On Tuesday, November 4th, Mason City residents will head to the polls to vote on a new mayor. Current Mayor Bill Schickel is retiring after 20 years of service to the city since 1989. He also served as a State Representative during that time. That leaves the spot open for newcomers John Lee, an MCHS government and history teacher, and Kimber Kleven, a nursing home administrator from Good Shepherd Health Center. Riverhawk Press reporters Kate Laura Kotta and Jessica Cowell sat down with both candidates to bring readers the details.
John Lee’s Love for Mason City Builds the Foundation for his Mayoral Campaign
by Kate Laura
John Lee has been a city council member for 14 years. Lee is in his 31st year of teaching at MCHS, and he has had three kids go through the Mason City public school system. Lee feels strongly about Mason City being a great town with a lot to offer, and his goal is to spread that attitude towards others. Lee wants people to realize how great Mason City truly is.
The following interview has been edited and condensed.
What has led you to your decision of running for mayor?
I think just my path. I started as a football coach about 25 years ago, and I like leadership. I have grown into city council. When Bill Schickel stepped down, my wife and I talked for about a week, asking, you know, is this the path I am on? To me, it was a pretty easy decision. I love this town. I love to try to sell this town and teach people why we are a great city. I think I can do that job better and louder as the mayor.
What are the reasons you think Mason City is a good town?
I think if you compare us to other towns our size in the state of Iowa, we are an outstanding city. It is kind of unheard of to have a town our size, about 26,000 people, with all of the opportunities we have. The culture, the history, the world-renowned architecture. The bike trails. The opportunities people have with NIACC. You can live a very enjoyable, cultured, and active life in Mason City. I wish more people could see that.
Are there any issues you feel need attention in Mason City, and what is your plan to address them?
We have to focus on revitalizing our core. We need smart infill housing, more walkable neighborhoods, and a vibrant downtown that attracts young families and professionals. By reinvesting instead of sprawling, we preserve our character and strengthen our local economy.
How do you plan to foster economic growth and opportunity for all residents?
It isn’t economic growth in the traditional sense. We have to work on workforce development. That is the growth we need. I will never not work with any company that wants to move to Mason City, but it is the development of our workforce and the business that are already present. Work with tax breaks and incentivize growth from inside out.
What is your strategy for enhancing the local education system?
Obviously, I know the education system very closely. I know what can and should be done. But I understand it is a limited role for the city. We can support and partner, but we can’t do much to enhance it. That is the role of the school administration.
What is your plan to increase public safety?
This has been my number one priority over the past 14 years. I have helped raise the wages for all of our workers, and I continue to look for ways to support our local heroes. I will always provide them with the best equipment I can.
Have there been any challenges in this campaign?
Constantly. It is a stressful life. I don’t know how people run for governor or president; it’s insane. You try to do the best you can, but then you get texts that your opponent is doing this or that, and you try to focus on what you want to do and the message you want to sell. I have tried to knock on over a thousand doors and put up yard signs. I have been knocking on doors since May, and still, I have only covered about 30% of Mason City. I thought I would do better. The strategy is like the old football coach in me, you know, it’s game day. I have spent six months getting ready for one game, one day, and it’s November 4th.
How has being a teacher impacted you?
You learn how to sometimes sell things to people who do not want to buy your product. History, for example. My job is to sell and pitch government and history to people who are not necessarily interested in looking to purchase it. And so, I think that is a skill set most teachers have. We are salesmen of a content. As someone who is trying to sell this town and why people should be interested in it, teaching helps with that skill. But mostly, it is the interpersonal skills. Having to talk and communicate with other people every day.
In what ways has your family impacted you?
My wife has been unbelievably supportive through this whole process. Obviously, if I am in the public light, she is in the public light. And she is a real estate agent, so we are both trying to sell this town. I don’t think you’ll find a couple that is more loud, proud, and supportive of this town than us. My kids have been supportive of this, too. You learn quickly that even if you lose, the priorities and what is important in life doesn’t change at all. No matter what, on November 5, I’ll wake up, and my family will still love me, and I will still be active. It will not change who I am.
Mayoral Hopeful Kimberly Kleven Plans to Bring ‘Servant Leadership’ Style to Mason City
By Jess Cowell, Riverhawk Press Writer
Kimber Kleven is brand new to politics. She grew up in Nora Springs, moved to Mason City in 1991 to raise her family with her husband. Their two children went through the Mason City public school system. Kleven calls herself “a servant leader and good shepherd.” Her goals for our city include increasing affordability in housing and improving public safety.
The following interview has been edited and condensed.
Why are you running for mayor? I’ve lived here a long time, and I feel like I’m at a point in my life where I want to give back to this community, as it has given me a lot of great things. I just feel like I have a lot to contribute. There is a lot of forward momentum going on here. My experiences as an administrator and working with a lot of young people and working with elderly people, I have a lot of knowledge and experiences that can contribute to that.
What’s your vision for the city?
My vision for the city is that we have a strong economic base. That we can attract new people and retain our youth. I would like to see better, increased affordable housing for people and to have more community engagement and participation. An infrastructure that supports a modern city. I’d like to see public spaces that are safe for everyone. And a community that represents everybody equally.
What issues do we have in Mason City?
I feel like the city council and the current mayor, who is retiring, have done a fabulous job of downtown development, developing businesses, and are finally having the hotel built. Yes, that took a long time, but for things like that, you can’t blame them. But people were very frustrated with it. I don’t want to say that anyone’s doing anything wrong or that there’s anything that is particularly poor, but I think that there are areas of the city that maybe need some more attention. I think we have an increase in some homelessness around here.
What do you think can be done to help solve homelessness and poverty?
It’s finding out what’s available in our community and working together to come to solutions together. There are experts in this community who deal with people who live under the poverty level. There are experts in the community that deal with mental health issues. But dealing with being unhoused will not be quick or easy. But it exists within the community as a whole, as long as we’re all working together.
What’s your plan to increase public safety?
We have a very strong structure in place for our police force. The city has put measures into place to try to increase and attract, and retain police officers. I think that is a portion of it. Reducing crime, maintaining a secure environment takes a whole lot of people coming together to come up with those solutions.
How do you plan to foster economic growth and opportunity for all residents?
Making sure that we have systems in place in our city that make it easy for people to come here and start a business. Help people fast-track to start a business here. That would be one way [of] providing grants or incentives or low-interest loans. There’s all different kinds of things that our city could look into that might help foster some economic growth.
Can you describe your leadership style?
My leadership style is to make sure my staff have the tools they need to be successful in their jobs. Mostly, my leadership style is being a servant leader. I’m not afraid to grab a housekeeping cart and clean a room. I won’t ask somebody to do what I won’t do. That’s what I mean by servant leadership.
What is your strategy for enhancing our local education system?
You can do partnerships between the city and the school systems, kind of be a liaison between the city and the school systems. Maybe providing internships in the communities, there’s a task force, the bridge to NIACC. There are all different kinds of ways within the city that the mayor and the city council can influence those partnerships to make sure that there are things here for our youth to look forward to. Making sure that our families are supported here because if the families feel supported, and they’re getting their kids to school, that’s important.
What do you remember about high school?
I went to a very small school in Nora Springs, so there were only 42 or 46 people that graduated in my class. I remember all the people and the experiences, and everyone knew each other. I had lots of opportunities that kids in a larger school might be a little harder for them to participate in. I remember my teachers and I very often talk about appreciation for the teachers that I had there. Some of the people that I remember the most are the ones that influenced me. Band, that was my safe place.
What are your hobbies?
I love to read. I’m a reader by nature. I’m actually kind of an introvert. So I like quiet things. I’m a musician. I play the oboe, and I play in a lot of groups in the community, and I knit. So I am a pro at knitting socks, and the only socks my husband wants to wear are the ones that I knit for him. So maybe he’s just being nice, but I think he likes them as well.
