Rob Meyer puts a familiar face to the ballot

WASHINGTON — For many Washington voters, Rob Meyer will be a recognizable figure on the ballot in the upcoming Aug. 6 special election for an at-large city council seat.

The local property manager and frequent church volunteer made a name for himself in the city’s mayoral election just a few months back, going door-to-door in an immaculate suit and tie to talk about city affairs with constituents on their own front porches. He lost that race by a sizable margin, however, with just 13.3% of the ballots in his favor.

Meyer chalked that outcome up to an on-the-fly campaign strategy, as well as community concerns about his qualification for the office, running against three experienced city council members. In the race for a spot on the council itself, however he felt he had better odds.

“I kept hearing a lot during the mayoral race of experience,” Meyer said. “This (is) another rare opportunity to get involved, to get my feet wet at a base level … I thought, ‘Well, I’ll give it a shot, try to build up some experience in the political field.”

The connections formed during April’s mayoral election have helped Meyer become more accessible to voters, he said. The candidate has run a more low-key campaign this time around, but said he was often approached by concerned community members at farmers markets and other events, despite not holding any municipal role yet. Would-be constituents have also reached out over Facebook, or with his phone number, which he readily gave out on the campaign trail.

“Whereas I was going out during the mayoral election and putting myself out there … folks come to me, now,” he said. “I don’t feel as if I’m searching for that approval. I feel as if people have gained a sense of, ‘Well, we can approach that guy,’ and it seems to work.”

There were other concerns on the mayoral campaign trail, however. Some voters were worried about Meyer’s strong religious convictions, which he said would guide his decisions despite some voters’ concerns about separation of church and state, or differing interpretations of Scripture. Others complained about Meyer’s criminal record, which includes convictions of domestic abuse and child endangerment in 2015 and 2018, respectively.

As in the mayoral race, Meyer stressed that he had changed drastically as a person since those convictions happened, and cited his faith as a major driver of that change.

“The past is the past, and most of us have made mistakes in our lives, the question is, do we grow from them?” he said. “I still am a born-again believer, first and foremost, and that is how I live my life on a day-to-day basis, and how I continue to finish the race … I feel that helps me to make rational decisions, to keep my composure and my character and my morals and my values.”

Meyer’s goals for the city have not changed in the months since he ran for mayor. The candidate said he would focus on transparency and maintaining business growth, if elected. Otherwise, he said he simply hoped to keep the city’s forward momentum and improve the community he calls home.

“I bring leadership skills, I bring team-building skills,” he said. “We need to continue to be a constructive council, and to help build one another and do so in a positive manner that is effective and promising for the future community.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com