John Hawkins, John Marvel and Tyler Moen, candidates for seats on the City Council of Webster City, and a handful of likely voters met last Tuesday evening at Kendall Young Library to pose questions and weigh answers concerning Webster City’s future.

Candidate Ashley Allers was unable to attend the forum.

The session began with brief statements from each candidate, and then turned to questions submitted by voters in attendance at the forum.

Candidate statements

Hawkins, who is currently mayor, led off the candidate statements, saying, “I’m running again because I feel I’ve still got more to do.” He also cited the importance of continuity of the city’s legislative body, a reference to two long-term councilmen, Matt McKinney and Logan Welch, who are not standing for additional terms.

Marvel cited his family’s long connection to Webster City, including Charles Marvel, founder of a livestock sales pavilion in 1907. Marvel is the nephew of Judy Marvel McLaughlin and Tom McLaughlin, who owned Thompson’s Pharmacy. Among the reasons he gave for running were: “I believe in this town. I love this town, but we have our challenges.”

Moen, a Webster City native and project manager for Integrity Spray Foam, said, “I think Webster City has gone downhill, and we need to bring it back up. We need more businesses.”

Questions and answers

Candidates then answered a series of questions. There isn’t room to consider all of them here, so we’ve selected a sample of issues covered. Some candidate replies have been edited for brevity.

“What is your vision for updating capital improvements, particularly parks, trails, etc.?”

Hawkins replied, “We’ve done lots of work the last few years. We need to extend the trails, which requires funding. We’ve spent a lot in the last five years, so it would be a shame to stop. We did that before, and that’s why we’ve had to spend so much recently.”

Marvel answered, “I think our infrastructure is in great shape, so it’s not one of our biggest problems. It’s a priority, but not at the top of the list.”

Moen said, “Our parks are being updated. Our trails are nice. Kendall Young Park needs cabins, but we’d have to figure out how to fund it.”

The next question: “What additional improvements would you provide to police and fire departments?

Hawkins: “We need more fire trucks. We have one coming in three years. A 1983 engine is the oldest in our fleet. Our police car fleet is newer, but they wear out fast. I think, otherwise, the police have got a lot of what they need.”

Marvel: “It’s vital to support both. The current Council has listened and provided some of what they need. The police department is moving in the right direction after some turmoil late in 2024.”

Moen: “I know there are three fire trucks that need replaced, but they’re expensive.”

Downtown was the subject of several questions. One dealt specifically with construction of new buildings: “Do you support written criteria for infill construction?”

Hawkins: “I would require that it has a specific design to it. I’m against building a metal

building down there, compared to having something that looks similar to what’s there.”

Marvel: “We’re fortunate to have a building go up. It looks different, but they were able to put something up. I do believe there have to be guidelines, and we shouldn’t just allow somebody to come in and do whatever they want to do, but there should be a unified look and criteria

downtown.”

Moen: “Yes, I think there is something in place right now, isn’t there? You have to have blueprints and what you’re gonna do in that building. … otherwise you’re just gonna get random buildings popping up.”

One citizen asked, “Over the last year, the direction for the new wastewater treatment plant has changed. What will you do to ensure transparency in relaying the new plant’s impact on the community?”

Hawkins answered: “Everything City Council does is public information. If you have a question, come to City Hall and ask it. The cost of the plant has gone from $78 million to $30 million, and won’t be built south of town. It will be built next to the present plant; it’s a completely different direction to what we were doing previously.”

Marvel concurred, adding: “I’d say this is one of the things where there has been transparency. You’ve been able to go through why it was done and why it’s moving the right way and to significant savings. I believe we’re going the right direction, and there’s been transparency.”

Moen had nothing to add.

The matter of better facilities for athletic training and competition for students came up as the following question was asked: “How would you interact with the school board regarding a cooperative venture such as The Dub?”

Hawkins: “I’m for any and all cooperation where the city, county and schools can work together. We’re all using the same tax money.”

Marvel began by stating he’s a DUB board member, saying: “I believe in the project. It

has to be something that is worked together with the city, school district and

private funding, and I think it would benefit our community. If talk about economic

development, it’s something I encourage everybody to look at because it can be huge.”

Moen agreed, adding: “It’s a great idea. The school board and city must bring travel ball in. Other communities have it. The question is where to locate it? School or city grounds?”

An issue of long-standing concern is daycare. This question was put to the candidates: “Childcare remains a hurdle to many new families in Webster City. What can be done to better support new families?”

Hawkins: “The city’s been involved in daycare since 2000. We don’t invest a lot in it, but we back it when needed. There’s stuff going on now that may help. Unfortunately, the state didn’t

come through with funding. It’s a tough one. We will help as it comes before us.”

Marvel said, “It’s an issue facing a lot of rural communities now. In smaller towns such as Jefferson and others, private daycare is becoming more prevalent. I do think we need to invest in daycare facilities, and it’s very important. That’s our future.”

Moen replied, “I know there’s a lot of in-home daycare, my wife included, and she’s backed up for a couple years, so we need to get some more in.”