Millie Youngquist pitches practical ideas

In many ways, this month’s special election is a referendum on Mayor Pro Tem Millie Youngquist. Throughout former Mayor Jaron Rosien’s year-log leave of absence and after his eventual resignation, Youngquist was the temporary head of the city, running 14 months of council meetings, budget hearings and work sessions.

Youngquist’s odds of winning the race, therefore, boil down to her handling of the mayor’s gavel in that time. It’s a reality she’s readily embraced.

"For me, knowing that I’ve been duly elected by the citizens of Washington, would be like a vote of confidence,“ she said. ”I could move forward with my ideas. I always want to remain open for citizens, for them to come to me.“

The most-discussed issues handled under the mayor pro tem’s leadership have varying popularity.

Rising water and sewer utility rates are a frequent source of frustration for residents, and a decision not to pursue railroad quiet zones — in light of major boosts in expected train traffic — proved divisive for community members.

Other accomplishments, however, were widely applauded. The installation of new wayfinding signs and a development agreement for a new hotel won high praises from area business leaders. Other quality of life improvements, like the switch from an unpopular waste disposal company and relaxed overnight parking restrictions downtown, were also well received.

Youngquist’s sudden status as the city’s chief executive has made her quite busy. In addition to taking on the mayor’s duties, the at-large city council member already had leadership roles with the Washington Community Foundation, Performing Arts Series, Great Places Committee and Farm to Film Festival Board, among others. She’s running to keep the office — and finally put her name on the door — because she already knows the ropes.

If elected as Washington’s non-temporary mayor, Youngquist expects only minor changes in the way she does the job. A win on April 30 would mean newfound political capital, and a surge of public input to help guide municipal decisions.

“As the official mayor, I feel that I can set new goals, and set a somewhat corrected (agenda,)” she said. “Not like a drastic, ‘We’re going to change everything we’re doing,’ … if I’m duly elected, that means the people want to have me in this position. And hopefully, I’ll get input from people.”

Her priorities for the city are far from glamorous, but they are, she argues, quite practical.

While Youngquist remains optimistic about eventual big changes like a long-discussed Streetscape project and investments in a future home for various collections of community historian Michael Zahs, she said she’d start by keeping the city focused on fixing up its most damaged sewers, roads and water lines.

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Other items high on her to-do list include improved communication with the public through a mayoral blog and regular office hours, as well as devoting more attention to nuisances and property maintenance expectations.

The mayor pro tem acknowledges that none of the above are especially exciting, or uniquely likely to energize voters.

She says she’s OK with that.

“I want to be responsible to the citizens of Washington with the money we are given to work with,” she said. “I think a lot of (voters) are practical people, and they realize that we need to have good sewers and water and streets. And so we can’t ignore that part, even though it’s tempting to spend the money on flashier things.”

Besides an utterly achievable list of campaign promises, Youngquist said she hoped her years of experience, approachable personality and experience as both an acting mayor and long-serving council member would appeal to voters.

"I have the experience, I’ve done it,“ she said. ”These other people either haven’t done it at all, or have done it lesser time. I’ve made lots of connections with people and different projects. I have the stability and the temperament to effectively work with council and staff to improve Washington, make Washington a better place, to continue to make it grow.“

Five members of the Washington City Council signed a letter in January, asking Rosien to step down. Youngquist’s was the only name absent from the list, as she was out of town on a vacation. She says she’s not sure how she would have voted if she were there.

The mayor pro tem has encouraged community members to look to the future, rather than dwell on the recent fallout. To that end, Youngquist said the next mayor’s job was to pick up the torch, and not look back.

“At this point, there’s nothing we can do about it, and I think we need to just move on and focus on the work at hand,” she said. “And that’s to make Washington a better place to live, and to come together as a community and to present a positive image to the world.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com