.
As I mentioned,I was there for about 18 months.
After that time,I had an opportunity to move up.
I became the assistant village managerin Bayside, Wisconsin.
It's a suburb just north of Milwaukee,
right on Lake Michigan,a community of about 5000 people.
A lot of my mentorsat that time really suggested
(02:42):
that if I wanted to learn the insand outs of local government,
go to a small community, because you doa little bit of anything and everything.
My boss at that time told me thatwhen you come to a small community,
you look leftyou look right, and it's only you.
And I laughed at that.
I thought he was joking at the time,but I realized that's very true.
Because you are such a small staff,
you really are, rely on to do many different things.
(03:03):
Ultimately, after two and a half yearsthere, I learned a lot.
I had a really great experience,
but missed that team environmentwhere we have, talented department
heads across the organization
where we're able to collaborateand really do things and, together
fashion that really drew me to, Brookings, South Dakota.
It's a community about 25,000 people, justabout 50 minutes north of Sioux Falls.
(03:24):
With that, it's also home to SouthDakota State University.
So, another college town.
But again,that was a great experience for me.
I started there as the assistantto the city manager.
I was promoted to assistant city managerand ultimately deputy city manager.
Also during that time,I served as the interim director
of the streets department.
We laterconsolidated that into a public works
department,and I served as the interim director
(03:45):
of the PublicWorks Department for 13 months.
And then I served as the interim directorof the parks, rec and forestry director
for eight months after that.
So a very well-rounded experience.
I also managed our budget process,served as our intergovernmental affairs
coordinator,and chaired our development review team,
where we reviewed all of the commercialand industrial and residential projects
that were coming into the community.
(04:06):
So again, just a very well-roundedexperience there, and I was very happy,
there, truthfully.
But ultimately, the Indianola,opportunity came across my desk
and I definitely had to give it
some good hard thoughtand ultimately put my hat in the ring.
And I just came here and was immediatelyblown away,
you know, meeting with the city council
members, meeting with the staff, meetingwith members of the community.
(04:26):
This was just a truly special place.
It stood out and it made it, frankly,
a very easy decision to want to come hereand be a part of this great community.
I know when we've had Mayor Richardson onand just hearing the comments publicly
from our city counciland of course, staff,
they definitely saythat you check all the boxes.
So when you talk about your well-roundedcareer and the impact of,
(04:49):
you know, smaller citiesin the aspect of local government,
what excites younow that you're in this seat?
A weekend, albeit,but finally being here and tapping
into that experience and the dedicationof our staff moving forward?
Yeah, what excites meis the community most, coming here.
I just really get that sensethat everybody
(05:10):
in Indianola, from the councilto the staff to the community,
are all rowing in the same direction
and truly what they want,what is best for this community
and leading an organization that,where you're seeing that is just
it makes itso fun to come to work every day
because you just have a lot of talentedindividuals that truly want to do the best
for this community.
So getting to know them,
getting to know their stories,what they're passionate about,
(05:32):
you know, what brought them to Indianola,
you know how they landedin their positions.
That's just been really, exciting for me.
It's been great conversations.
And ultimately,
you know, it just really excites me
to have the opportunityto work with that talented group
and really do the best we canfor this community.
And you've been a busy guy this past weekfrom visiting with those departments
and the staff, like you said, attending
(05:53):
community events like last Thursday,being the library's annual summer bash,
the groundbreaking at Wesley Lifefor the village, just talk about what
those conversations.
And again,using your words, the fire hose.
How has that process of just been
and building and fosteringthose relationships been for you so far?
Absolutely.
You know, I really go back to, everyone is being so warm, so welcoming.
(06:16):
And the enthusiasm around me coming intothis position, it's been overwhelming,
the amount of supportthat I've gotten so far. And it just
it makes it such a reinforcementfor the decision to come here.
Just seeing how many folks, are happythat I'm here and again,
just getting to know them, learnmore about them
getting out into the community,just seeing how people enjoy
this communityso much and truly love the community.
(06:37):
And that's been very rewarding for me.
So as I continue to move forward,you know,
I want to make sure that I'm present,invisible at these public events.
I want to engage with our residents,certainly engage with our staff and key
stakeholders, and really integrate myselfand become part of this community.
Again, you know, coming here withouthaving any roots necessarily to the area.
I want to make surethat I really embed myself
in this fabric of communityand making it all my home.
(06:59):
Right.
And there's so many opportunitiesthat Indianola has right
in front of itself as a community, as wellas navigating some some challenges.
Of course.
What are the ways as a city managerbeing new to a community?
Do you kind of put yourselfin that situation to continue to lead,
but then also continueto build upon that momentum?
(07:20):
Whether it's already been establishedbefore your arrival.
But but to make sure that you,we put our best foot
forward to reach that endall goal for the sake of the community.
Yeah, absolutely.
That's a that's a great question, Aaron.
For me, it startsbefore I even set foot in Indianola
to officially startmy duties as city manager.
I started off with, I've got a fourinch binder full of all things Indianola
(07:42):
from plans, studies, policies, codes.
So it starts with that preparationto really give yourself
as much background, contextand information as you can,
to really paint a clear pictureof how we got to where we are today.
And then ultimately,when I come into the position,
I've, as you've mentioned,I've been very busy meeting
with members of the staff,the public council.
Then you start to connect those dots,because I'm able to hear
(08:03):
firsthand from folkswho have got more historical context of,
how those plans came to be, wherewe're at and implementing them.
So you do thatindependent study, as a starting point.
And then I come in hereand I have those conversations,
and it really starts to kind of painta picture for me.
Understanding the different elementsand the different angles
of the opportunitiesas well as the challenges.
And then from there, it's
(08:24):
just a matter of kind of takingthose next steps to put all that together
and getting out in the community,
doing the tours, stepping on sight,seeing things firsthand.
And really, I also want to just sayit's a matter of trusting and empowering
the staff that we work with,because we've got
a lot of talented individualswithin this organization.
So to me,I end up being that key facilitator,
to make sure they have the resourcesand support they need to be successful
(08:46):
in carrying out their projects,programs and services.
Is there anything elsethat you'd like to add
for listeners to learn more about you?
I'm sure Council, as we move forward,the will likely be a community
meet and greet at some point,but just kind of
want to open up the floorfor you to share.
Kind of any final or closing remarks.
Just go back to saying,I'm very excited to be here.
I'm thankful to the staff,the council, the members of the public
(09:08):
that I've had the opportunity to engagewith.
I couldn't imagine, a more welcomingand warm group of individuals,
everyone from, any aspect that you can think of
to people I'm seeing at the gas stationsof the grocery stores, you name it.
Everyone has just been so warm,so welcoming.
Again, I just can't really containmy excitement to continue
to integrate myself into this community,to be part of the community
(09:30):
and look forward to doingsome great things together. Very cool.
We're excited to have you again.Welcome aboard, listeners.
Make sure you leave a comment.
Leave a review that helps us
make sure that we're hitting the markon every single episode of Indy Unplugged.
And who knows, maybe next time you'll bea future guest of Indy Unplugged.
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