First ward candidates state their views

As the April 5 election date approaches for Washington’s recently vacated Ward 1 City Council seat, two candidates have their names on the ballot: Bethany Vittetoe Glinsmann and Deran DeLong.

With a candidate forum scheduled for Wednesday night at city hall, Glinsmann and DeLong have staked out distinct perspectives for voters to choose from.

Why they’re running for office:

Both candidates are Washington natives, and both said they were running to support the community they loved.

“I grew up here in Washington and after graduating from high school I moved away, like a lot of young folks in our community, because I didn’t see anything here for myself, a future here for myself,” Glinsmann said. “I would like to make Washington a place that all people see futures for themselves, young people and older, more established community members.”

DeLong said he saw the opening as a new way to help the community and ensure a good future for its members, including his own growing family.

“All three of my kids have chosen to move back to Washington after college with their spouses and raise their families here, that’s a sense of great pride and joy for me,” he said. “Now I have five grandkids with a sixth on the way who will be coming up in this community. So I just want to do my part to make sure it’s a good community for them to live in and they can afford to live here.”

Where they’re experienced and involved:

While DeLong and Glinsmann are both highly involved community members, their experiences differ greatly.

Glinsmann is a data analyst by trade. She has no history in government work specifically, but does have public sector experience.

“I worked for five years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, so I understand what it’s like to work with small budgets and the need to find creative solutions to still get things done given all those constraints that governments and public organizations face,” she said. “In my career I have experience managing folks, managing timelines, managing budgets. The work that I do is quite technical in nature and we often have to communicate with a wide variety of stakeholders … so I think that experience will also translate well to city council.”

Glinsmann also has leadership experience through local advocacy groups.

“I’m involved with a couple of local organizations here in town,” she said. “One is Washington for Justice, I was one of the co-founders of that organization and I’m currently the associate director. That organization is focused on making Washington feel like a place where everyone is welcome and everyone feels like they have a voice … the other organization that I’m involved with is Latinos for Washington, I just recently joined as a board member.”

DeLong has more government-specific experience, as a member of the planning and zoning commission for over a decade and chair for over five years.

“With that involvement, I’ve seen a lot of the commercial development, the residential development, I’ve been involved in that kind of thing,” he said.

He’s also a co-founder of DeLong Construction — a contractor that frequently works with the city — and a voice in several voluntary leadership positions.

“I was involved with the Wellness Park design and construction from the beginning, from when the original Wellness Park committee was established many years ago,” DeLong said. “I’ve been a member of the First Baptist Church, I’ve been finance chair for many years, I’m currently the treasurer … several years ago, I was a member of WEDG.”

What their priorities are

Glinsmann and DeLong both said the city should focus on growth, but their opinions on how to accomplish those goals have some differences.

Glinsmann said Washington needed to keep its eye on attracting young families, with an emphasis on child care and affordable housing.

“I think there’s several things our community can focus on to attract young families and retain our current residents,” she said. “One thing I’ve heard knocking on doors of people who live in Ward 1 is we need to expand access to child care in town … Another one would be increasing the supply of affordable housing. The city has been working with developers to create some new developments in our community, which is great (but) those homes will be selling for $300,000-350,000 which certainly meets a need, but doesn’t address the needs of lower income families.”

Glinsmann said that mindset would have far-reaching benefits.

“Increasing the number of students enrolled will increase the amount of funding that we get,” she said. “Having more young folks around will do things like fill up sports teams. I’ve heard stuff from folks that there aren’t enough kids enrolling in youth sports, so that cuts into the opportunities available. I think there’s a wide range of benefits.”

DeLong said the best way to keep Washington growing was through business incentives.

“When I started this business in 1994, they had an incentive program and this property that we’re on, there was an incentive with it,” he said. “We bought it for a certain amount of dollars but if we had so many people on the payroll and paid so much, essentially this ground was given to us to put a business here. It’s that kind of incentive to get business here that I like to see because I know I benefited from it, I want to make sure we continue to have that kind of environment.”

DeLong said a commitment to fiscal responsibility and building development would also be key.

“Obviously our fiscal responsibility is a big thing, we want to make sure … we keep property taxes in check and make sure our money is being spent wisely,” he said. “There seems to be a shortage of housing from what I’ve heard, especially affordable housing, and I think it’s important that the city partners with developers to continue to make that happen.”

Their pitch to voters

Asked why voters should pick them, both candidates promised to represent their constituents’ best interests, but at different scales.

Glinsmann said she would put people first.

“I think my viewpoints and my priorities speak for themselves,” Glinsmann said. “My priorities are focused on people. First we need to take care of our people, and then we can take care of our infrastructure. But without people, we don’t really have a community, so that’s my first priority.”

DeLong said he was committed to the community itself.

“I’m a lifelong resident of Washington and I’m going to be here the rest of my life, so I have a great interest in Washington being a great place to live,” he said. “I don’t have a specific agenda, I want to make sure things are done properly. I think I bring common sense and leadership … I think people can trust me to have the community’s best interests in mind.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com