Ryan Price
Newton
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, voters in the City of Newton will go to the polls to elect three city council members and the mayor. The only race where there is more than one candidate on the ballot is the one for mayor, and I am writing to urge my fellow Newtonians to re-elect our mayor, Mike Hansen, because he listens to our citizens, he provides strong leadership for our city council, and he gets results.
Mike Hansen is a tested and proven leader, having served our city for 10.5 years as a council member before assuming the role of mayor in November 2012 when Chaz Allen stepped down. Elected with a clear mandate in 2013. I believe Mayor Hansen brings two critically important assets to the job: The ability to listen objectively to all sides of an issue before making a decision, and a passion for good governance that benefits all of Newton.
When a utility franchise fee was being proposed as a way to finance street maintenance, Mayor Hansen listened to the concerns of Newton’s residents and businesses, and ultimately persuaded the city council that bonding was a much better way to fund our infrastructure maintenance. And when an ordinance was proposed that would affect where recreational vehicles could be parked on residential property, our mayor again listened to citizen input and guided the council members to find an equitable solution.
Whether it is tough action against criminal activity in multi-family housing, as with our new Crime-Free Housing ordinance or addressing the problem of vicious animals in the city, Mayor Hansen takes the high road, listens to the often conflicting opinions of our citizens, calls together a citizen task force when it’s necessary to hammer out a common-sense compromise and the result is better government for our community.
Mike Hansen has been a great mayor for Newton. Let’s keep him working for all of us, and re-elect Mayor Hansen on Nov. 3.