Brian Horsfield runs for Fairfield City Council

FAIRFIELD – Only one name will appear on the ballot when residents of Fairfield’s Ward 3 elect a new city council member on Sept. 2.

The Fairfield City Council voted in July to hold a special election to fill the seat vacated by the death of Judy Ham, who had represented Ward 3 since her election in 2019 until her death this past June. Brian Horsfield was the only resident of Ward 3 to file paperwork to appear on the ballot, and even though he might not have any competition, Horsfield said he wants to work hard for every vote.

Horsfield had a cosmopolitan upbringing, being born in Canada, raised in Bermuda, educated in England, and then becoming an American citizen in 2018. He earned a PhD in environmental science in the United Kingdom and has worked in mining, sustainability and education across four continents. He was one of the founding faculty members of Maharishi International University’s Sustainable Living Department.

When asked why he’s running for a seat on the city council, Horsfield said he’s not happy about how the council has handled the replacement of the golf cart bridge at Walton Lake, and the plan to drain the lake so the bridge can be replaced by a series of culverts. He said he believes the project is too expensive, and does not like that the city is replacing a bridge to benefit a private entity. Horsfield said the problem ultimately stems from the wording of the contract between the city and Walton Club, which indicates that the city is responsible for all bridges on the property, when Horsfield said it was only meant to include the bridge over the dam.

The Union asked Horsfield what he would do about the Walton Lake project if elected on Sept. 2, and he said there was not much he could do at this point.

“It’s a train that’s already left the station,” he said. “The only possibility is if we could build enough public pressure to have a referendum and put a hold on this because the cost has gone up so much.”

The lease between the city and the Walton Club is up for renewal in December, and Horsfield hopes that issue will be a salient one for the other city council races decided in November.

“I think the [Walton] Club already wants to change the lease to 25 years, and they have already agreed to resume maintenance of the golf cart bridge, presumably on the understanding that they will get a nice, brand new one, paid for by the city. Then it will literally be water under the bridge,” he said.

When asked why he would make a good council member, Horsfield said he has a broad range of experience in construction, business, and a bit of engineering and geology, in addition to his PhD in environmental science.

“I would like to bring more common sense to the table at the city council,” he said.

The special election on Sept. 2 will only be for residents of Fairfield Ward 3, which covers the western part of Fairfield. Poll hours that day are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Nazarene Family Center, 507 W. Briggs Ave.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com