Halley will not seek reelection to Fairfield City Council

FAIRFIELD — Voters in the city of Fairfield will select three council members and a mayor during the Nov. 2 city elections, which occur every odd-numbered year.

At least one of those seats will be occupied by a new face. Fourth Ward council member Michael Halley announced he will not seek a fourth term on the council. The Fourth Ward includes Fairfield’s downtown, and its polling place is the Jefferson County Courthouse.

Halley said he enjoyed his time on the council but wishes to pursue other opportunities.

"It's been my great pleasure serving the people of Fairfield as a City Council member these past 12 years,” Halley said. “Now that both my sons have graduated high school and have moved on to college, I feel it's time for me to graduate from Fairfield City Council to pursue other interests. I encourage anyone with a passion for civic engagement to step up and run for elected office. It's truly been one of the most satisfying experiences of my life."

Halley narrowly lost the race to become Fairfield’s mayor in 2019, which was won by Connie Boyer. After the first round of voting, Halley led Boyer and another candidate, Ed Noyes, but because he did not get 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election was held in December of that year. Initial returns from the runoff showed Halley leading Boyer by a single vote, 1,048-1,047. One more absentee vote for Boyer came in after Election Day, creating a tie. After a recount, Boyer gained two more votes and became the city’s mayor.

Apart from Halley’s seat, the other two council seats up for election are the Second Ward (north part of town), now occupied by Paul Gandy, and an at-large seat occupied by Doug Flournoy. Though council member terms are four years, the mayor’s term is only two years, so Mayor Boyer will be on the ballot again in November.

Those interested in running for any of these seats must file a nomination petition either through the city’s website cityoffairfieldiowa.com, the Jefferson County Auditor’s Office or the Iowa Secretary of State’s website. Filing can begin Aug. 23 and runs until Sept. 16.

To run for either the Second or Fourth Wards, a candidate must obtain 10 signatures of eligible voters in the ward. To run for the at-large seat, a candidate must obtain 11 signatures. Mayoral candidates require 45 signatures.

Candidates who do not file their petition by the Sept. 16 deadline will not appear on the ballot.