Dennis Williams is one of three candidates running for Colfax’s vacant at-large city council seat and is a relative unknown in city government circles. The 53-year-old self-employed entertainer and balloon artist is better known by his stage name “Toby the Balloon Dude.”
Williams grew up in western Iowa and has lived in Colfax for nine years with his “better half” Nancy. He has three stepsons and 11 grandchildren. The Jasper County Tribune asked Williams about issues pressing to Colfax voters as part of our continuing Q&A series with Colfax City Council and mayoral candidates for the upcoming Nov. 3 elections.
JCT: Why are you running for Colfax City Council?
Williams: I believe that Colfax is a wonderful town and we need to start seeing some positive things and positive changes. We need to repair the attitude in town. I believe I could help in some of these areas.
JCT: Many people believe Colfax is in a unique position due to its proximity to Interstate 80 and the growing Des Moines Metro Area. How do you think Colfax can capitalize on the success of its neighbors?
I think marketing ourselves better is so important, just like some of these bigger cities are doing. That will help attract new businesses and grow the businesses we already have. Our city needs to do more marketing in this area. As a small business owner, I need to think about marketing every day with social media like Facebook, Periscope and Twitter. We have to have an online presence.
JCT: It’s been a long time since the city has adopted a comprehensive plan to resurface city streets. How would you propose repairing that infrastructure and how should it be paid for?
Williams: To pay for it, I believe we need to look at grants. There are numerous grants out there, I believe, we could capitalize on. I also believe we need to select which projects merit the highest citywide priority for allocation of our limited funds. We need to come up with a comprehensive and strategic plan that will look at our needs over a short-term, one to five years, and a long-term five to 20 years to identity which projects we need to address first.
I know with infrastructure, our streets need to be repaired, our drinking water system and sewer system needs attention. We need to look at all of these.
JCT: Colfax’s population loss has stabilized in the last few years, but some of the surrounding communities are experiencing growth such as Prairie City and Baxter. What are your ideas to spark that growth in Colfax?
Williams: We're going to do ground breaking with Beck's (Hybrids) Seed company on the north end of town, and I believe that's going to give us a boost. But we need to act upon that positive energy to grow our community. Again, it comes back to marketing. We have a lot of these empty lots on the west end of town. My question is, why can't we use that for new housing?
JCT: What are your thoughts on the city’s current budget and how do you suggest paying for coming infrastructure projects?
Williams: I think our property taxes are high now. We have people living in our community who are on fixed incomes, so I believe we need to be looking at grants. But we also need to look at the city budgets and see where we can restructure to come up with these funds for ongoing road repairs. Sticking to a budget is critical — and I mean very critical — for the city. But having a clear-cut budget helps everyone — the citizens and the council — to see exactly what money is available to us. We need to determine exactly the amounts of funds available to us each year and then we need to look at what areas can or cannot be cut.
We also need to plan our budget on the lowest amount of money that we have available to prevent overspending.
JCT: Would you be in favor of hiring a city administrator?
Williams: I would if one of the duties of the administrator would be writing grants. By getting these grants they would help pay for their own wages. We need to get these federal or state grant dollars or matching funds. We need to pursue nongovernmental private grants when applicable, or we have to look at going to a grant writing firm. One of their priority duties would have to be grant writing.
JCT: Finding volunteers in a small community can be difficult. What would you do to bring some excitement back to Colfax?
Williams: There's a lot of negativity going on. We need to have a forum with the residents to see what they want and grow from there. Getting volunteers is hard in any area that uses volunteers. But, I have to say, the future of Colfax, I believe, is bright. Look, we have three people running for the at-large council seats. That says to me that people out there still care about this great city that we live in.
JCT: Colfax Main Street has done a lot to beautify and bring businesses to downtown in the last six years. What role do you think the city government can play to bring economic development to Colfax?
Williams: The city needs to help attract new businesses. We need to work together with Main Street to help attract new businesses, but we have to come up with a marketing plan that will work with both entities. Again, we need an online pretense.
JCT: What do you love about Colfax and why should people vote for Dennis Williams for city council?
Williams: I love the unique people. We have a variety of people, and I'm a people person. The reason I believe they should vote for me is I do care about the community. I want to work for the people of Colfax. I believe if we have a positive city council that is willing to work together for the betterment of the community, we can get a lot done and make this a greater city. I know it's going to be a lot of hard work, but I would like to have the opportunity to be part of it. I am willing to roll up my sleeves to make this a better city.
Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@jaspercountytribune.com