February 9, 2024 • 45 mins
Season 1, Episode 1: Indianola Mayor Stephanie Erickson joins "Indy Unplugged" for an engaging conversation that explores the City's evolving landscape – from the updated 2024-27 strategic plan to economic development initiatives, community partnerships driving progress and so much more. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of Indianola's vision and the collaborative efforts shaping our promising future.
Fast-forward to a specific topic covered:
- 00:00-00:41: Intro
- 00:42-02:30: Welcome & Podcast Background
- 02:31-03:40: Why Become Mayor
- 03:41-04:45: Rewarding Moments So Far
- 04:46-10:38: Simpson Town & Gown Committee
- 10:39-13:14: Community Experiences & Collaborations
- 13:15-16:38: Preserving Community Identity Amid Growth
- 16:39-22:12: Updated Strategic Plan & Vision
- 22:13-24:40: City Staff Praise
- 24:41-28:33: Community of Conversations
- 28:34-32:37: City Council Transitions
- 32:38-35:16: Civic Engagement
- 35:17-37:36: 2024 & Beyond For Indianola
- 37:37-42:37: Indianola Mayor’s Youth Council
- 42:38-45:02: Closing
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:11):
Welcometo Indy Unplugged, the podcast
that's your front row seatto the real talk of Indianola.
I'm Aaron Young
your friendly neighborhoodhost,
and we're diving deepinto unfiltered stories,
candid chats and the nitty grittyof our vibrant city.
Think of this as a crash courseto all things Indianola.
No fancy jargon,just real conversations.
(00:32):
So get comfy,
Hit that play button
and let's explorethe heart and soul
of our communitytogether on Indy Unplugged.
All right.It's the first episode.
It is the very first episodeof Indy
Unplugged,the City of Indianola podcast.
And this is awesome.
This is a great wayfor our community
(00:53):
and our stakeholdersand our partners to become more
engaged with the cityand be part of the conversation
and really get behind the scenesinto everything
that the city is doingcollectively
as an organizationfor the community.
And we're incredibly excitedto have you join us here today.
Whether you're listening on thepodcast or, you know, watching,
(01:13):
you know, on our YouTube channelwith the video recording,
But just make sure that you hitthat subscribe button
wherever you'relistening to the podcast,
whether it's Apple
Podcasts, Spotify,
follow us on YouTube,all of our socials,
make sure you stay connectedwith the city.
And you know,that's the best way
to get real timeinformation and updates
and to always be at the readyfor when new episodes drop.
(01:35):
But for the sake of today,like I said,
very first podcastand we are joined by none
other than IndianolaMayor Stephanie Erickson.
Mayor Erickson,how are you doing today?
I'm good thanks
And for inviting meto be on this, a little nervous,
little apprehensive,But we're going to do this.
Aaron'sgoing to walk us through,
so thanks for listening andbearing with us on this. Yeah.
So for those who don't know,which is all of you,
(01:57):
when we were doing testof our audio and our set up, we
I had a little little funfor the sample that I showed,
but I played for Mayor Ericksonand I
kind of assumethat your favorite part of being
the mayor was Corner Sundryice cream.
Was I far off,or what is your favorite part
about being the mayorof Indianola?
(02:18):
Oh, no, that's absolutely right.That and hot air balloons.
And we're going to go to
Corner Sundryafter this, right, Aaron?
That was my that was my rewardfor coming to do it.
That was the bribe,right? Absolutely.
But what is, you know,just kind of getting away
with some of those,you know, background questions.
You know, what?
Why did you want to becomethe mayor?
(02:38):
I thought about that questionbefore I came here today
because I knewyou were going to ask me.
And most of you know me knowI'm long winded.
We don't have a lot of time,so I'll make it really short.
When I was in thirdand fourth grade,
I think my parents were heavilyinvolved in politics,
particularlyat the national level.
And Bill Clintoncame to our town.
I thought it wasthe coolest thing in the world.
(02:58):
Little Manchester, Iowa.
He rolled through on a bus.
He shook all our hands
and really thoughtpolitics were cool.
So I started following politicsin third grade
and had been out on campaigntrails
my whole life,pretty much since the baby.
And then the Monica Lewinskyscandal happened.
I think I was in fifth gradeand I took off school
so I could watch with my parentsthe Senate hearings and
(03:21):
I've just always had this lovefor wanting to fix things.
I say I'm a fixer.
Not thatwe need to fix anything here,
but I think thatwe can be better
and I thinkthis is a great community
and we're going tocontinue to grow.
I want to live herethe rest of my life,
even though it's cold
and there's a lot of snowoutside right now.
But yeah,
what are some of the thingsso far while you've been mayor
(03:43):
that you are most proud ofare the things that you know
as you talk about,you know, fixing things?
What are some of those
areas that you've identifiedthat you're,
you know, planning those seeds,
if you will,to create those signs
of of improvement or growthor those next steps?
I think as a community overall,
that's probablythe most rewarding part,
(04:04):
is working with the individualsin this community.
And some of my greatest
accomplishmentsis one of my favorite days ever.
It's coming up this Friday. It'sChris Street Day in Indianola
is proclamationsand stuff like that.
We have George Washington Carverweekend this weekend.
We have so many greatindividuals
who live in this communityand make it great
and celebrating them.The fun stuff, right?
(04:24):
That that's what everybody likesabout being the mayor.
That's the easy stuff,not the policy stuff,
the stuff that highlightsthe people in our community.
And mayor's Youth Council.That's my other favorite part.
Yeah.
And we'll get to Mayors YouthCouncil near the end
because you got to make surewe give some heavy promotion
to all the great effortsthat are being done
by that group of awesomeand in all community school
district studentsand things on that front.
(04:44):
But you know, you talk thatyou hit the nail on the head.
This community
with so many parades,so many dedicated volunteers,
so many partnerships,that seems to kind of be
kind of at the forefrontas you look toward 2024.
Are theseare these partnerships.
Let's talk about,you know, recently
we announced the Simpson Townand Gown Committee.
Yeah. With Simpson, New SimpsonCollege president Jay Buyers.
(05:06):
What's that partnership?
What's the purpose behind itand what's the
what are the goalsmoving forward?
It's an excellent question.
So part of that is, iswhen Jay got hired,
we sat down,we had a lot of conversations of
how do we support our collegein the middle of our town.
Interesting situationwe're watching happen in Mount
Pleasant with the closureof closure of their college
(05:27):
and leaving this big holein the middle of the town.
And, you know, that's thereality that we face now, right?
You can get an education online.
And how do we bring theseSimpson students here
and then how do weretain them upon graduation?
Myselfand my husband went to Simpson
and we chose to live somewhereelse In 2003, we left here.
(05:49):
And so the biggest partof our town and gown
is celebrating these studentsand making them
see what makes thisa great community.
The other partthat we're working on is
international Studentsfor Holidays
that they can't go home,for instance, Thanksgiving,
having families in townthat kind of take them in,
give them those experi enceswhen they can't be home.
(06:10):
I've told the storyand I've probably told you
and I'mgoing to tell everybody else.
But when my son two years agowas looking for college,
we went to colleges
that specifically their citiesstuck out to me.
And Ben says,Once you get into the government
and city government,you're ruined.
You go everywhere else
and you see what they do well,
and you look at it,you look at their light post,
(06:30):
you look at theirwreaths or what's hangin
and how they decorate you.
Are you ruined?
So the two communitiesthat I particularly really
was interestedin was Sioux Center, Iowa,
where we have our universityand Maryville, Missouri.
And I started to dig down
(06:51):
because when you go to theirsporting events and well,
both of themhave pretty good programs
and all of their sports,they are packed
and they're not it's students,it's community members.
It is absolutely packedto the brim
whether they win or lose.
And these peoplelove their college athletics.
And so as I'm drilling downand I'm talking
(07:11):
to people in their town and yes,
calling their city managersand having conversations,
talking to the football coachat both programs.
And what
the result is, is thatthese individuals
are graduatingfrom Dort University
or Northwest Missouri State, andthey're choosing to stay there
and they love their college.
And then these individuals grow
(07:31):
and they startsitting on our city boards,
they startsitting on the city council.
And so you still have that loveand it grows
and it's contagious,the love that they have
and Jay and
are really working on that backto the days of
when Simpsonfootball stands were filled.
And we're going to get thereand we're going to
we're goingto take out the Dutch next time.
(07:54):
It wasn't our year.
The last few years,but we're going to get there.
Yeah,and it really starts at the top.
It really doesfrom the leadership. And,
you know,
I had the conversationa few weeks ago
with a Simpson professor
who was
pretty frustrated with the IowaHawkeye football team,
I mean, who wasn't frustrated
with the Iowa Hawkeyefootball team.
And I have a unique experience.
(08:15):
My son walked on tothe University of Iowa Hawkeyes.
He was given a preferredwalk on offer.
And so it's nice to knowI know a lot of those
those gentlemen,they're the great young men. But
the Simpsonprofessor was, you know,
frustrated and said we shouldn'tbe celebrating our athletes.
And why are we excitedwhen they're
getting killed in a bowl game?
(08:35):
And and I said,
I think I'm going to ask youto look at a different way.
Nobody wants to win morethan the guys on that field.
Nobody does.
But it's a culture and it startsat the very, very top.
And I said, for instance,
Simpson Collegehas had transitioned right.
And their leadershipand in athletics,
(08:55):
and I feel likewe've got the right
president, we've got the rightathletic director,
and it's really startingthat momentum
and the studentsand the athletes and,
you know, whether it's music,
we talk about musicand that's the same thing
or arts, you know, Indianolawe're looking for,
there's group of individualslooking for an arts center here.
(09:16):
It's all of that.
It's that collaboration that
they're findingwhat they want in a community
after they graduate.
So it's as simple as putting upSimpson banners on our light
poles on 65, 69, and IndianolaHigh School banners.
One of the things I'm impressedwith at Maryville
is every single light post
you drive byand it is a Northwest Missouri
(09:37):
State banner, and the next oneis Maryville High School
for the Spruce Hounds.I actually think it's so fun.
It's just a weirdThat's our mascot.
That's a spoof hound.
Yeah, I don't even know whata spoof on,
but, you know,and their colors are consistent.
We don't we don't have that.But that's okay.
I mean, they're all green,and you can just feel it.
(09:58):
You can feel the love.
And even, in fact,in front of their
they have municipalutilities, too.
They have a big signwelcoming the students,
saying,call us for your Internet needs.
And I, I was like, itsays, welcome students.
And I was like,that's a simple thing.
We can do that.
Why don't we have a banner
when they come into town ontheir first day, Come in here.
(10:19):
AaronYou went to Simpson to that
first day,your parents drop you off.
And I yeah, I remember whereI where I stayed.
I sat outsidefive year hall and a bench.
And I was I was homesick,but I wasn't going to admit
it, right.
I was a 19 year old kid and, um,
so we want these kids,when they, they come here
to feel like they'repart of something bigger.
Yeah.
And I think in a way, too,on the flip
(10:40):
side, for,you know, overall, residents
like even these students,like they are in residence.
So yeah, I mean they are,
they're creating a home here,
even though they might livein a dorm, though,
and they might live in an offcampus apartment.
They are still residents,still a lot of jobs here. Yeah.
And I think in ways regardless,
we see pocketsof that community spirit.
And you talk about,you know, from the top down,
our city staff across the boarddepartment wide
(11:01):
are very, very proactive and
and work diligent to
work in collaboration
with residents
who are volunteers
on the various commissionsand boards
that we haveto create these opportunities
and not have them be theseone offs, but everlasting
have them be annual projectsor annual events
and annual experiencesto be able to be part of.
(11:22):
The first one that comes tomy mind is definitely
and I think it's it's
it is in collaborationwith Simpson as well
and I've just heardmore about it
this past weekwould be the wonder on Buxton,
you know,really trying to be intentional
with having that, you know, that
that link between campusto our downtown square.
I think it'sI think it's huge. Absolutely.
And I just finisheda book called Walkable City,
(11:45):
and it's all about
how, youknow, we've gotten a little lazy
and complacent, myself included.
I parked right outsideright when I pulled up here.
So it's all about makingthose walkable destinations.
And now on Simpson's campus,you'll see there's
have you seen the Paul prints
that they put to like walkyou to places?
That's really unique.
I think it's it's
(12:06):
something outside the boxand I think that's what
we're trying to do hereas that town
and gown committeeis think outside the box.
You know,
another thingthat really kind of intrigued me
as a mom
that I really likemy sons at Northwest
Missouri State now is
the athletes have like familiesthat kind of adopt them.
(12:26):
So should you need anythingor they give them a
little care packages through
you know, the year
if they
can't go home for certain things
if they were to go to a ballgame, for instance, this year,
they would have been ableto come home for Christmas.
So they have a family there.
And as a mom, it makes me feelreally good, Right.
And I want other momsto feel that
that when their kids come here,they are loved.
(12:47):
We're going to take care ofthem.
We're going to protect them,and we want them to live here.
I'm sorry, Mom.
You probably want themto come home, but they're not.
We're going to keep them.Just like you told my son.
I hope you fall in lovewith the Warren County girl
because you're goingto come back here.
So, yeah, I think we can makesomething great.
And it's all aboutcontinuing to work together
and kind of changingthat narrative, right?
(13:08):
That we're great and we're goingto take out the Dutch.
So yeah, soyou could use a keyword there.
Change. Oftentimespeople are hesitant for change.
We've seen that quite a bit,
especially in recent monthswith our,
you know, plane unitdevelopments
that are very muchin their preliminary phase
that they're goingthrough the process.
But any time you have
(13:30):
that change,you're going to have resistance.
And oftentimes, too,
when people move toand you know,
and we've heard thisfrom public comment from,
you know,our various stakeholders,
they don't want to change.
They don't want to be likeour other
surrounding communitiesbecause we want to keep,
you know,the characteristics of our town
or whatthey perceive to be our core
charactercharacteristics of our town,
unique and that's own right.
(13:50):
How do you, as an electedofficial combat
that knowingthat we have the opportunity
for growth and just,you know, the competitiveness
and the draw to bring people in
and to keep themstaying here in Indianola?
That's a good question.
I think a lot of us are drawn
to Indianola for one reasonor another.
20 years ago, our family,
(14:10):
my husband and I decided to moveto Altoona.
Altoona, it boomed.
I think they were around9000 people when we moved there.
We were the last street in townand it boomed.
And not that we didn't.
We were fine with the growth.We knew it was going to happen.
It was a natural progression.
I think Norwalk growthis a natural progression
as beingan outlier of Des Moines.
(14:31):
We don't want to get that big I.
We want to growstrategically smart wise.
We don't want to inundateour schools
and cause a bigger headachefor someone else.
And so for a long timeand I don't think any you know,
there's nothing malicious,there's nothing wrong with it.
But we really worked in silos.
We had the county silo working,we had a city silo working,
(14:53):
we had a school boardand then a Simpson, right?
So we had all these dynamics
and we were all goin our own direction
and we all wantto get to the same place,
but we all have different ideasof how to get there, right?
So breaking down those silosand keeping our charm
and reminding residentsa lot of times
when they're upset aboutnew development and growth is
(15:15):
we gotto act like we're a small town.
If we want to be a small town,we got to support each other.
I mean, how many grasscomplaints do we get?
About long grass.And it's your neighbor.
And I've writtenin the magazines,
so I don't thinkanyone could get mad at me.
But mow your neighbor's grass,
help your neighbor out, scoopsome snow.
That that is what small townsdo, right?
We love each otherand we take care of each other.
(15:36):
And we do seeso many of those things happen.
It's notthat it's not happening, but,
you know, it's
how can we help each otherand still be supportive and
and you know, and,you know, it does need
we need some growth.
We have not seen
in the last ten yearsthe census has shown that.
And we have really been driven
and focusedon single family housing
(15:59):
and not so much multifamilywhere we've got
to have affordable options foryounger families to move here.
And, you know,unfortunately right now
interest rates are not great.
So by
bringing some new developmentand some new housing options,
hopefully we can start retainingthose students
and retaining younger familiesto move here
(16:21):
and start growing us.
And again,
I don't want to growlike Norwalk,
I don't want to growlike Altoona.
I don't think any of us do.
We want to growstrategically wise
and enough that we can keep ourtaxes low and be, you know, the
the premier community in WarrenCounty.
Yeah.
And you'rehitting everything on the head
as we go into our next topicwould,
which would be that 2024
(16:43):
or 2027 strategic planthat council approved
a week or two ago.
You know,with those four priorities
that you've set for staffto carry out for the community,
with itbeing our welcoming hometown,
a thriving hub of economicdevelopment,
innovation, promoting
public safety and healthand resource optimization,
how were those priorities setand how do those priorities
(17:06):
set us up for success overthe next three or four years?
That's a great question.
So those priorities were setthrough a lot of collaboration
with the previous council,current council,
some work from Cassandra,which was great.
She came in and helped usand really digging into
without getting in the weeds,we wanted to have some overlying
(17:32):
topics, right?
So we want to make sure everyone
can afford to live here, right?
We want to have a vastmajority of housing options.
That was one.
And that means everybody.
That means from a fixed incometo a millionaire.
I want to offerall of those options. Here
brings us the diverse community,and I think we all do.
(17:54):
And we want to support our staffand let them do their jobs.
And the good thingis, is people know
Indianola is open to business,right?
They they knowwe want to work with them and
we want to be smart about that.
So I feel like communitydevelops.
Doing a great job will giveCharlie
a good shout out in his teamon that.
Um, okay. The next part.
(18:16):
So I want to let along on thatfirst part. Now I'm kind of
you it how
about to solve our resourceoptimization
knowingthat we are going to have impact
with our budgetand just, yeah, as we,
you know, try to grow,
we know thatwe do have a limited budget.
How can we be put our best footforward with our resources?
Absolutely. Good question.So taxes are difficult.
(18:39):
Taxes are hard to understand,right?
And it's hard to understand therevenue side on the city side.
And some of the conversations
that we're havingis currently right now
or our new high school, it's
going to be really nice in fiveyears.
Went out to bid yesterdayfor $63 million.
They are capped outat their levy right now.
Currently,
if we do not bringany more growth development,
(19:00):
they have no moretaxing authority, which means
they're their hands are tied.
And so in collaboration. Right.
Working together of what smart
without overinundating our schools,
that's going to requireanother elementary school.
Those conversations are happening and then bringing it back
for anyone who paid attentionto our budget study sessions,
(19:22):
all of the department directorshad to say how this pieces
into our strategic plansand which items that met.
And I feltthat that was really great.
I really appreciated that
because it showed that
this is really the prioritieswe all have together.
So yeah, yeah.
And I think identified gapsand also opportunities of what,
you know,
Indianola could leverage
(19:44):
as you know
fits that bill
absolutely continue
to grow or whateverthe goals that
are being set forth by councilfirst
have to to be directedin carry out.
I mean just talk aboutin overall
with that aspect of our staffand you said it
in the last coupleof those budget sessions that,
you know, our staff are a numberone people.
They're the ones that are,you know,
carrying out this visionthat we are setting forth
(20:04):
to ultimately impact all of usand just take a few moments
just to just share your,you know, praise
or just comments for whatstaff have been able to do,
you know, these last few months.Absolutely. A years.
Well, under kind ofin your being mayor. Yeah.
So I think sometimeswe don't give
we don't give creditwhere credit is due
and we need to and,you know, the study
(20:24):
session last night,we're talking a lot about
cost of living increases.
I'm not going to getinto any of that information,
but I'll fundamentallystand behind.
What I said in that meeting
is that our employeesare our greatest asset.
They are the most importantto every single resident here.
We have the right teamon the bus.
We brought in a new citymanager. My first year.
(20:46):
Ben is absolutely killing it.
He had, you know,quite a few positions open
to fill
and every single one,including Erin here,
who's leading herpodcast, has been a slam dunk.
And currently right now
he's interviewingfor a finance director.
I think reallyhe has found the staff.
We need
to make this a successful cityand you know,
(21:08):
nothing and governmentmoves fast.
That's what nobodyhas to worry about that.
And it isyou got to have some patience.
It takes 5 to 10 yearsto pull off some things.
And watching the successin Norwalk,
I've talked a lotto their city manager
and even their staff drill downand talk to their clerk.
But they are seeinga lot of success.
But this has been eight yearsin the making.
(21:29):
They had to get
the right people on board
and we've got the rightpeople on board
and their successis coming to fruition. Now.
Maybe a little too fast.
I think they might sayit's coming
a little too fast at them, too.
So again, it's about havingthe right people on board.
And betweenall of our department directors,
I can tell you taxpayers
that we've got the rightpeople on board
and we are going to move forwardand move forward positively.
(21:53):
A lot of timeswe like to talk about the past,
but I can't change the past
and I don't want to talkabout the past anymore.
I think comment that came out
was we keep recyclingall of our history.
I don't want to recycleour history.
I want to dobetter than our history.
And I think that'swhat our staff wants to.
So we'll do it and learn fromour mistakes and move forward.
Yeah, no, I thinkand I don't mean to speak
(22:13):
for all staff as I watch that,I feel like hopefully their
they have a smileor they have that warm heart
where they truly are valued.
And I'd be remiss if I did not,
you know, talk about,
you know, if your
listeners right nowwe're in the dead of winter
and we're coming off a historicsnowfall that we just received.
So I think our streetsuperintendent, Caleb
Adams Brown, said that and,you know, received
(22:33):
a historic amountof snow over a seven day period
for the first
like had a large amount of snowsince like the 1940s.
Yeah,a lot of work went into play
of clearing our 150 mile
stretchof of city roads and trails and
and you know our streetsdepartment.
I am you had staff involvedour facilities manager
Parks and rec it'sall hands on deck effort.
(22:55):
Absolutely and I
sometimes I feel likethat might even be an area
where you know depending on
you know your patience leveland how much grace you have,
you know,
that you don't wantto undervalue the long hours
that those knowbecause they do work long hours.
I think they're allowed towork like 18 hours straight.
(23:15):
I think that'sthe most they can work. Now.
I'm not I'm not sure we'reI don't think we're doing that.
So don't don't put meto definitely fallen labor laws.
Yes. Yes.
I think 18 hours is like whatthe max is.
And, you know, we'rewe're following all those laws.
But I think sometimes the
the negative and the noise,there might just be one.
But sometimes it's louder.
And so we need to rememberto be louder with our praise.
(23:38):
And and I did see that a lotin the community pages
online and social mediais that there's lots of praise.
They did a great job.
And it wasyou know, it was a lot.
We had some new plow driversand they did great.
And the feedback I haveI've gotten is it's wonderful.
You know, it just and we haven'treally had snow yet this year.
(24:00):
So it was like,yeah, historic once
in a hundred yearstorm and dumps all on us.
And, you know, Caleb hasn'tbeen with us that long either,
so he's still getting hisfeet underneath of him, but
he's he's pretty good.
And he said,we will learn from this
and will make it betternext time.
But again, I was very impressed
(24:22):
with none of our plowsgelled up.
You know,
we kept guysout there on the roads
and we only sacrificed a fewmailboxes that we fixed already.
So, you know,I think it worked out for us.
And there was no concernsfrom a public safety standpoint.
If there was an emergency,they could get through.
And that that's the prioritythere.
Yeah,And you bring up social media,
(24:42):
you know, talking about with the
you know, the various pagesthat, you know, our community
are able to, you know, bepart of the conversation.
And when I took this job,
I kind of some of the thingsI've talked with
with some staff members
and some other communitypartners is, you know,
I want to be able to buildthat community of conversation,
take both the positive,the negative,
because if you do havethe negative,
yeah, you'reidentifying the opportunities
(25:04):
to then you know,if that's their area to then
make you aware of a concern,
you identify that you canaddress it and take care of it
or you can take the next stepsto then determine
that best course of action.
So in a way,
the way I view social media,which is probably very different
than a lot of other people, isI view it as quiet.
I mean, I view as a way where,you know, it's it's
(25:24):
it's an it's a
it's a place where people havethat that that hub
to come togetherto to sound off, if you will.
But for us to also be part ofthat conversation, to address,
you know, what it could beand then also celebrate,
you know, the
the awesome things that arehappening across the community,
promote what we are doingand what's to come
and to and to educateand to inform. Absolutely.
(25:47):
Yeah.So many ways to to do that.
And we know that, you know,I feel like an old lady. I do.
I feel like an old lady. Erin'squite a bit younger than me.
But we do know that, you know,the communication styles of this
younger generation is differentthan what we're used to, right?
My parents,they pick up the phone,
my generationwill text, you know,
and then this newer generation.
(26:08):
And and we're even see thatin housing and what they want.
I want a big yardI want a big yard.
People in their twenties,
they don't want to spend timemowing the grass.
They don't want to shovel snow.
They would rather live in an agenature.
And, you know, I get it there.
So we're so busy, right.
There's not enoughtime to do it all.
And so we have to adjust
to the newer generations coming,which is where I think
(26:29):
sometimeswe haven't always adjusted
and we have to ask that youngergeneration, What do you want?
I've gone to a lot of somethingclasses, and the first thing is
I always ask them,
who wants to live in Indianolawhen you graduate?
And I've only had onehand raised
and that'sbecause I told his mom
or I told him,If you don't raise your hand,
I'm telling your mombecause she lives in town.
(26:49):
And so he raised his hand.
And what do you want forIndianola?
And, you know,all of a sudden, say,
what do you mean,what do we want? Businesses?
What is going to make ita thriving community?
That you want to stay hereon Friday nights?
You want to spend your moneyhere.
You want to,
I don't know, punch arrowsat punch punches, a big one.
(27:11):
Everyone wants heroes.
I'm not makingany promises that is happening.
I just want to say.
But everybody does want to puncharrows, including my son.
I don't like punch arrows.
So as you out,
I don't like Mexican food.
I had a bad experiencewhen I was like five
and I haven't seen it since.
Man, it drives my family crazybecause I love Mexican food,
(27:32):
and even after that,
I still don't have my taste backand I still won't eat it.
Wow. I've had my taste
for two years since COVID,so I still want it.
It's just it's a thing.
It it makes me just repulsed.
But I.
I mean, we'll try,right? We'll try.
Will I try to give that feedbackback to developers
who have developmentscoming like,
hey, here'swhat the community is saying.
(27:54):
They want a bowling alley.
How many timeswe've seen bowling alley
on our community page right.
And lookingat those options because again,
we have to be creative.
And I do I see social mediaas a good and bad.
I've got some council memberswho don't like it at all
and I, I get taggedin last stuff
sometimes the replyand sometimes they don't,
(28:14):
because sometimes I can't.I don't know the answers.
I try to, but
I think it's a good way for usto look at, like you said,
our inefficiencies,how we can make ourselves better
and learn from itand not take it so personal.
It's not supposed to bepersonal, right?
Let's just be better.Let's just make it better.
Um, and I think we can do thattogether.
So, yeah,you talk about with council,
(28:34):
we just brought on two newcouncil members
and with Josh Rabe,the incumbent,
serving againas our At-Large Council member.
What's that
transitionlike when you go from an
outgoing councilto an incoming council?
Uh, um, we got,I think it's great, right?
We had two yearswhere we finally started to gel.
(28:57):
We had seven of ussitting at the table.
We're starting to really
come togetherand then transition happens.
I'm very excited.
I'm, I was very sad to see
the council membersthat were leaving leave
because there's a lotof historical knowledge there,
specificallywith Councilmember Parker.
He had been there a long time.
So we we leaned on him a lot
for give ussome historical data here.
(29:19):
And I'm not going to lie.
I've I've leaned on himafterwards, too.
Um, andthat's always great. And then
bringing in new people, it,
it brings new ideas,it energizes it.
But then sometimes we, you know,we've already set priorities
that maybethey haven't been a part of.
So then we have to bring themalong on the process.
But I feel like we'rein a really good place, um,
(29:40):
you know, with conversationsand it's still so early.
We're about three weeks in
and I remember three weeksand I'm still in over my head
some days because
government is, is a lot to learnand I'm two years.
And so, um,
you know, I don't,
I, I learned a lotthe first year I'm
not sure if I remember
any of it though,because there is so much you're
taking on and you're coming inin the middle of
(30:01):
a budget season.
Um, you know, and a previouscouncil has made some decisions,
so, so it's, yeah, it'sjust finding that middle ground
and using it as an opportunitywhere I can see my efficiencies
from leadershipthat I can improve and um,
how I can bring us moreon the same page.
So I'm going to use any of thesechallenges to make it better.
(30:22):
Yeah, no, that's kind of cooland that's kind of way,
you know,any team is set up right?
You know, you have well-rounded
individualswho have a lot of strengths.
Some of those strengths might be
my weaknesses,could be weaknesses.
So we counterbalance each other.
And I think the cool thing about
this is probably the same for,you know, past councils as well,
is they've always startedat a point
where they may have servedon a board in commission
(30:42):
and kind of worked their wayup to then
serve as a council memberor as a mayor.
So, you know, whether it bea planning and zoning aspect,
whether it's,
you know, hometown pride or the,you know, dozens of other
or the commissionswe have, there's some of that
that institutional knowledgeand those experiences
that they're ableto bring to the table
to serve the entire community.
Absolutely.
And, you know,
(31:03):
sometimes we do wewhen you serve for a long time,
sometimes you get stuckin your way.
So new ideasand new energy is always great,
always morepeople at the table is better.
I feel likeyou get more ideas and
togetherwe can lean on each other,
like you said, those weaknesses
and identify themand make them better.
(31:24):
Because ultimately we want tolead a really good city council
for the staff.
Because any time we lose
a staff member,that's really expensive
and it's expensiveon the backs of the taxpayers.
So our goal is to keep taxes lowand to keep our staff,
you know, happy doing their job.
And we stay at this 5000foot level.
(31:46):
But sometimeswe get in the weeds.
We know we dosometimes get in the weeds.
I ask a lot of questions,but but that's good.
I mean,
across the board it's
accountability and ensuringthat, you know, again, we're
always putting our best footforward
for our residentsand for our community.
Absolutely. Absolutely.
And I think that's whysocial media is important, too,
because bringing back to thatand tying it all together is
(32:08):
peoplehave really been appreciative.
When there's simple thingswe can answer on social media,
they'll go to the complaintspage, right?
And they'llsay something and and maybe
I can answer it pretty easy.
So I appreciate that.
And then they preach thatin return.
Oh, well, okay. It wasn't reallythat big of a deal.
You know, the new developmentdevelopments
(32:28):
you're talking aboutvery preliminary.
Lots of people thoughtthat was the final plan.
And those werethose are just sketches
basically on a napkinat this point. Yeah.
And I thinkI want to talk about that, too,
because we to this day,we talk about that hours
long for hourlong planning, zoning.
Yeah, but while it was long,that was a process at work.
That's civic engagement.
(32:50):
I think while we all wantedto go home and sleep.
Absolutely. Absolutely.
Everyone had hadthat had an opportunity
to be heardand to express their comments
and to let the process go forth.
I remember,
you know,
the following day we put outa city statement of just,
you know, thanking everyonefor their participation.
Erin did great work. Yes.
(33:11):
I just want you to knowyou really did.
And for being part of thatprocess and then, you know,
just kind of that timeline and,
you know,once everything after those
January 16th was
the third
and final consideration
and then takes thatnext step again,
like what the mayor just saidis very preliminary.
There's a lot that can stillchange and a lot's in the works.
So while it's set from a a
(33:33):
a planning a planunit development perspective,
there's still a lotthat's in the play here.
Very conceptual, very,
you know,they got to get in there
and make sure they can haveenough parking spots and
and they do anticipate
some things will change on there
because again,they've got to get in
and look at the landand the cost for that. So,
you know,
getting in front of thatnarrative
(33:54):
is sometimes really important
and when misinformation getsput out there.
So while some of my council
membersdon't find it endearing when I
when they try to go inand correct
misinformation, others
do, and all I want to dois just make sure
we have the correct informationout there and, you know,
I for me,I don't have a vote on it,
but I try to just stayreally neutral.
(34:15):
And here'sthe information that we have.
And again, very, very levelconceptual ideas,
lots can change. And
yeah, that meeting it planningand zoning was it as long
and some of them leftbefore concessions were made
or before the developer choseto remove some things.
(34:36):
So some people were still upsetthe next day
and I actually got a callat 8:00
in the morning that day
and they were still really upset
and these townhomes are stillgoing right behind my house.
And I said, no.
He removed those
and they were like, Oh, well,we left after we spoke.
And so it was great.
Aaron put out this
awesome press release and
I was able to offer that to themto be like,
(34:57):
Here's what happened.And you know?
And they were really happy.
I think that we founda really good compromise.
It's great when the developer
will listen to the community
and the concernsof the neighboring neighbors
because he wants to bea good neighbor
and they want to begood neighbors.
So that that to me is wonderfulto see happen.
Yeah, No,
I think overall, as you looktoward 2024 and beyond, it's,
(35:21):
you know, going to be years of
I want to use the wordtransformation.
That's a pretty heavy word,but it's an exciting time.
I feel for Indianolaas we take these next steps
and kind ofwhat's on the horizon
for this community
absolutelyis a very exciting time because
the silos are broke down nowand so we're all collaborate
and we're all lookinghow do we become one together
(35:43):
and moving forward?
Yes, that's kind of my slogan.
We just keep moving forwardand move forward positively.
So peoplelove living here. Yeah.
So as you looktoward the future,
what are you most excited aboutand what are what's kind of on
the mayor and council's
wish list for thingsthat we could see in 2024?
(36:05):
I thinkwe'll see a lot of excitement
as we are working throughthat site
planning process withsome of these new developments.
We're going to seesome new housing options,
you know, affordablehousing options.
And I think that's great.
And Rick's excited about that.
That makes me very excited.
And I'm just excited about theoverall feel of the community.
(36:29):
It feels that wethey're starting to trust us.
Nobody trusts government.We know that, right?
But they're starting to trust us
and they're starting to knowthat we're listening.
So that's why it's greatwhen 4 hours it's a long time
for public comment.
But we heard themand we listened.
And that's what I'm excitedabout, continuing to hear people
(36:51):
out, trusting stuff and makingand things like this podcast.
Maybe he might invite me back.I'm not sure.
I mean, yeah, I mean, overall,that high quality of life,
absolutely options to
meet residents where they are,
where they want to goand to ultimately impact
and influence a higher qualityof life. Absolutely.
(37:13):
And my son graduatesin two years from college and
I want nothing more than thisto be the community
he chooses to come back toand teach in our high school.
So I'm pretty sure it is.
But he wants to be a high schoolteacher and a coach just like
every other high school
or every other coach herein our high school.
But I think it's great.
And the reason why ishe had some great mentors.
(37:36):
Tell me a little bitmore about Mary Youth
Council, what it isand what the group does.
Sure.
Mayor'sYouth Council is comprised
of 2025 studentsfrom the high school level
and it is geared
towards community servicein giving back to the community.
So we've donea lot of great things.
In 2023, we were able raise 6100
(37:59):
and I think $27and some odd cents
and all of that money,100% went back to the community.
We were ableto high school students
to give themtheir first Christmas ever.
And we're especially excited
because this
leadership classthat I have currently right
now, of the four main leadersfor it,
they are elected by their peers.
(38:20):
They identifieda need in our high school
and maybe a needthat we all take.
You know,we don't think a lot about.
But there is an alarming
number of studentswho go home every day
from our high school that don'tdon't have food security.
So maybe their only mealcomes at lunch
and what they wanted to dowas open a necessity pantry.
And then necessitypantry will be able
(38:42):
that they can go inand make a sandwich, take home,
you know,
take home some easieritems, nonperishable food items
that they can make at homeand ensure that.
And we've workedwith the school district
to have it all worked out, kindof who's going to manage that?
And we are teaming upwith our friends
at ICF and Abby and Casey Blake
(39:03):
to make sure that it'shealthy food options to.
So we're excited about that.
We're excitedthat we can bring food security
to the high schoolas well as school supplies.
There's a lot of stuff for that.
Our next big fundraiserwill be on that fundraiser
and donation drive.
We have a studentHonor Mayor's Youth Council
who will be doing a service tripto Ghana.
Her family built a school inGhana to help children in Ghana.
(39:27):
And so we'll be doing a schoolsupplies drive in February
to collect supplies that willsend overseas to Ghana for them.
We'll have those boxesall around the community
look for on social media
and you'llsee where we will have those.
And you know,the other thing is Bike Fest
will be back this year.
So a chance
to dunk the mayor in the dunktank and bring bring some money,
(39:49):
maybe some tethered balloonrides, free bike helmets.
And when I give youthe exact date, because
it's all becoming a blur,that's the that's June 8th,
I believe. I'm sorryI didn't have this prepared.
So awkward silence and podcast
and I am like, Oh,I didn't know that.
Okay, so it will be Saturday,June 8th, and we'll be doing it
(40:13):
at the middle school parking lotand on the football field.
Lots of opportunities for familyto be active.
It's 10 to 12and our fundraising, it
kind of our slogan
is going to be pedalfor the pantry and it will be
for a necessity pantrythat we're raising those money.
And hey, maybe we'll get
maybe Aaron will sit inor donating. Who knows,
(40:34):
Maybe get their police chiefdid it last time, too.
I'm about that life.
I mean, I'll participate
whether it's being dunkedor I'll I'll tell you,
once that thing goes downin your back arches,
you'll regret your decisionthe next day.
And Courtney with Courtneyfrom each. She's great.
She was like, Ooh, I might have.
I have some claims here,so we should probably
I'll sign off on a clause.We won't cover us.
(40:55):
But what a cool way.I mean, just various ways.
When you think about early on
in our conversationof thinking outside the box,
that's a prime exampleright there.
Youth council, all differentways to make an impact.
Yeah, we've got to, we've gotto, you know, just golf.
I, I like to sayI want to make any
and all of the obscure sportcapital of Iowa.
Everybody's got beautiful
(41:16):
complexes,you know, sporting complex.
I want those, too. I do.
But we've got a greatopportunity here with disc golf
one ofthe Mayor's Youth Council.
Derek Will Money is heavilyinvolved with Parks and Rec.
He works for our Parks and Rec.
Everybody knows Derek
Parks and Rec and very gooddisc golfer goes all over
the United States has wonquite a few scholarships already
(41:37):
and you know he would like to
somehow get another course herein Indianola
so we can attract the whole discgolf tournament.
So it's not split betweenIndianola and Des Moines.
It is such a great opportunityfor us.
And I I'm excited about that.
I think we've gotsome opportunities
with offroad biking trailsand I think we might have,
(41:58):
you know,
maybe even an opportunity forlike a ninja warrior course, um,
a competitive one.
So I think goodthings are happening here
and it starts with our youth,the people that we want
to buy in and to return here.
It startswith listening to them. Yeah.
So that really doesbring it full circle for you
for that impact of,
(42:19):
you know, when
we talk about early onwith bringing back
Simpson College students
but overall
the youth the currentlive in Indianola you know
we want them to continueto call Indianola their home
and and a mom wantsnothing more than her
babies to come back home I'lltell you and the grandkids. So
I hopethey choose here for sure.
Is there anything elseyou'd like to share
(42:39):
before we wrap things up?I think that's it.
Thank you.
No, thank you.
We I'm so appreciativethat you came in today.
I mean, our first podcastepisode and we're going to get.
Yeah. And I didn't knowhe was going to have camera.
What am I make up here?
So bear with us on that.
I like to say in the MikeMcDaniel, Mayer's right,
(42:59):
my favorite football coach,it's probably
all we know about footballis the Dolphins.
But one of these daysI'm going to meet that man
because he's also somebody, youknow, looked outside the box,
did thingsa little bit different.
And let's do that.Let's try to know for sure.
So, yeah,
make sure you hit that subscribebutton if you haven't already.
Make sure you leave usa comment.
Let us know what you thinkabout, you know,
(43:20):
the podcast structure and whatyou'd like to see in the future.
Maybe sometime down the roadwe'll be able to answer
some of your questions
that you could submit priorto a show in advance.
But you know, like you've heardfrom the teaser episode,
these are going to be thosebehind the scenes conversations
we have with city staffand with our elected officials
to really get dig deeperinto the city and the happenings
(43:43):
that are on the horizonfor Indianola.
And we'll bring in morecommunity voices
from our partnershipsacross the community.
And, you know, who knows, maybeeven the county kids, you know,
a great Warren Countyor a great Norwalk, great corps.
Carlile is a great Indianola.Absolutely. Absolutely.
Everything that happens here,we are all together in this. So
(44:04):
I think I think we'll be great.
We'll get you some betterchairs to
we should probably budgetfor that
this year are kind of awful.
But these are good.These are good.
But notice.
Yeah, make sureyou stay connected with us.
Everything, all that contentlives on our city website
WW w dot Indianola,Iowa dot gov.
Make sure you follow us on allthe socials, Facebook, Twitter
(44:25):
and all of our departmentaccounts across Instagram
and even Tik-tok,which our library
has a phenomenal TikTok.I agree. I agree.
I'd like to see.
I like to see some public safety
tech talking, butfor my understanding we had one.
And I don't know if you knowthis last little tip,
but Officer
Nixon used to be pretty viral,I guess, on TikTok.
(44:45):
Um, I think he was hea baseball player,
maybe footballplayer in college, but
I think they makefun of him quite a bit about it.
So I don't thinkhe does it anymore.
But I think we get I think we dosome fun stuff here for sure.
Yeah, sure.
To stay connected with usand we'll see you next time.
Welcometo Indy Unplugged, the podcast
that's your front row seatto the real talk of Indianola.
I'm Aaron Young
your friendly neighborhoodhost,
and we're diving deepinto unfiltered stories,
candid chats and the nitty grittyof our vibrant city.
Think of this as a crash courseto all things Indianola.
No fancy jargon,just real conversations.
(00:32):
So get comfy,
Hit that play button
and let's explorethe heart and soul
of our communitytogether on Indy Unplugged.
All right.It's the first episode.
It is the very first episodeof Indy
Unplugged,the City of Indianola podcast.
And this is awesome.
This is a great wayfor our community
(00:53):
and our stakeholdersand our partners to become more
engaged with the cityand be part of the conversation
and really get behind the scenesinto everything
that the city is doingcollectively
as an organizationfor the community.
And we're incredibly excitedto have you join us here today.
Whether you're listening on thepodcast or, you know, watching,
(01:13):
you know, on our YouTube channelwith the video recording,
But just make sure that you hitthat subscribe button
wherever you'relistening to the podcast,
whether it's Apple
Podcasts, Spotify,
follow us on YouTube,all of our socials,
make sure you stay connectedwith the city.
And you know,that's the best way
to get real timeinformation and updates
and to always be at the readyfor when new episodes drop.
(01:35):
But for the sake of today,like I said,
very first podcastand we are joined by none
other than IndianolaMayor Stephanie Erickson.
Mayor Erickson,how are you doing today?
I'm good thanks
And for inviting meto be on this, a little nervous,
little apprehensive,But we're going to do this.
Aaron'sgoing to walk us through,
so thanks for listening andbearing with us on this. Yeah.
So for those who don't know,which is all of you,
(01:57):
when we were doing testof our audio and our set up, we
I had a little little funfor the sample that I showed,
but I played for Mayor Ericksonand I
kind of assumethat your favorite part of being
the mayor was Corner Sundryice cream.
Was I far off,or what is your favorite part
about being the mayorof Indianola?
(02:18):
Oh, no, that's absolutely right.That and hot air balloons.
And we're going to go to
Corner Sundryafter this, right, Aaron?
That was my that was my rewardfor coming to do it.
That was the bribe,right? Absolutely.
But what is, you know,just kind of getting away
with some of those,you know, background questions.
You know, what?
Why did you want to becomethe mayor?
(02:38):
I thought about that questionbefore I came here today
because I knewyou were going to ask me.
And most of you know me knowI'm long winded.
We don't have a lot of time,so I'll make it really short.
When I was in thirdand fourth grade,
I think my parents were heavilyinvolved in politics,
particularlyat the national level.
And Bill Clintoncame to our town.
I thought it wasthe coolest thing in the world.
(02:58):
Little Manchester, Iowa.
He rolled through on a bus.
He shook all our hands
and really thoughtpolitics were cool.
So I started following politicsin third grade
and had been out on campaigntrails
my whole life,pretty much since the baby.
And then the Monica Lewinskyscandal happened.
I think I was in fifth gradeand I took off school
so I could watch with my parentsthe Senate hearings and
(03:21):
I've just always had this lovefor wanting to fix things.
I say I'm a fixer.
Not thatwe need to fix anything here,
but I think thatwe can be better
and I thinkthis is a great community
and we're going tocontinue to grow.
I want to live herethe rest of my life,
even though it's cold
and there's a lot of snowoutside right now.
But yeah,
what are some of the thingsso far while you've been mayor
(03:43):
that you are most proud ofare the things that you know
as you talk about,you know, fixing things?
What are some of those
areas that you've identifiedthat you're,
you know, planning those seeds,
if you will,to create those signs
of of improvement or growthor those next steps?
I think as a community overall,
that's probablythe most rewarding part,
(04:04):
is working with the individualsin this community.
And some of my greatest
accomplishmentsis one of my favorite days ever.
It's coming up this Friday. It'sChris Street Day in Indianola
is proclamationsand stuff like that.
We have George Washington Carverweekend this weekend.
We have so many greatindividuals
who live in this communityand make it great
and celebrating them.The fun stuff, right?
(04:24):
That that's what everybody likesabout being the mayor.
That's the easy stuff,not the policy stuff,
the stuff that highlightsthe people in our community.
And mayor's Youth Council.That's my other favorite part.
Yeah.
And we'll get to Mayors YouthCouncil near the end
because you got to make surewe give some heavy promotion
to all the great effortsthat are being done
by that group of awesomeand in all community school
district studentsand things on that front.
(04:44):
But you know, you talk thatyou hit the nail on the head.
This community
with so many parades,so many dedicated volunteers,
so many partnerships,that seems to kind of be
kind of at the forefrontas you look toward 2024.
Are theseare these partnerships.
Let's talk about,you know, recently
we announced the Simpson Townand Gown Committee.
Yeah. With Simpson, New SimpsonCollege president Jay Buyers.
(05:06):
What's that partnership?
What's the purpose behind itand what's the
what are the goalsmoving forward?
It's an excellent question.
So part of that is, iswhen Jay got hired,
we sat down,we had a lot of conversations of
how do we support our collegein the middle of our town.
Interesting situationwe're watching happen in Mount
Pleasant with the closureof closure of their college
(05:27):
and leaving this big holein the middle of the town.
And, you know, that's thereality that we face now, right?
You can get an education online.
And how do we bring theseSimpson students here
and then how do weretain them upon graduation?
Myselfand my husband went to Simpson
and we chose to live somewhereelse In 2003, we left here.
(05:49):
And so the biggest partof our town and gown
is celebrating these studentsand making them
see what makes thisa great community.
The other partthat we're working on is
international Studentsfor Holidays
that they can't go home,for instance, Thanksgiving,
having families in townthat kind of take them in,
give them those experi enceswhen they can't be home.
(06:10):
I've told the storyand I've probably told you
and I'mgoing to tell everybody else.
But when my son two years agowas looking for college,
we went to colleges
that specifically their citiesstuck out to me.
And Ben says,Once you get into the government
and city government,you're ruined.
You go everywhere else
and you see what they do well,
and you look at it,you look at their light post,
(06:30):
you look at theirwreaths or what's hangin
and how they decorate you.
Are you ruined?
So the two communitiesthat I particularly really
was interestedin was Sioux Center, Iowa,
where we have our universityand Maryville, Missouri.
And I started to dig down
(06:51):
because when you go to theirsporting events and well,
both of themhave pretty good programs
and all of their sports,they are packed
and they're not it's students,it's community members.
It is absolutely packedto the brim
whether they win or lose.
And these peoplelove their college athletics.
And so as I'm drilling downand I'm talking
(07:11):
to people in their town and yes,
calling their city managersand having conversations,
talking to the football coachat both programs.
And what
the result is, is thatthese individuals
are graduatingfrom Dort University
or Northwest Missouri State, andthey're choosing to stay there
and they love their college.
And then these individuals grow
(07:31):
and they startsitting on our city boards,
they startsitting on the city council.
And so you still have that loveand it grows
and it's contagious,the love that they have
and Jay and
are really working on that backto the days of
when Simpsonfootball stands were filled.
And we're going to get thereand we're going to
we're goingto take out the Dutch next time.
(07:54):
It wasn't our year.
The last few years,but we're going to get there.
Yeah,and it really starts at the top.
It really doesfrom the leadership. And,
you know,
I had the conversationa few weeks ago
with a Simpson professor
who was
pretty frustrated with the IowaHawkeye football team,
I mean, who wasn't frustrated
with the Iowa Hawkeyefootball team.
And I have a unique experience.
(08:15):
My son walked on tothe University of Iowa Hawkeyes.
He was given a preferredwalk on offer.
And so it's nice to knowI know a lot of those
those gentlemen,they're the great young men. But
the Simpsonprofessor was, you know,
frustrated and said we shouldn'tbe celebrating our athletes.
And why are we excitedwhen they're
getting killed in a bowl game?
(08:35):
And and I said,
I think I'm going to ask youto look at a different way.
Nobody wants to win morethan the guys on that field.
Nobody does.
But it's a culture and it startsat the very, very top.
And I said, for instance,
Simpson Collegehas had transitioned right.
And their leadershipand in athletics,
(08:55):
and I feel likewe've got the right
president, we've got the rightathletic director,
and it's really startingthat momentum
and the studentsand the athletes and,
you know, whether it's music,
we talk about musicand that's the same thing
or arts, you know, Indianolawe're looking for,
there's group of individualslooking for an arts center here.
(09:16):
It's all of that.
It's that collaboration that
they're findingwhat they want in a community
after they graduate.
So it's as simple as putting upSimpson banners on our light
poles on 65, 69, and IndianolaHigh School banners.
One of the things I'm impressedwith at Maryville
is every single light post
you drive byand it is a Northwest Missouri
(09:37):
State banner, and the next oneis Maryville High School
for the Spruce Hounds.I actually think it's so fun.
It's just a weirdThat's our mascot.
That's a spoof hound.
Yeah, I don't even know whata spoof on,
but, you know,and their colors are consistent.
We don't we don't have that.But that's okay.
I mean, they're all green,and you can just feel it.
(09:58):
You can feel the love.
And even, in fact,in front of their
they have municipalutilities, too.
They have a big signwelcoming the students,
saying,call us for your Internet needs.
And I, I was like, itsays, welcome students.
And I was like,that's a simple thing.
We can do that.
Why don't we have a banner
when they come into town ontheir first day, Come in here.
(10:19):
AaronYou went to Simpson to that
first day,your parents drop you off.
And I yeah, I remember whereI where I stayed.
I sat outsidefive year hall and a bench.
And I was I was homesick,but I wasn't going to admit
it, right.
I was a 19 year old kid and, um,
so we want these kids,when they, they come here
to feel like they'repart of something bigger.
Yeah.
And I think in a way, too,on the flip
(10:40):
side, for,you know, overall, residents
like even these students,like they are in residence.
So yeah, I mean they are,
they're creating a home here,
even though they might livein a dorm, though,
and they might live in an offcampus apartment.
They are still residents,still a lot of jobs here. Yeah.
And I think in ways regardless,
we see pocketsof that community spirit.
And you talk about,you know, from the top down,
our city staff across the boarddepartment wide
(11:01):
are very, very proactive and
and work diligent to
work in collaboration
with residents
who are volunteers
on the various commissionsand boards
that we haveto create these opportunities
and not have them be theseone offs, but everlasting
have them be annual projectsor annual events
and annual experiencesto be able to be part of.
(11:22):
The first one that comes tomy mind is definitely
and I think it's it's
it is in collaborationwith Simpson as well
and I've just heardmore about it
this past weekwould be the wonder on Buxton,
you know,really trying to be intentional
with having that, you know, that
that link between campusto our downtown square.
I think it'sI think it's huge. Absolutely.
And I just finisheda book called Walkable City,
(11:45):
and it's all about
how, youknow, we've gotten a little lazy
and complacent, myself included.
I parked right outsideright when I pulled up here.
So it's all about makingthose walkable destinations.
And now on Simpson's campus,you'll see there's
have you seen the Paul prints
that they put to like walkyou to places?
That's really unique.
I think it's it's
(12:06):
something outside the boxand I think that's what
we're trying to do hereas that town
and gown committeeis think outside the box.
You know,
another thingthat really kind of intrigued me
as a mom
that I really likemy sons at Northwest
Missouri State now is
the athletes have like familiesthat kind of adopt them.
(12:26):
So should you need anythingor they give them a
little care packages through
you know, the year
if they
can't go home for certain things
if they were to go to a ballgame, for instance, this year,
they would have been ableto come home for Christmas.
So they have a family there.
And as a mom, it makes me feelreally good, Right.
And I want other momsto feel that
that when their kids come here,they are loved.
(12:47):
We're going to take care ofthem.
We're going to protect them,and we want them to live here.
I'm sorry, Mom.
You probably want themto come home, but they're not.
We're going to keep them.Just like you told my son.
I hope you fall in lovewith the Warren County girl
because you're goingto come back here.
So, yeah, I think we can makesomething great.
And it's all aboutcontinuing to work together
and kind of changingthat narrative, right?
(13:08):
That we're great and we're goingto take out the Dutch.
So yeah, soyou could use a keyword there.
Change. Oftentimespeople are hesitant for change.
We've seen that quite a bit,
especially in recent monthswith our,
you know, plane unitdevelopments
that are very muchin their preliminary phase
that they're goingthrough the process.
But any time you have
(13:30):
that change,you're going to have resistance.
And oftentimes, too,
when people move toand you know,
and we've heard thisfrom public comment from,
you know,our various stakeholders,
they don't want to change.
They don't want to be likeour other
surrounding communitiesbecause we want to keep,
you know,the characteristics of our town
or whatthey perceive to be our core
charactercharacteristics of our town,
unique and that's own right.
(13:50):
How do you, as an electedofficial combat
that knowingthat we have the opportunity
for growth and just,you know, the competitiveness
and the draw to bring people in
and to keep themstaying here in Indianola?
That's a good question.
I think a lot of us are drawn
to Indianola for one reasonor another.
20 years ago, our family,
(14:10):
my husband and I decided to moveto Altoona.
Altoona, it boomed.
I think they were around9000 people when we moved there.
We were the last street in townand it boomed.
And not that we didn't.
We were fine with the growth.We knew it was going to happen.
It was a natural progression.
I think Norwalk growthis a natural progression
as beingan outlier of Des Moines.
(14:31):
We don't want to get that big I.
We want to growstrategically smart wise.
We don't want to inundateour schools
and cause a bigger headachefor someone else.
And so for a long timeand I don't think any you know,
there's nothing malicious,there's nothing wrong with it.
But we really worked in silos.
We had the county silo working,we had a city silo working,
(14:53):
we had a school boardand then a Simpson, right?
So we had all these dynamics
and we were all goin our own direction
and we all wantto get to the same place,
but we all have different ideasof how to get there, right?
So breaking down those silosand keeping our charm
and reminding residentsa lot of times
when they're upset aboutnew development and growth is
(15:15):
we gotto act like we're a small town.
If we want to be a small town,we got to support each other.
I mean, how many grasscomplaints do we get?
About long grass.And it's your neighbor.
And I've writtenin the magazines,
so I don't thinkanyone could get mad at me.
But mow your neighbor's grass,
help your neighbor out, scoopsome snow.
That that is what small townsdo, right?
We love each otherand we take care of each other.
(15:36):
And we do seeso many of those things happen.
It's notthat it's not happening, but,
you know, it's
how can we help each otherand still be supportive and
and you know, and,you know, it does need
we need some growth.
We have not seen
in the last ten yearsthe census has shown that.
And we have really been driven
and focusedon single family housing
(15:59):
and not so much multifamilywhere we've got
to have affordable options foryounger families to move here.
And, you know,unfortunately right now
interest rates are not great.
So by
bringing some new developmentand some new housing options,
hopefully we can start retainingthose students
and retaining younger familiesto move here
(16:21):
and start growing us.
And again,
I don't want to growlike Norwalk,
I don't want to growlike Altoona.
I don't think any of us do.
We want to growstrategically wise
and enough that we can keep ourtaxes low and be, you know, the
the premier community in WarrenCounty.
Yeah.
And you'rehitting everything on the head
as we go into our next topicwould,
which would be that 2024
(16:43):
or 2027 strategic planthat council approved
a week or two ago.
You know,with those four priorities
that you've set for staffto carry out for the community,
with itbeing our welcoming hometown,
a thriving hub of economicdevelopment,
innovation, promoting
public safety and healthand resource optimization,
how were those priorities setand how do those priorities
(17:06):
set us up for success overthe next three or four years?
That's a great question.
So those priorities were setthrough a lot of collaboration
with the previous council,current council,
some work from Cassandra,which was great.
She came in and helped usand really digging into
without getting in the weeds,we wanted to have some overlying
(17:32):
topics, right?
So we want to make sure everyone
can afford to live here, right?
We want to have a vastmajority of housing options.
That was one.
And that means everybody.
That means from a fixed incometo a millionaire.
I want to offerall of those options. Here
brings us the diverse community,and I think we all do.
(17:54):
And we want to support our staffand let them do their jobs.
And the good thingis, is people know
Indianola is open to business,right?
They they knowwe want to work with them and
we want to be smart about that.
So I feel like communitydevelops.
Doing a great job will giveCharlie
a good shout out in his teamon that.
Um, okay. The next part.
(18:16):
So I want to let along on thatfirst part. Now I'm kind of
you it how
about to solve our resourceoptimization
knowingthat we are going to have impact
with our budgetand just, yeah, as we,
you know, try to grow,
we know thatwe do have a limited budget.
How can we be put our best footforward with our resources?
Absolutely. Good question.So taxes are difficult.
(18:39):
Taxes are hard to understand,right?
And it's hard to understand therevenue side on the city side.
And some of the conversations
that we're havingis currently right now
or our new high school, it's
going to be really nice in fiveyears.
Went out to bid yesterdayfor $63 million.
They are capped outat their levy right now.
Currently,
if we do not bringany more growth development,
(19:00):
they have no moretaxing authority, which means
they're their hands are tied.
And so in collaboration. Right.
Working together of what smart
without overinundating our schools,
that's going to requireanother elementary school.
Those conversations are happening and then bringing it back
for anyone who paid attentionto our budget study sessions,
(19:22):
all of the department directorshad to say how this pieces
into our strategic plansand which items that met.
And I feltthat that was really great.
I really appreciated that
because it showed that
this is really the prioritieswe all have together.
So yeah, yeah.
And I think identified gapsand also opportunities of what,
you know,
Indianola could leverage
(19:44):
as you know
fits that bill
absolutely continue
to grow or whateverthe goals that
are being set forth by councilfirst
have to to be directedin carry out.
I mean just talk aboutin overall
with that aspect of our staffand you said it
in the last coupleof those budget sessions that,
you know, our staff are a numberone people.
They're the ones that are,you know,
carrying out this visionthat we are setting forth
(20:04):
to ultimately impact all of usand just take a few moments
just to just share your,you know, praise
or just comments for whatstaff have been able to do,
you know, these last few months.Absolutely. A years.
Well, under kind ofin your being mayor. Yeah.
So I think sometimeswe don't give
we don't give creditwhere credit is due
and we need to and,you know, the study
(20:24):
session last night,we're talking a lot about
cost of living increases.
I'm not going to getinto any of that information,
but I'll fundamentallystand behind.
What I said in that meeting
is that our employeesare our greatest asset.
They are the most importantto every single resident here.
We have the right teamon the bus.
We brought in a new citymanager. My first year.
(20:46):
Ben is absolutely killing it.
He had, you know,quite a few positions open
to fill
and every single one,including Erin here,
who's leading herpodcast, has been a slam dunk.
And currently right now
he's interviewingfor a finance director.
I think reallyhe has found the staff.
We need
to make this a successful cityand you know,
(21:08):
nothing and governmentmoves fast.
That's what nobodyhas to worry about that.
And it isyou got to have some patience.
It takes 5 to 10 yearsto pull off some things.
And watching the successin Norwalk,
I've talked a lotto their city manager
and even their staff drill downand talk to their clerk.
But they are seeinga lot of success.
But this has been eight yearsin the making.
(21:29):
They had to get
the right people on board
and we've got the rightpeople on board
and their successis coming to fruition. Now.
Maybe a little too fast.
I think they might sayit's coming
a little too fast at them, too.
So again, it's about havingthe right people on board.
And betweenall of our department directors,
I can tell you taxpayers
that we've got the rightpeople on board
and we are going to move forwardand move forward positively.
(21:53):
A lot of timeswe like to talk about the past,
but I can't change the past
and I don't want to talkabout the past anymore.
I think comment that came out
was we keep recyclingall of our history.
I don't want to recycleour history.
I want to dobetter than our history.
And I think that'swhat our staff wants to.
So we'll do it and learn fromour mistakes and move forward.
Yeah, no, I thinkand I don't mean to speak
(22:13):
for all staff as I watch that,I feel like hopefully their
they have a smileor they have that warm heart
where they truly are valued.
And I'd be remiss if I did not,
you know, talk about,
you know, if your
listeners right nowwe're in the dead of winter
and we're coming off a historicsnowfall that we just received.
So I think our streetsuperintendent, Caleb
Adams Brown, said that and,you know, received
(22:33):
a historic amountof snow over a seven day period
for the first
like had a large amount of snowsince like the 1940s.
Yeah,a lot of work went into play
of clearing our 150 mile
stretchof of city roads and trails and
and you know our streetsdepartment.
I am you had staff involvedour facilities manager
Parks and rec it'sall hands on deck effort.
(22:55):
Absolutely and I
sometimes I feel likethat might even be an area
where you know depending on
you know your patience leveland how much grace you have,
you know,
that you don't wantto undervalue the long hours
that those knowbecause they do work long hours.
I think they're allowed towork like 18 hours straight.
(23:15):
I think that'sthe most they can work. Now.
I'm not I'm not sure we'reI don't think we're doing that.
So don't don't put meto definitely fallen labor laws.
Yes. Yes.
I think 18 hours is like whatthe max is.
And, you know, we'rewe're following all those laws.
But I think sometimes the
the negative and the noise,there might just be one.
But sometimes it's louder.
And so we need to rememberto be louder with our praise.
(23:38):
And and I did see that a lotin the community pages
online and social mediais that there's lots of praise.
They did a great job.
And it wasyou know, it was a lot.
We had some new plow driversand they did great.
And the feedback I haveI've gotten is it's wonderful.
You know, it just and we haven'treally had snow yet this year.
(24:00):
So it was like,yeah, historic once
in a hundred yearstorm and dumps all on us.
And, you know, Caleb hasn'tbeen with us that long either,
so he's still getting hisfeet underneath of him, but
he's he's pretty good.
And he said,we will learn from this
and will make it betternext time.
But again, I was very impressed
(24:22):
with none of our plowsgelled up.
You know,
we kept guysout there on the roads
and we only sacrificed a fewmailboxes that we fixed already.
So, you know,I think it worked out for us.
And there was no concernsfrom a public safety standpoint.
If there was an emergency,they could get through.
And that that's the prioritythere.
Yeah,And you bring up social media,
(24:42):
you know, talking about with the
you know, the various pagesthat, you know, our community
are able to, you know, bepart of the conversation.
And when I took this job,
I kind of some of the thingsI've talked with
with some staff members
and some other communitypartners is, you know,
I want to be able to buildthat community of conversation,
take both the positive,the negative,
because if you do havethe negative,
yeah, you'reidentifying the opportunities
(25:04):
to then you know,if that's their area to then
make you aware of a concern,
you identify that you canaddress it and take care of it
or you can take the next stepsto then determine
that best course of action.
So in a way,
the way I view social media,which is probably very different
than a lot of other people, isI view it as quiet.
I mean, I view as a way where,you know, it's it's
(25:24):
it's an it's a
it's a place where people havethat that that hub
to come togetherto to sound off, if you will.
But for us to also be part ofthat conversation, to address,
you know, what it could beand then also celebrate,
you know, the
the awesome things that arehappening across the community,
promote what we are doingand what's to come
and to and to educateand to inform. Absolutely.
(25:47):
Yeah.So many ways to to do that.
And we know that, you know,I feel like an old lady. I do.
I feel like an old lady. Erin'squite a bit younger than me.
But we do know that, you know,the communication styles of this
younger generation is differentthan what we're used to, right?
My parents,they pick up the phone,
my generationwill text, you know,
and then this newer generation.
(26:08):
And and we're even see thatin housing and what they want.
I want a big yardI want a big yard.
People in their twenties,
they don't want to spend timemowing the grass.
They don't want to shovel snow.
They would rather live in an agenature.
And, you know, I get it there.
So we're so busy, right.
There's not enoughtime to do it all.
And so we have to adjust
to the newer generations coming,which is where I think
(26:29):
sometimeswe haven't always adjusted
and we have to ask that youngergeneration, What do you want?
I've gone to a lot of somethingclasses, and the first thing is
I always ask them,
who wants to live in Indianolawhen you graduate?
And I've only had onehand raised
and that'sbecause I told his mom
or I told him,If you don't raise your hand,
I'm telling your mombecause she lives in town.
(26:49):
And so he raised his hand.
And what do you want forIndianola?
And, you know,all of a sudden, say,
what do you mean,what do we want? Businesses?
What is going to make ita thriving community?
That you want to stay hereon Friday nights?
You want to spend your moneyhere.
You want to,
I don't know, punch arrowsat punch punches, a big one.
(27:11):
Everyone wants heroes.
I'm not makingany promises that is happening.
I just want to say.
But everybody does want to puncharrows, including my son.
I don't like punch arrows.
So as you out,
I don't like Mexican food.
I had a bad experiencewhen I was like five
and I haven't seen it since.
Man, it drives my family crazybecause I love Mexican food,
(27:32):
and even after that,
I still don't have my taste backand I still won't eat it.
Wow. I've had my taste
for two years since COVID,so I still want it.
It's just it's a thing.
It it makes me just repulsed.
But I.
I mean, we'll try,right? We'll try.
Will I try to give that feedbackback to developers
who have developmentscoming like,
hey, here'swhat the community is saying.
(27:54):
They want a bowling alley.
How many timeswe've seen bowling alley
on our community page right.
And lookingat those options because again,
we have to be creative.
And I do I see social mediaas a good and bad.
I've got some council memberswho don't like it at all
and I, I get taggedin last stuff
sometimes the replyand sometimes they don't,
(28:14):
because sometimes I can't.I don't know the answers.
I try to, but
I think it's a good way for usto look at, like you said,
our inefficiencies,how we can make ourselves better
and learn from itand not take it so personal.
It's not supposed to bepersonal, right?
Let's just be better.Let's just make it better.
Um, and I think we can do thattogether.
So, yeah,you talk about with council,
(28:34):
we just brought on two newcouncil members
and with Josh Rabe,the incumbent,
serving againas our At-Large Council member.
What's that
transitionlike when you go from an
outgoing councilto an incoming council?
Uh, um, we got,I think it's great, right?
We had two yearswhere we finally started to gel.
(28:57):
We had seven of ussitting at the table.
We're starting to really
come togetherand then transition happens.
I'm very excited.
I'm, I was very sad to see
the council membersthat were leaving leave
because there's a lotof historical knowledge there,
specificallywith Councilmember Parker.
He had been there a long time.
So we we leaned on him a lot
for give ussome historical data here.
(29:19):
And I'm not going to lie.
I've I've leaned on himafterwards, too.
Um, andthat's always great. And then
bringing in new people, it,
it brings new ideas,it energizes it.
But then sometimes we, you know,we've already set priorities
that maybethey haven't been a part of.
So then we have to bring themalong on the process.
But I feel like we'rein a really good place, um,
(29:40):
you know, with conversationsand it's still so early.
We're about three weeks in
and I remember three weeksand I'm still in over my head
some days because
government is, is a lot to learnand I'm two years.
And so, um,
you know, I don't,
I, I learned a lotthe first year I'm
not sure if I remember
any of it though,because there is so much you're
taking on and you're coming inin the middle of
(30:01):
a budget season.
Um, you know, and a previouscouncil has made some decisions,
so, so it's, yeah, it'sjust finding that middle ground
and using it as an opportunitywhere I can see my efficiencies
from leadershipthat I can improve and um,
how I can bring us moreon the same page.
So I'm going to use any of thesechallenges to make it better.
(30:22):
Yeah, no, that's kind of cooland that's kind of way,
you know,any team is set up right?
You know, you have well-rounded
individualswho have a lot of strengths.
Some of those strengths might be
my weaknesses,could be weaknesses.
So we counterbalance each other.
And I think the cool thing about
this is probably the same for,you know, past councils as well,
is they've always startedat a point
where they may have servedon a board in commission
(30:42):
and kind of worked their wayup to then
serve as a council memberor as a mayor.
So, you know, whether it bea planning and zoning aspect,
whether it's,
you know, hometown pride or the,you know, dozens of other
or the commissionswe have, there's some of that
that institutional knowledgeand those experiences
that they're ableto bring to the table
to serve the entire community.
Absolutely.
And, you know,
(31:03):
sometimes we do wewhen you serve for a long time,
sometimes you get stuckin your way.
So new ideasand new energy is always great,
always morepeople at the table is better.
I feel likeyou get more ideas and
togetherwe can lean on each other,
like you said, those weaknesses
and identify themand make them better.
(31:24):
Because ultimately we want tolead a really good city council
for the staff.
Because any time we lose
a staff member,that's really expensive
and it's expensiveon the backs of the taxpayers.
So our goal is to keep taxes lowand to keep our staff,
you know, happy doing their job.
And we stay at this 5000foot level.
(31:46):
But sometimeswe get in the weeds.
We know we dosometimes get in the weeds.
I ask a lot of questions,but but that's good.
I mean,
across the board it's
accountability and ensuringthat, you know, again, we're
always putting our best footforward
for our residentsand for our community.
Absolutely. Absolutely.
And I think that's whysocial media is important, too,
because bringing back to thatand tying it all together is
(32:08):
peoplehave really been appreciative.
When there's simple thingswe can answer on social media,
they'll go to the complaintspage, right?
And they'llsay something and and maybe
I can answer it pretty easy.
So I appreciate that.
And then they preach thatin return.
Oh, well, okay. It wasn't reallythat big of a deal.
You know, the new developmentdevelopments
(32:28):
you're talking aboutvery preliminary.
Lots of people thoughtthat was the final plan.
And those werethose are just sketches
basically on a napkinat this point. Yeah.
And I thinkI want to talk about that, too,
because we to this day,we talk about that hours
long for hourlong planning, zoning.
Yeah, but while it was long,that was a process at work.
That's civic engagement.
(32:50):
I think while we all wantedto go home and sleep.
Absolutely. Absolutely.
Everyone had hadthat had an opportunity
to be heardand to express their comments
and to let the process go forth.
I remember,
you know,
the following day we put outa city statement of just,
you know, thanking everyonefor their participation.
Erin did great work. Yes.
(33:11):
I just want you to knowyou really did.
And for being part of thatprocess and then, you know,
just kind of that timeline and,
you know,once everything after those
January 16th was
the third
and final consideration
and then takes thatnext step again,
like what the mayor just saidis very preliminary.
There's a lot that can stillchange and a lot's in the works.
So while it's set from a a
(33:33):
a planning a planunit development perspective,
there's still a lotthat's in the play here.
Very conceptual, very,
you know,they got to get in there
and make sure they can haveenough parking spots and
and they do anticipate
some things will change on there
because again,they've got to get in
and look at the landand the cost for that. So,
you know,
getting in front of thatnarrative
(33:54):
is sometimes really important
and when misinformation getsput out there.
So while some of my council
membersdon't find it endearing when I
when they try to go inand correct
misinformation, others
do, and all I want to dois just make sure
we have the correct informationout there and, you know,
I for me,I don't have a vote on it,
but I try to just stayreally neutral.
(34:15):
And here'sthe information that we have.
And again, very, very levelconceptual ideas,
lots can change. And
yeah, that meeting it planningand zoning was it as long
and some of them leftbefore concessions were made
or before the developer choseto remove some things.
(34:36):
So some people were still upsetthe next day
and I actually got a callat 8:00
in the morning that day
and they were still really upset
and these townhomes are stillgoing right behind my house.
And I said, no.
He removed those
and they were like, Oh, well,we left after we spoke.
And so it was great.
Aaron put out this
awesome press release and
I was able to offer that to themto be like,
(34:57):
Here's what happened.And you know?
And they were really happy.
I think that we founda really good compromise.
It's great when the developer
will listen to the community
and the concernsof the neighboring neighbors
because he wants to bea good neighbor
and they want to begood neighbors.
So that that to me is wonderfulto see happen.
Yeah, No,
I think overall, as you looktoward 2024 and beyond, it's,
(35:21):
you know, going to be years of
I want to use the wordtransformation.
That's a pretty heavy word,but it's an exciting time.
I feel for Indianolaas we take these next steps
and kind ofwhat's on the horizon
for this community
absolutelyis a very exciting time because
the silos are broke down nowand so we're all collaborate
and we're all lookinghow do we become one together
(35:43):
and moving forward?
Yes, that's kind of my slogan.
We just keep moving forwardand move forward positively.
So peoplelove living here. Yeah.
So as you looktoward the future,
what are you most excited aboutand what are what's kind of on
the mayor and council's
wish list for thingsthat we could see in 2024?
(36:05):
I thinkwe'll see a lot of excitement
as we are working throughthat site
planning process withsome of these new developments.
We're going to seesome new housing options,
you know, affordablehousing options.
And I think that's great.
And Rick's excited about that.
That makes me very excited.
And I'm just excited about theoverall feel of the community.
(36:29):
It feels that wethey're starting to trust us.
Nobody trusts government.We know that, right?
But they're starting to trust us
and they're starting to knowthat we're listening.
So that's why it's greatwhen 4 hours it's a long time
for public comment.
But we heard themand we listened.
And that's what I'm excitedabout, continuing to hear people
(36:51):
out, trusting stuff and makingand things like this podcast.
Maybe he might invite me back.I'm not sure.
I mean, yeah, I mean, overall,that high quality of life,
absolutely options to
meet residents where they are,
where they want to goand to ultimately impact
and influence a higher qualityof life. Absolutely.
(37:13):
And my son graduatesin two years from college and
I want nothing more than thisto be the community
he chooses to come back toand teach in our high school.
So I'm pretty sure it is.
But he wants to be a high schoolteacher and a coach just like
every other high school
or every other coach herein our high school.
But I think it's great.
And the reason why ishe had some great mentors.
(37:36):
Tell me a little bitmore about Mary Youth
Council, what it isand what the group does.
Sure.
Mayor'sYouth Council is comprised
of 2025 studentsfrom the high school level
and it is geared
towards community servicein giving back to the community.
So we've donea lot of great things.
In 2023, we were able raise 6100
(37:59):
and I think $27and some odd cents
and all of that money,100% went back to the community.
We were ableto high school students
to give themtheir first Christmas ever.
And we're especially excited
because this
leadership classthat I have currently right
now, of the four main leadersfor it,
they are elected by their peers.
(38:20):
They identifieda need in our high school
and maybe a needthat we all take.
You know,we don't think a lot about.
But there is an alarming
number of studentswho go home every day
from our high school that don'tdon't have food security.
So maybe their only mealcomes at lunch
and what they wanted to dowas open a necessity pantry.
And then necessitypantry will be able
(38:42):
that they can go inand make a sandwich, take home,
you know,
take home some easieritems, nonperishable food items
that they can make at homeand ensure that.
And we've workedwith the school district
to have it all worked out, kindof who's going to manage that?
And we are teaming upwith our friends
at ICF and Abby and Casey Blake
(39:03):
to make sure that it'shealthy food options to.
So we're excited about that.
We're excitedthat we can bring food security
to the high schoolas well as school supplies.
There's a lot of stuff for that.
Our next big fundraiserwill be on that fundraiser
and donation drive.
We have a studentHonor Mayor's Youth Council
who will be doing a service tripto Ghana.
Her family built a school inGhana to help children in Ghana.
(39:27):
And so we'll be doing a schoolsupplies drive in February
to collect supplies that willsend overseas to Ghana for them.
We'll have those boxesall around the community
look for on social media
and you'llsee where we will have those.
And you know,the other thing is Bike Fest
will be back this year.
So a chance
to dunk the mayor in the dunktank and bring bring some money,
(39:49):
maybe some tethered balloonrides, free bike helmets.
And when I give youthe exact date, because
it's all becoming a blur,that's the that's June 8th,
I believe. I'm sorryI didn't have this prepared.
So awkward silence and podcast
and I am like, Oh,I didn't know that.
Okay, so it will be Saturday,June 8th, and we'll be doing it
(40:13):
at the middle school parking lotand on the football field.
Lots of opportunities for familyto be active.
It's 10 to 12and our fundraising, it
kind of our slogan
is going to be pedalfor the pantry and it will be
for a necessity pantrythat we're raising those money.
And hey, maybe we'll get
maybe Aaron will sit inor donating. Who knows,
(40:34):
Maybe get their police chiefdid it last time, too.
I'm about that life.
I mean, I'll participate
whether it's being dunkedor I'll I'll tell you,
once that thing goes downin your back arches,
you'll regret your decisionthe next day.
And Courtney with Courtneyfrom each. She's great.
She was like, Ooh, I might have.
I have some claims here,so we should probably
I'll sign off on a clause.We won't cover us.
(40:55):
But what a cool way.I mean, just various ways.
When you think about early on
in our conversationof thinking outside the box,
that's a prime exampleright there.
Youth council, all differentways to make an impact.
Yeah, we've got to, we've gotto, you know, just golf.
I, I like to sayI want to make any
and all of the obscure sportcapital of Iowa.
Everybody's got beautiful
(41:16):
complexes,you know, sporting complex.
I want those, too. I do.
But we've got a greatopportunity here with disc golf
one ofthe Mayor's Youth Council.
Derek Will Money is heavilyinvolved with Parks and Rec.
He works for our Parks and Rec.
Everybody knows Derek
Parks and Rec and very gooddisc golfer goes all over
the United States has wonquite a few scholarships already
(41:37):
and you know he would like to
somehow get another course herein Indianola
so we can attract the whole discgolf tournament.
So it's not split betweenIndianola and Des Moines.
It is such a great opportunityfor us.
And I I'm excited about that.
I think we've gotsome opportunities
with offroad biking trailsand I think we might have,
(41:58):
you know,
maybe even an opportunity forlike a ninja warrior course, um,
a competitive one.
So I think goodthings are happening here
and it starts with our youth,the people that we want
to buy in and to return here.
It startswith listening to them. Yeah.
So that really doesbring it full circle for you
for that impact of,
(42:19):
you know, when
we talk about early onwith bringing back
Simpson College students
but overall
the youth the currentlive in Indianola you know
we want them to continueto call Indianola their home
and and a mom wantsnothing more than her
babies to come back home I'lltell you and the grandkids. So
I hopethey choose here for sure.
Is there anything elseyou'd like to share
(42:39):
before we wrap things up?I think that's it.
Thank you.
No, thank you.
We I'm so appreciativethat you came in today.
I mean, our first podcastepisode and we're going to get.
Yeah. And I didn't knowhe was going to have camera.
What am I make up here?
So bear with us on that.
I like to say in the MikeMcDaniel, Mayer's right,
(42:59):
my favorite football coach,it's probably
all we know about footballis the Dolphins.
But one of these daysI'm going to meet that man
because he's also somebody, youknow, looked outside the box,
did thingsa little bit different.
And let's do that.Let's try to know for sure.
So, yeah,
make sure you hit that subscribebutton if you haven't already.
Make sure you leave usa comment.
Let us know what you thinkabout, you know,
(43:20):
the podcast structure and whatyou'd like to see in the future.
Maybe sometime down the roadwe'll be able to answer
some of your questions
that you could submit priorto a show in advance.
But you know, like you've heardfrom the teaser episode,
these are going to be thosebehind the scenes conversations
we have with city staffand with our elected officials
to really get dig deeperinto the city and the happenings
(43:43):
that are on the horizonfor Indianola.
And we'll bring in morecommunity voices
from our partnershipsacross the community.
And, you know, who knows, maybeeven the county kids, you know,
a great Warren Countyor a great Norwalk, great corps.
Carlile is a great Indianola.Absolutely. Absolutely.
Everything that happens here,we are all together in this. So
(44:04):
I think I think we'll be great.
We'll get you some betterchairs to
we should probably budgetfor that
this year are kind of awful.
But these are good.These are good.
But notice.
Yeah, make sureyou stay connected with us.
Everything, all that contentlives on our city website
WW w dot Indianola,Iowa dot gov.
Make sure you follow us on allthe socials, Facebook, Twitter
(44:25):
and all of our departmentaccounts across Instagram
and even Tik-tok,which our library
has a phenomenal TikTok.I agree. I agree.
I'd like to see.
I like to see some public safety
tech talking, butfor my understanding we had one.
And I don't know if you knowthis last little tip,
but Officer
Nixon used to be pretty viral,I guess, on TikTok.
(44:45):
Um, I think he was hea baseball player,
maybe footballplayer in college, but
I think they makefun of him quite a bit about it.
So I don't thinkhe does it anymore.
But I think we get I think we dosome fun stuff here for sure.
Yeah, sure.
To stay connected with usand we'll see you next time.
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