Candidate Q&As 2025: Randy Ervin for Newton Mayor

Name: Randy Ervin

Age: 64

Occupation: Retired

Office seeking: Mayor for the City of Newton

1. Introduce/Reintroduce yourself to voters and explain why you are running.

Hello, my name is Randy Ervin and I am running for the city position of mayor. I was born and raised in Newton and am a proud 1979 graduate of Newton High School. After 30-plus years with United Parcel Service I retired in 2019. I have always been very proud of Newton and upon retirement decided it was time to give back to the city. My wife, Mary, and I raised three children in the Newton Community School system. The past six years I have served as an at-large representative on the Newton City Council. During this time, I have educated myself on such items as budgets, laws and how to serve the public citizens of Newton. With my corporate experience, along with my municipality experience, I feel that I am the right person to lead the city. Newton needs a strong leader that can work within a budget and the budget process. There are going to be some challenging budgets in the next few years, and I feel I am the person that will lead our city administration and city council through those budgets. This is a time that the city needs a person that can unite the leaders in the community to work together to find effective plans for the future of the City of Newton. Along with my work on the city council I have had several other leadership roles, including coaching various youth sports such as high school football and middle school wrestling. I have also served on multiple boards throughout the city and Jasper County. Currently, I am the congregational president of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Newton. I have been blessed to be called by many titles throughout my lifetime, and it would be my honor to serve as the mayor of Newton.

2. Although the splash pad is completed, there is still work left to be done to finish out the park. But council seems to be split about some of the details and the cost. Where do you stand on this project? How should the city proceed?

Consistent. I believe consistent is the word I would use to express my feelings on the splash pad that we call Harmony Park. Harmony Park is actually a good example of how people, and organizations, can disagree and yet come to some compromises. Even though I have expressed my concerns about the funding, and future funding, of Harmony Park, I have enjoyed its success. It has been my pleasure to be a part of several different projects in the city. Projects like the Lundberg Family Mini-Pitch and the pickleball courts in Aurora Heights. The Newton Chamber, Newton Main Street and United Way of Jasper County are just some of the organizations I have worked with to help with community events such as RAGBRAI (the pass-through city) and RVTV. Downtown bathrooms have been consistently brought up in city project discussions. If we can manage the cost and progress of downtown restrooms, then we should proceed.

3. Upcoming legislative sessions forecast major changes to property tax systems. The city will no doubt be affected by these changes. How do you think the city should approach property taxes and budgets in the coming years?

The discussion of property taxes is not an easy discussion. There are many moving parts to how property taxes are constructed. The City of Newton sets the tax levy, the county sets the appraised value of your property and the state of Iowa issues “the rollback.” In the six years I have been on the council we have not raised the tax levy. In fact the tax levy by the city is less today than it was a few years back. So, if we discuss the fact that your property has went up in assessed value, that is a good thing, and rollback has been lowered. The result is that the individual taxes seem to continue to rise. Legislative decisions in the next few years could affect all of these moving parts. If you look to the ITR (Iowans For Tax Relief), an organization that tracks city and county property taxes, you will find that both the City of Newton and Jasper County have a solid green rating for keeping our taxes in line. It is going to be very important that the City of Newton will need to prepare an efficient budget that maintains, or lowers, spending while growing the community to help spread the cost of the necessary services that our citizens expect.

4. Over the years, council has prioritized a number of parks projects. The public seems relatively happy with many of these new additions despite their high costs. How do you feel about the city’s priorities on parks given future cost constraints?

It was once told to me that the City of Newton has the most parks per capita than any other city in the state. We have spent a consistent amount to maintain and improve our city parks since I have been a part of the city council. As your mayor, I am committed to maintaining the parks and using it as an amenity that will bring families and people to town.

5. What are some things you think the city does well? What are some things you think the city can improve? Explain your answers.

The strongest asset the city has is its citizens. Our friends and neighbors are involved and care about our city. One of the things that I have worked on and will continue to work on for the city is trying to make Newton a more friendly city. From city government to new business, we have to be more welcoming for the city to grow.

6. Any final thoughts? Are there any issues you would like the city to address?

The motivator for me to become mayor has been the future for Newton. As the urban sprawl approaches from the west we need to make sure that Newton maintains its identity. As we grow with new businesses, such as the new Newton Rail Park, and new housing opportunities, it will allow us to maintain who we are as a community. We have a great city with many amenities. Amenities such as a downtown square, a beautiful golf course, a standout library, an airport, Iowa Speedway and a wonderful Christian and public school system. These are the things that will maintain our identity as we grow as a community. God bless and thank you for the opportunity to be your mayor.