PACE hosts council candidate forum

The six candidates for Pella’s open city council seats took part in a forum hosted by the PACE Alliance and moderated by Central College’s Dr. Andrew Green on Oct. 9 at the Community Center. 

Candidates include Lynn Branderhorst for Ward 1; Ann Summitt and Calvin Bandstra for At-Large; Bruce Schiebout, Anita VerMeer Fischer and Dr. Spencer Carlstone for Ward 3. Carlstone participated via telephone, as the forum was scheduled after he had already planned a trip to Colorado. 

Questions focused on local economic development. Carlstone and Branderhorst are incumbents in these races. 

“There’s a lot of work left to do,” Carlstone said is one of the reasons he is seeking a second term. He is a local physician and business owner. Branderhorst is a lifelong Pella resident, daughter of a teacher and a college dean who is also a business owner.

“I am there to serve the taxpayers,” Branderhorst said of how she views the council position. 

Fischer is a sixth-generation Pella resident who has spent a great deal of time at the Iowa Capitol on behalf of various causes, such as Protect My Innocence. She is a mother of three. 

Schiebout has lived in Pella since 1987. He was drawn to move there because of its schools, safety and traditional values – themes Schiebout emphasized in many answers during the forum. He has formerly served on the council and seeks to serve again because he feels a fiduciary responsibility to the community. 

Bandstra is another former council member, who has 40 years of experience in banking. He attended Dordt College and holds an MBA from Drake University. 

Summitt is a retired teacher, whose grandfather served on the council and is the daughter of a former council member. She is a Central College alumnus who has a passion for Pella and wants it to be a vibrant community for all. 

Green’s first question asked of the candidates was regarding their top three priorities if elected. Branderhorst stressed improving infrastructure, transparency in government and financial responsibility. 

Bandstra’s priorities are economic development, following through on the comprehensive plan that is currently being prepared and EMS agreements with surrounding townships. 

Summitt’s resembled Branderhorst’s, with fiscal responsibility, transparence and communication, and “thoughtful, well-planned growth” as her priorities. 

Fischer, too, seeks financial responsibility while protecting Pella’s future, responsible and transparent leadership and advocating for Pella’s needs. 

Schiebout named fiscal responsibility, protecting public safety and infrastructure as his priorities. 

Carlstone believes the City has done an “excellent job” of being fiscally responsible. He wants the City to move forward with developments and continue to use “forward-thinking planning” when making decisions over the next four years. Representing the “refuge” that the City’s name implies is important to him, as well as setting a vision while supporting and empowering staff. 

Green asked the candidates about their fiscal philosophy. Opponents Summitt and Bandstra took differing views. Summitt wants all groups to be represented while being good stewards of taxpayer money and protecting essential services. Bandstra wants the increasing costs of government covered while investing in projects now that will become revenue streams in the future. 

“I think what we need to keep in mind is that the infrastructure that goes to these investments lies clearly on the city's back and shoulders,” Schiebout said. “I understand that as you put in such amenities, the tax base also will increase, but beyond that, so does the maintenance of these facilities. I think that that's a balancing act that we have to be careful.” 

Carlstone said government has “limited levers” to find money to cover increasing costs and would like to increase the City’s tax base. 

“As I've gone door to door, people are concerned about how much things are costing and how much their property taxes are,” Fischer said. “I understand that if we have a bigger base that will help with that, but we still need to be cautious as we move forward.” 

Branderhorst said she is a conservative, and she goes through every expense, line by line. 

Candidates were asked about the City partnering with local stakeholders to strengthen the local workforce. 

“I think the last 10 years or so, our corporations have been calling loudly for the City to act so that they can continue to attract and retain talent,” Carlstone said. “We've heard that term over and over again. I think the city council members must understand that fiscal conservative status and stance doesn't answer that call. We have to continue to be proactive making infrastructure available to new tracks of land. We need to bring roads and streets to new tracts of land. We need to continue to use inventive and rewarding tax incentives for developers to come to Pella. We have shielded them for years, and we need to have a posture of welcome to Pella. We need the housing, we need the retail we need the commercial developments so that our industry can attract, employ and retain the talent they need to thrive, because, as mentioned earlier, the health of a community comes down to its finances. I would say the health of community comes down to the health of its industry.”

“Pella has a strong work ethic, but you said local employers still face some work shortages,” Fischer said. “So while the City can’t directly create jobs, it can help create conditions for success. Key challenges include - and this is after speaking to some of our local businesses - those workers having childcare, which will probably be a private sector issue. Transportation and parking. So we have plenty of people in Ward Three that live in the Reserves and in that area would love to find a job uptown. However, many of them don't drive. They either bicycle or they walk. So it would be, I think, a benefit if we implemented the City's 2014, comprehensive study for trails and sidewalks and that we can better conduct residents to workplace.”

“I have to disagree with you. Dr Carlstone,” Schiebout said. “I talked to many employees. Many have the opportunity to talk to a lot of people that come and wish to move to Pella, and the number one reason that they do not is because of the cost of living. I think we as a community and as a City especially, need to hold down the cost on the taxes and fees. I think that will bring more people in, because right now, a lot of people will come and work from outside the community because they can't afford living in town.” 

“I believe that our role is to really walk alongside of our businesses, large and small, walk alongside of our industry,” Branderhorst said. “But I think we also need to turn our attention to organizations like PACE and like Spirit of Pella that do this job so well of telling us about what people want. Why? Why are they moving here? It's important for us to listen as well. I think that when I'm meeting with industry leaders, educational leaders, the one thing that they are feeling is a stumbling block for them - for workforce - is the cost of housing. We need to look at that as well, and we need to look at incentivizing some of our housing. I feel that, you know, we do live in a wonderful community, and by giving people things to do, opportunities for their spare time, that's a major portion of this as well.”

“I really think that one of the single most issues of our workforce is available affordable housing, particularly for those that are just new to the workforce,” Bandstra said. “On my first tour of council, we had done quite a bit of that. We have the Prairie Ridge development with Viewpoint. We had Kading, and then we also saw the conversion of Hilltop South into housing units. But demand is still outpacing supply, so we have a lot of people that still want to come and live in Pella from other communities. Oskaloosa and Newton both have had housing departments, to have initiatives for housing. Those do cost money, and again, we have to have the balance on the need for workforce if we want that or not. We have an exciting program with Prairie Ridge, creating a low to moderate income pool that I think Lynn is actually spearheading for our City that we can have new ideas and new programs to help with that housing issue, which will also help with our workforce issue.”

“We're all in this together,” Summitt said. “That's the one thing we have to remember, is our homeowners, our businesses, the City, the renters and others in this community need to have input on this issue. We need to sit down and have a dialog. The future of our workforce is constantly changing and evolving, and at times it can be hard to predict an area of concern I'm hearing about, as other candidates have alluded to, is the entry-level workforce housing. We're still not there. We all hear how many people want to work here, are working here, but they can't afford to live here. Pella will need to continue to have robust housing opportunities to address all these needs, but we have to listen to the citizens.”

Questions were also asked regarding tax-increment financing, as well as partnerships with Central College and Pella Community Schools. Candidates are in favor of partnering more when the City can. TIF is a good tool, but the nature of TIF also provides new developments with services they don’t immediately pay for. Developers have paid to put in infrastructure, but property tax revenue to the City is delayed to help repay those costs. Candidates also want to continue to explore public/private partnerships when opportunities present themselves, while ensuring the City enters them only when it helps the taxpayers. 

The candidates were asked about quality of life amenities within the City. Summitt and Bandstra agree that Pella offers many and can be the envy of other communities. Schiebout believes that one of Pella’s greatest strengths is its volunteers, who sometimes are taken for granted. 

Carlstone believes the Rec Center will be pivotal for the future of Pella  and is grateful for the support shown for it. Branderhorst said “USA Today” ranked Pella as #3 in the nation, given what it has to offer residents. Fischer said the community is blessed to have the amenities it does. 

Candidates believe it is important to talk to legislators and have relationships established when discussing property tax reform. They also want to continue to utilize PACE as a resource when making improvements to the community. 

After the Marion County Board of Supervisors declined to support the City’s request for nearly $1 million for the University Street extension, the candidates were asked about having a good relationship with the County moving forward. 

Carlstone believes the County does an excellent job while facing the same pressures the city council has. He also believes the County realizes what an economic engine Pella is for the area. 

Fischer does not believe the relationship between the City and County is frayed, and understands that the County does not believe it can help with University. Schiebout agrees, that the County is “financially strapped” and that is why the Supervisors voted as they did. 

“I think their budget is frayed,” Branderhorst said. She knows each of the Supervisors and has had conversations with them. 

Summitt wants the City and County to keep lines of communication open for both entities’ benefit. Bandstra believes the County needs a vision to get its financial situation out of maintenance mode. 

The candidates were given the chance to offer a closing statement. Branderhorst said she works for Pella and loves doing so. Bandstra touted his banking experience. Summitt touted her years of teaching and involvement with various organizations in town. 

Fischer believes her regular meeting attendance provides her a good understanding of the council’s current conditions. She also works on economic development projects. 

Schiebout believes his previous experience on the council can add to future forms of the governing body. Carlstone touted his years of education and his ability to diagnose problems.