Meet the Candidates: 2021 City-School Election

(Publisher's note: We sent short questionnaires to candidates in various Butler County races beginning on Monday, Oct. 18 and asked for them to be returned by Monday, Oct. 25. For a variety of reasons, including our own shortcomings with finding a variety of contact information for all the candidates, not all were returned before our print deadline, but the Eclipse News-Review staff urges voters to reach out to all of the candidates in next week's city-school election race, even those with info listed here, to make an informed decision at the polls on Nov. 2. If your name is listed here without any answers and you did not receive a questionnaire for any reason, please e-mail publisher@parkersburgeclipse.com with your answers to the questions asked of the candidates below.)

All candidates are listed in the order they appear on the ballots. Incumbents are marked with an asterisk (*). Some answers have been edited for brevity.

PARKERSBURG

 

Mayor

 

Mike Timmer

Occupation: Test Engineer at John Deere

Public office experience: Parkersburg City Council, 12 years (elected to run for mayor)

Why are you running for this office: "Mayor Bernard felt it was time to take a step back, but still wanted to be involved. I discussed the issue with my family, and I decided to give it a shot."

 

City Council

 

*Harlan Schuck

Occupation: Retired, former land surveyor and teacher

Public office experience: Parkersburg City Council, 20 years (incumbent).

Why are you running for re-election: "City government gets more complicated each year and experience is very important in getting the most benefit and efficiency from our tax dollars. I would like to be able to continue with our plan for progress in the next four years."

Jonathan Abkes

Background: Former United States Coast Guard, honorable discharge

Why are you running for election: "I grew up in this town, I love this town. ... I can be a voice for the people of Parkersburg. I know about accountability and leadership and I believe our community can continue to rise up and build itself for a prospering future. We’ve had prosperous years but we also need a breath of fresh air. Change is inevitable to keep the vitality of a small community thriving. New people bring new ideas. Parkersburg can benefit from new leadership that holds those accountable who are here to represent my neighbors.  If you’ve seen my work ethic and passion, whether on my house on Day Street or the farm across from Miracle Park, then you know I can tackle anything and make it something to be proud of."

Tim Cuvelier

Occupation: Owner, Pit Stop Auto & Detailing, farmer, 25 years of past corporate leadership

Public office experience: Current member of Parkersburg Economic Development Board of Directors; three terms on A-P School Board, PED Director for 1 1/2 years.

Why are you running for this office: "I care about the community I grew up and raised my family in. I believe we have the opportunity to set our sights higher on what Parkersburg has to offer the Cedar Valley. I promise to bring more transparency to the city council meetings. I will welcome feedback from constituents. I will push to bring accountability back to the elected officials of our town. Every decision I make will be informed and with debate. I will use a common sense approach, and ask hard questions with the goal of growing our town and making Parkersburg an even better place to live."

Perry Bernard

Occupation: Evaluations/Sales at Cedar Valley Mobility

Public office experience: Parkersburg City Council, 9 months (temporary vacancy); Parkersburg Mayor, 12 years (elected to run for city council)

Why are you running for this office: "I have decided not to run for mayor but am running for city council as I want to remain an integral part of the city. We have accomplished a lot in the 12 years I have been mayor and want to keep the current members together to continue the positive growth of Parkersburg. We have an amazing town and it is all due to our council, employees and great people that have dreams to keep us moving forward in a positive direction."     

 

James Bellows

(NOTE: Bellows' name will appear on the ballot, but he indicated to the Eclipse that he has withdrawn from the race.)

 

NEW HARTFORD

 

Mayor

 

Dennis Canfield

Occupation: General Manager for LWI Elevator Panel Co. in Cedar Falls

Public office experience: City council for 3 years

Why did you run for this office: "When I found out that our present mayor wasn’t seeking reelection, I decided to seek the office of mayor.  It is an exciting opportunity to be a part of New Hartford with our new opportunities for growth, and also to continue the hard work and to hopefully resolve some of the hard work that John has worked in the past."

 

 

Dave Dinsdale

Occupation: Worked for city of New Hartford for 11 years; Vietnam veteran and trucker

Why did you decide to run for this office: "I'm concerned with city maintenance and want to do something about it."

 

City Council

                                               

*Abbie Perez

Occupation: Kindergarten teacher at New Hartford

Public office experience: Took over Larry Bass' seat on the council in February 2021.

Why did you decide to run for this position: "In my time as a city council member, I learned the role, more about the city, but I also saw the passion and love for the city others have as well. I would be honored to be a part of the city council to help keep New Hartford a great place to live, work and visit."

 

Gordon Ballhagen    

                                               

Thomas Fobian

Occupation: Retired, former construction worker, helped with mowing and other New Hartford city projects, "jack-of-all-trades"

Why did you decide to run for this position: Fobian mentioned he's lived in New Hartford for 52 years -- "I believe I can be a great help with all my experience."

                                               

Michael Lane

Occupation: Retired, US Marine and former executive chef

Why did you decide to run for this position: "I have met so many nice people … thanking us for caring about the town and making it look good again. I have listened to the stories about the town and how they would like change. I decided to run for city council not for myself but for the people in this town. Small towns are dying out because of the lack of leadership. Unless someone steps in for change, all will be lost and our town will be another statistic in the book of towns that have died out."

 

Barbara Harper

Occupation: Retired farmers

Why did you decide to run for this position: "I wanted to run for this election to help the town be revitalized and I think with the past and the future council that we can do this. I have respect for the outgoing council members and hope we can all work together. Even if I am not elected, I would still want to help however I can."

 

Randy Johnson

 

APLINGTON

 

Mayor

           

Matthew Klahsen

Occupation: Farmer, owner/operator of lawn care and snow removal business

Why did you decide to run for this position: "I am running for mayor because I would like to see how I can work with the city council to better the community for everyone in it."

 

*Jason Mehmen

Occupation: Harken Lumber, former owner of Mehmen Excavating and Trucking

Public office experience: About two years on the city council and mayor for about eight years.

Why did you decide to run for this position: "I have decided to run for re-election to continue to serve the people of Aplington, and to help continue to improve Aplington for the better. I have enjoyed working with the city council, public, and the city employees over the years. I am always open to listening and considering others ideas, and will continue to help make Aplington better for all."

 

City Council

 

*Debra Jacobs

Steve Uhlenhopp                                                      

Jennifer Drehobl

Occupation: Project Manager at Sukup Manufacturing; retired Air Force and Iowa Air National Guard

Why did you decide to run for this position: "Throughout my career I have worked closely with elected and non-elected officials and community leaders to ensure the safety and security of our communities. … Since 2012, my husband Jerry and our four children have made Aplington our home. … I’m excited to be running for an Aplington City Council Member position because I have an invested interest in improving the quality of life for current and future residents. I know, that if elected, I can help make a positive difference in shaping the future of our town while continuing to serve the public."

*Brett Lage

 

 

                                               

 

A-P SCHOOL BOARD

 

*Jill Kalkwarf

*Nate Steege

Occupation: Sales Manager at DENSO International

Public office experience: A-P school board for 1 1/2 years.

Why are you running for this position: "I am running for school board because I'm excited to be part of a school district where the community is supportive and cares about the success of our students. Our goal as a community is to give our youth the best experience possible as they make the journey through our educational system. I look forward to working with the current school board members, A-P staff and the community to achieve this goal. Together, we can make a difference."

 

DIKE-NEW HARTFORD SCHOOL BOARD

 

District 1

Bret Badker

Occupation: Electrician at Tri-City Electric; IBEW Local 288 President for 4 years

Public office experience: None, but served on local apprenticeship committee for 6 years, serves as pension trustee and member of labor management committee.

Why are you running for this position: "I'm running for school board because I really want to help these 2 communities continue to grow. I believe our students, faculty, and families are second to none and this is my way of showing up and giving back to them. I plan to be a voice for the people in my district and welcome them to reach out with their thoughts and concerns."

 

District 3

Ryan Peterson

Public office experience: Served on council at Fredsville Lutheran, township trustee for Lincoln Township

Why did you decide to run for this position: "I am an advocate for our kids, our families, our communities, and the educators in our district. I want to see everyone be prepared for and succeed in the future. I believe I can bring a broad experience and skillset to the board to help achieve our short- and long-term goals while staying true to our core values. I look forward to representing all the members of our community and being a voice for your perspectives regarding opportunities and challenges that come along."

Jenny Connolly

Occupation: Associate Director for Advising at UNI College of Business

Public office experience: None, but appointed by the Governor to the Iowa Board of Regents for 4 1/2 years.

Why did you decide to run for this position: "… I have experience from my work on [the Board of Regents] and within my daily job collaborating with multiple viewpoints and working alongside various industries to come together on what's best for students. … I'm married to a teacher and we have four kids in the district; I am familiar with the issues facing schools, our students and our teachers every year. … I want to help the district plan for the changing world of vocational/technical education, two-year education, and four-year education. With my 13 years of experience in Higher Education, my passion for our communities and the families at DNH, I'd like to use my skills and experiences to give back to my community."

 

At-Large

Christa Lotts

 

Mid-America Publishing's Mike Hohenbrink contributed to this story.