Candidate Q&A: Everly City Council

Ron Thompson, mayor

1. I work for Bomgaars in Storm Lake. My wife of 39 years is Janice. I have three grown kids Nate, Kim and Ben Thompson. We have lived in Everly since 1989.

2. I spent 18 years on the Everly City Council from 2000 to 2017. I'm currently on the Zoning Board of Adjustments.

3. There was a need because nobody else was running for mayor. I felt like I was qualified due to past experience on the council and boards.

4. I think the city has been in really good hands with Brad Behrens as mayor and good council people. We have a great staff working for the citizens of Everly.

I believe that some of the challenges we may face is having the funds to operate effectively in the future. Keeping a close eye on the budgets and finances will go a long way.

Getting and keeping young people involved in the community is another one. Invest your time and resources into the people doing the work right day in and day out. Invest in the volunteers on every board and community event. Invest by listening, recognizing and helping with the problems and the achievements of the people involved.

5. My goal is simple. Everly is great place to live. I love this town and have made it my home since 1989. I commute to work because of this town. My goal is to keep it that way.

6. I would just like to say to everyone who took the time to read this, thanks. I would appreciate your write-in vote on Nov. 2.

Denise Cook, city council

1. I have been a resident of Everly since April of 1991. I have two sons, Matthew and Ryan, both of whom graduated from CC/E. Matthew lives in Sioux Falls, S.D., and Ryan lives in Everly. I have worked for Iowa State Education Association for 26 ½ years.

2. I served on the first Hap Ketelsen Community Center board. I also served on the Everly Public Library Board of Trustees many years ago.

3. I have lived in Everly for the past 30 years and I truly have loved living here. Since my job has changed to working from home, I feel I can be more active in the community. I want to see Everly continue to be the best community to live and work in.

4. I do not have any specific concerns about Everly.

5. My goal for Everly is promote community engagement. I would encourage the citizens of Everly to be involved with events that are held in Everly.

6. Thank you for your support!

Tracey Grigg-Schuver, city council

1. I was born in Perry, Iowa, but my family moved to Everly in 1972 so it has always been home for me. I graduated as an Everly Cattlefeeder and I'm very proud of that and my classmates from the Everly Class of 1985. I have been employed by Northwest Iowa Surgeons, PC for the past 16 1/2 years and began my role as office manager in 2018.

2. I currently serve as a city council member. My term is up for re-election and I would like to continue serving the City of Everly in that capacity.

In addition, I have taken an active role in the Everly Public Library, either as a participant in events, volunteer, or monetarily contributing to projects and library beautification. Recently the non-profit group, Friends of the Library, was re-established to assist the library and I am a member of that organization.

3. I am running for the seat I currently hold as a city council member so I can continue assisting the community, assist with efforts to keep moving the city forward, and hopefully inspire others to get involved.

4. Everly has lost its high school and even some businesses over the past few years, which has hurt the community. I'm concerned if that downward trend continues, along with the population of the city, there will be more losses and ones we cannot as a community bounce back from.

5. My biggest goal is building community awareness and getting other community members involved, either as a volunteer or serving on one of the many city boards.

6. I hope everyone who is eligible to vote exercises their right to do so and comes to the polls on Nov. 2.

Jeff Wiemann, city council

1. My wife, Patti, and I have three children: Devin, Morgan (with husband, Garrett, and son Jax) and Caleb.

I grew up on a farm and graduated from Exira Junior-Senior High School. Exira is a town of about 800 people in southwestern Iowa.

After high school I attended Iowa Lakes Community College – Estherville, graduating in 1994 with an Associate of Science Degree with a major in Computer Aided Drafting & Design. I met Patti while going to college and we were married in 1996.

I'm currently employed at the Clay County Engineer's Office as an engineering tech. I've been in this position since March of 1999.

My family and I moved to Everly in 2004. I'm running for city council because I want to become more involved with the city's inner workings and help where I can.

2. I was previously appointed to Everly Planning & Zoning Board in 2017.

3. Over the past 17 years living in Everly, the city has done a good job with updating and maintaining city facilities (i.e. streets, water lines, sanitary lines, etc.). My thoughts would be to continue that process.

4. The lagoon project is coming to a close and has been a major undertaking for the city. What's next? Perhaps looking into drainage issues or resurfacing city streets. City infrastructure is always going to be high on my list.

5. My other concern would be how to get new families to town. If they're like me, they say to themselves, "I don't want to live in a big city/town." "Daily commute to work – not a big deal." I want Everly to appeal to those people, making sure they feel welcome.

6. I'm excited to take on this new challenge.