Elizabeth Estey seeks to continue her service on Fairfield City Council

Elizabeth Estey is running for an open at-large seat on the Fairfield City Council.

The seat is currently held by Katy Anderson, but she is not seeking re-election. Estey and Aiddy Phomvisay are competing for the seat. Whoever is elected would assume office in January and serve a four-year term.

The Union sent a questionnaire to all the candidates running for Fairfield City Council. Here are Estey’s responses:

1. Why are you running for Fairfield City Council?

I am running for city council because I love Fairfield and I want to listen to and help people, and to help solve the problems we face. I am passionate about serving our city and the members of our community as I have shown through my work on city council and my work for the county in my role as Assistant Jefferson County Attorney.

Two years ago I ran for city council in the Fourth Ward and my dedication to our town hasn’t wavered since then. When I had to vacate my seat because I moved out of the Fourth Ward, I knew that I wanted to continue to serve the city and decided to run for the At Large seat.

2. What experience do you have that would make you a good city council member?

I have lived here most of my life so I know this town. I also know what it is to leave Fairfield and choose to move back because of the high quality of life and low cost of living. I moved back because I wanted to raise my kids here, and I have friends who moved back to start a business.

As a city we need to identify and strengthen the features that attract people to Fairfield. As well as identifying ways we can improve so that we retain our residents. In addition to my two years of experience on the council I have experience working for the county. As a result, I work on helping our citizens on a daily basis. I have knowledge and insight into many of the problems Fairfield residents face. Some of the issues are common throughout our country and may not be fixed by city government, but my enhanced knowledge of those challenges will influence my decisions on the council.

3. What do you hope to accomplish during your term as city council member?

I would like to collaborate more with the public. Some of my greatest strengths are listening and educating myself on issues. And my favorite moments on city council were based on working with residents and other city employees. I know that representational government works best when it is listening to those whom it represents.

And I know that there are passionate and intelligent residents out there who care about Fairfield just as much as I do and I want to hear from them. I would like to identify more effective channels of communication so that the issues coming before the council or subcommittees are better disseminated.

4. What do you see as Fairfield's biggest challenges, and how should the city address them?

The biggest challenges that I would continue to work on are housing and our city center. Our housing task force identified that Fairfield’s housing challenges are twofold: not enough housing, and the housing that does exist is generally in need of repair. The issue requires a multifactor approach — not just through regulation but education and incentives as well.

On city council I spoke with many residents who struggled to find affordable housing or felt trapped by their rental agreements in housing that was substandard or unsafe. They didn’t know what their rights were as tenants or felt like they didn’t have other housing options. So, educating people about their rights as tenants and working to increase and improve our housing stock are important. Second is our downtown.

Prior to vacating my seat, I convened a group of interested city government officials, residents, FEDA and the Fairfield Visitor’s Bureau to discuss ideas about revitalizing our downtown. I look forward to continuing that work as well if elected.

5. How do you think Fairfield is doing compared to other cities in Southeast Iowa or compared to cities of comparable size? In what areas are we doing well? Are there areas where we can do better?

I am so proud of our town and all of its accomplishments. As I have said before, we have an entrepreneurial spirit that is inspiring. And we have a diverse and dynamic population. I guess I am speaking of characteristics but at the heart of our strength are our people. I am constantly in awe of our dedicated public servants who I have the privilege of working with, both through my work for the city and the county. The challenges we face as I previously identified are similar to other rural Iowa towns.

6. Do you think we should take steps to increase Fairfield's population? How in particular should the city do this?

We need to address the issues of retention and attraction. I think the challenges that I addressed above (housing and our downtown) are tied to increasing Fairfield’s population. At the heart of the issue is making Fairfield great for our current residents. That means hearing from the public about their vision for Fairfield especially hearing from Fairfield’s young people about what they want in their town.

It’s important to get public input and have younger individuals serving on city council to represent that population and give input on how to get people to stay in or move back to Fairfield. I have the experience of leaving Fairfield and moving back to raise a family. But for people who aren’t from here, I think if we can attract people with a vibrant downtown and hopefully those visitors stick around and see all the great features Fairfield offers for our residents.

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