Candidates for Fairfield mayor, city council and school board participate in forum

FAIRFIELD – Fairfield residents had the chance to gorge themselves on local politics with a three-hour candidate forum Monday night, Oct. 30, that featured 13 people running for seats on the Fairfield school board, Fairfield City Council and for the Fairfield mayor’s position.

The forum, hosted by the Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce, was held in the expo hall of the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center and divided into three parts. The first featured the mayor’s race between incumbent Connie Boyer and challenger Ed Noyes, while the second highlighted the two contested races for city council, for the at-large seat between Elizabeth Estey and Aiddy Phomvisay, and for the Fourth Ward seat between Curtis Oliver and Matthew Rowe. The third part of the forum included the seven candidates for Fairfield school board who are running for one of the four-year terms, of which there are four openings. Those candidates are Tim Bower, Nate Weaton, Meghan Dowd Robbins, Theresa Tuvera, Christie Kessel, Mark Thornton and David Eastburn.

Mayoral Debate

Both Boyer and Noyes listed housing as one of their top priorities during the forum. Boyer spoke about how the lack of housing makes it hard for the city’s large employers to attract workers. She talked about what the city is doing to increase the supply of housing, and mentioned the 35-acre plot of land that Grow Fairfield acquired to become a housing subdivision south of the Cambridge Little Achievers Center on Libertyville Road.

She spoke about how the council has changed zoning codes to allow for smaller homes, and to make it easier for developers to build on lots where a home was demolished.

Noyes talked about his desire to allow residents to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs), so that their retired parents could move in with them, and that this would also help Fairfield’s tax base. He talked about his desire to change zoning laws to allow for residential housing in more areas.

Noyes said he was dissatisfied with the current city council and felt that it was not receptive to citizens’ feedback.

“I see a lot of rubber-stamping,” he said. “I don’t see vigorous debate.”

Noyes mentioned that, during a city council meeting, he had offered to purchase the former DOT buildings at the corner of West Briggs Avenue and North Fourth Street, which were demolished earlier this year to make room for a new fire station. Noyes said that property should have been turned into a daycare or senior living.

When it was Boyer’s turn to speak, she said that the city has to follow a specific process for disposing of property. She said that city staff and city council members are responsive to the town’s residents, and that their phone numbers and emails are posted on the city’s website at cityoffairfieldiowa.com.

Boyer spoke about the things she has accomplished during her four years as mayor, such as hosting a number of public town halls on various issues, and helping to create the Jefferson County Mental Health Alliance to address mental health issues. She said that she’s looking forward to undertaking more projects such as partnering with Alliant Energy to make the city government a net-zero emitter of carbon, and improving the downtown public restrooms and parking lots.

Noyes spoke about his experience of revitalizing buildings in disrepair such as his own law office, which he said was one of the worst buildings in the downtown before he remodeled it, and talked about his work to save the First Christian Church. Noyes said one of the things he’d like to do include getting the town’s seniors more involved by creating programs to allow them to share their knowledge with young people. One of his priorities was tackling what he called the city’s “budget crisis” and the price tag of the planned fire station. He said he would rather renovate the existing fire station and sell the now empty lot on West Briggs Avenue.

City Council

During the city council portion of the forum, Elizabeth Estey talked about the unique perspective she brings to the role as a working mother. She said it’s important to think about big-picture ideas like housing and poverty when considering city ordinances. She said her priorities are to continue to promote housing, and to improve the downtown. She said a housing survey revealed that a majority of the town’s homes were built before 1950.

Aiddy Phomvisay spoke about his job as the Fairfield High School principal and how he is passionate about serving the youth of the community.

“I can be an ambassador to bring people together,” Phomvisay said.

Phomvisay spoke about his experience serving on other governmental bodies in Ames, West Des Moines and Ottumwa. He echoed the need for more housing in Fairfield.

“I’ve recruited colleagues who can’t afford a home in Fairfield,” he said.

Matthew Rowe said he’s running for council because Fairfield needs a “strong, prudent voice,” particularly to tackle the city’s budget deficit of over $400,000. He said he would like the city to be more transparent so that residents know about the city council’s business before they act instead of after. Rowe said he doesn’t think the city has negotiated well with the county, and in other cases it has failed to receive adequate payment for the use of city property.

Curtis Oliver talked about his desire to reduce the number of empty storefronts in the downtown. He also talked about a desire to get more young people involved in city government.

“I’m not seeing a lot of people my age here,” Oliver said as he looked out over the crowd.

Oliver said that he has a lifetime of customer service to offer, and that he sees the primary role of the council as listening and responding.

School Board

The school board portion of the forum lasted about 90 minutes, and because of the large number of candidates, the candidates didn’t all answer the same questions.

Mark Thorton and his wife are graduates of Fairfield High School, and though they moved away to Cedar Rapids, they moved back to Fairfield to raise their children.

“It’s a small community, and everybody is involved,” Thornton said. “It’s a great place to be.”

Christie Kessel, an FHS alumna, said she is passionate about the Fairfield community, and has always sought ways to get involved. She has three children in the district, and that’s given her a chance to get to know a number of teachers and the challenges they face. After watching the school board meetings and seeing the frustrations of the teachers and community members, she felt an obligation to make things better by running for school board.

Theresa Tuvera talked about the important role that education plays in a child’s life, about how it affects their behavior and their outlook.

“We must focus on student achievement, and seek the highest level possible for each student,” Tuvera said.

Tuvera is a mother and grandmother. She and her husband have raised three children, and they have 11 grandchildren. She works as a nurse, and mentioned that she, her husband and her children are a military family.

David Eastburn, another Fairfield graduate, said he’s running for school board because he wants to serve the district’s students, administrators, staff and teachers, and “give them the very best opportunity to succeed.”

Eastburn said he’s worked at a community bank for over 40 years, and that he will put this experience to use overseeing the district’s budget and finances. Eastburn said that his service in the U.S. Marines also helps him identify what a functional team looks like.

Nate Weaton grew up in Cedar Falls but has lived in Fairfield for more than 20 years. He and his wife have five children combined, including one who will graduate this year, so they have a personal stake in the success of the Fairfield school district. As a business owner, Weaton employs 65 families in the area, and he said that ensuring those families have a good school to go to is important to him.

“The Fairfield Community School District is a big part of how we attract and retain,” he said.

Weaton also talked about the unique insights he has gained while being the Trojans’ football coach, including five years as its head coach.

Tim Bower said he grew up in Jefferson County, moved away and then returned to Fairfield five years ago, and is now living in his childhood home. Bower is the only incumbent on the school board who is running for re-election, and before he was elected to the Fairfield school board, he served three terms on the Muscatine school board.

“Fairfield Community School District did so many things for me,” Bower said. “It’s allowed me to see the world, literally. I’ve worked around the world in different locations, and I saw what education can be and what it isn’t in some of these areas.”

Meghan Dowd Robbins graduated from FHS in 1997 before attending Dartmouth College. She lived in Los Angeles for eight years, but decided her real home was in Fairfield, so moved back in 2008 to start some businesses. That included working as a yoga instructor, and with her family, starting a brand of kombucha called Shaktea Kombucha, and later Cado Avocado Ice Cream. She has two kids in the district, and she has gotten more involved in the community recently by being a volunteer swim coach, and playing a key role in establishing the new playscape at Lamson Woods State Preserve.

“Fairfield is where I have planted roots, and education is very important to me,” Dowd Robbins said.

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

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