Campaign for Mayor: Dave Flattery
Mayor Matt Bemrich does not plan to run for Mayor again, and City Council Member Dave Flattery announced his candidacy. He shared the following with the club.
How did his involvement with the City Council start? Terry Lutz called Dave and asked if he would run for City Council. Dave initially declined, saying he’d try to help find someone. Dave ended up calling back to say he’d run for City Council, since his vision and Terry’s vision for the city were in alignment. Dave has been on the City Council ever since.
What has happened since joining the City Council? When he first joined, there was a great deal of the city’s infrastructure deteriorating. At first it was solely funded through the Road Use Tax, which was not enough. It is now funded through additional mechanisms such as the local option sales tax. Dave identified issues that have arisen since being on the council, such as basements flooding in the Rolling Hills area of town, raw sewage coming into basements on the south side, and flooding on the north side. Flattery named some of the projects and improvements that have been done during his time on the council:
- Street improvements like the 32nd street roundabout, 5th Ave S corridor project, Wraywood Drive improvements, bridge construction on Kenyon Road, creation of the crosstown connector,
- Implementation of the City Manager form of city government, and the hiring of David Fierke (who has been in that position since that time!)
- Formation of the 2030 Vision Plan, which we’re still using today
- Housing developments on William's bend and District 29
- Upgrades/renovations to the airport, the water treatment plant, City Hall, ball fields at the Harlan Rogers Sports Complex,
- Modernizing the garbage collection process, allowing just one person to do the route
- New/retained businesses to the area such as Cargill, CJ Bioamerica, Argenta, Buffalo Wild Wings, the downtown Fareway, Aspen Dental, Pet Supply Plus, Terriyaki Madness, Ulta, and more
Dave also mentioned the City’s financial position. It is stable and has a strong bond rating.
Why is Dave running for mayor? Dave cited his 18 years of experience on the council, leadership skills, commitment to positive change, vision rooted in the future, and willingness to take on big projects as reasons for running. Dave also said he plans to retire from banking after 40 years, and he will have time to devote to the City’s needs.
What are issues to be addressed, as Dave sees them? Some of them are:
- The homeless loitering, the squatters causing fires in abandoned buildings
- The need to attract more residents to Fort Dodge, instead of people commuting from other communities
- The downtown area needs to be improved, taking it on an incremental basis
- And finally, a strong City Council that shares the vision for the future!
At this time, there are no opposing candidates for the mayoral office.