Tom Twohill wants to maintain continuity on Fairfield City Council

Tom Twohill is running unopposed to represent the Fifth Ward on the Fairfield City Council.

The Fifth Ward covers the south side of Fairfield. Twohill joined the city council in January 2019 when he was appointed by then Mayor Ed Malloy, who needed to fill the vacancy in Ward 5 created by Daryn Hamilton’s election to the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors. In the fall of 2019, Twohill won election unopposed, and now is seeking another four-year term on the council.

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

1. Why are you running for Fairfield City Council?

I’m running for re-election because with the relocation of a current Council member and the decision of two long time effectual Council members not seeking re-election, there is the possibility of turnover in 5 of the 7 seats. The chance of this happening, paired the Mayor running for re-election and the appointment of a new City Administrator, I feel that running for a third term may bring a little continuity and experience in current projects that we are involved in.

In addition to this, I thoroughly enjoyed my experiences the past six years serving the citizens of Fairfield and particularly my neighbors in Ward 5.

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

I bring the experience of 6 years as a Council member as well as past president of the Chamber of Commerce. I have also served on a number of boards including Habitat for Humanity, Lord’s Cupboard, American Heart Association and various other boards.

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

In a third term, I hope to see some of the projects we have been working on come to fruition. These include but are not limited to annexing undeveloped property to created a new housing development, the construction of a much needed new Fire Station, the updated wastewater treatment facilities, updating park facilities, Highway 1 improvements and numerous other projects.

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

One of Fairfield’s biggest challenge is the need for affordable new housing. We are two years into working with Comprehensive Housing Study that specifically addresses the issues as well as the opportunities that are present in Fairfield. We are early in the stages of working with FEDA on a new subdivision as well as working with various contractors who are expanding current projects.

We also need to address substandard housing that exist in town. The addition of our new Code Enforcement Officer is one step to aid in this.

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?

Fairfield is one of the very few towns in Iowa that exist outside of 50 miles from a city with the population of 50,000 or more that is progressing. We have a vibrant, diverse community with opportunities that don’t exist anywhere else in the State.

We have a long list of companies that not only do business on the local level, but also on the international level. Due to the availability of our many entertainment options and hard work and partnerships of our tourism director, we are quickly becoming a destination point.

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

Fairfield currently has the opportunity for increased population. With the excellent options in various careers within Fairfield, much of our current workforce chooses to commute rather than live within Fairfield.

One of the primary reasons for this is the lack of new housing. By growing Fairfield’s many opportunities, an organic growth in population will follow.

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