Besides voting for myself, here is who I will be voting for:
City Council
Jim Lane- Jim
is completing his second 2 year term on council, he has served as
finance chair for the past 4 years. His experience as a financial
planner has paid off in how he has managed city assets in order to
maximize returns, he has also made awareness of city budgets and budget
planning much easier for the rest of council to follow. Jim's experience
as a plant manager for Proctor and Gamble as well as his education as
an engineer has been invaluable as the city has worked through the
planning stages of the One University Place project. Construction Updates
Carla Aldrich-
Carla was appointed to council in June 2014 to fill the seat of Zadok
Nampala. She has served as co-chair of the Community Protection
Committee. Carla's contributions and insight served the city well in the
hiring of our Police Chief last year. Carla has also initiated our
Community Watch program, a quarterly meeting of all interested citizens
on community protection topics of interest. At the Kickoff Meeting in
April, there was a surprise incident where participants suddenly were
placed in situation where their "eye witness" recollections were tested.
The July meeting featured tips on how to prevent identity theft, and
the September meeting featured Iowa City Schools Equity director
Kingsley Botchway speaking on cultural competence. Community Protection
Stepheny Gahn- Stepheny
has served on the Zoning Commission for the past year. She was active
in the amending of our building ordinance. Stepheny has also been a
frequent attendee at council meetings, and has worked hard to make
herself aware of the many issues that the council faces.
Mayor
Louise From- Louise
has been an effective and tireless ambassador for our city. While she
does not have a vote, she runs council meetings. Louise spends an
incredible amount of time working with neighboring elected officials as
well as staff to ensure that U-Heights' interested are represented. Mayor's Report
Ballot Initiative
YES I
strongly favor adopting staggered four year terms for council. Being a
small community with each council member expected to manage a department
of city business (Finance, Building/Zoning/Sanitation, Streets and
Sidewalks, Community Protection, eGovernment) it is hard to have
continuity and stability when you must run for your seat every other
year.
I would hope you would also consider these well qualified people and this reasonable ballot measure.
Showing posts with label Jim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim. Show all posts
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Friday, October 30, 2015
A Letter From Jim Lane
Friends,
I have been out of town on business this past week,
and have been absent when a slate of candidates made
One is about the ravine, and some trees that had to be
removed to accommodate the new transformer.
Here is a link to Construction Report #1 posted on
the city’s website on Oct. 22nd. This report contains City Engineer
Josiah Bilskemper’s October report documenting the process by which minor
changes were made due to aerial imaging inaccuracies and more rubble in the ravine
than previously identified.
The other area of concern deals with accusations of a conflict
of interest regarding the Council members and One University Place. Please allow me to explain this issue, since
there is no time for a candidate’s forum, which would have allowed this to have
been brought to the forefront.
Silvia was interested in exploring the question of whether
any council members were receiving any compensation from the developer in
exchange for their approval of the Maxwell project. Mike Haverkamp, Virginia
Miller, Carla Aldrich and I repeatedly stated that we had not received any
compensation for our vote.
Silvia then brought
forth a resolution and statement that she wanted council members to sign. This
resolution and statement did not match Silvia’s stated inquiry. In addition, it included language dealing
with relatives which was never vetted by our City Attorney. So Silvia was instructed, and she agreed, to correct and revise the statement and
resolution and bring it to the Special Meeting on July 28th. She did not do this.
She did bring a statement to the August 11th
meeting but it was not completely revised and she did not make the recommended
corrections. Instead she brought a
similar version from the one she had presented at the July 14th
meeting. Council did not pass the
resolution or sign the statements because this similar one also did not match
Silvia’s inquiry, and it did not fulfill the agreement she made with Council.
In addition, as part of the discussion regarding this
conflict of interest statement, our city lawyer, Steve Ballard suggested that
signing such a document was redundant.
Each of us took an oath of office when we were sworn in as councilors,
and such an oath was in fact the same as signing a conflict of interest
statement.
Silvia failed to follow through on her own resolution. But rather than continuing to work on the
wording of the resolution for Council’s approval, she has decided to spin it
into a sign of council’s lack of transparency.
And so here we are today with Silvia touting council’s failure to sign
her conflict of interest statement as a sign of council’s corruption, rather
than Silvia’s failure to follow through on a task.
As we close in on Election Day no doubt other possible
misconceptions will arise. Please feel free
to contact me at jimlane@yahoo.com or
319-621-3111; Mike mikehaverkamp1960@gmail.com
, 319-430-0864; or Carla 319-621-7852 if you have any questions. We would be more than happy to clarify
things.
It is my pleasure to honorably serve the citizens of U-Heights.
-Jim Lane
Thursday, January 16, 2014
January Council Meeting Summary
U-Heights City Council held their regular January meeting January 14th, here are some highlights:
Streets and Sidewalks news:
Committee Chair Virginia Miller announced that residents with concerns about unshoveled sidewalks can email her at virginia@university-heights.org
Miller also announced she has secured $1000 in tree planting grant funds from Mid American Energy for new street trees. That amount has been matched by HILLS BANK (correction from email) and Midwest One Bank for a total of $2000 toward new trees. High pedestrian traffic areas with little shade would be prime places to begin planting in the spring.
MVP's of 2013
As is her tradition, Mayor From recognized volunteers' outstanding service to U-Heights in 2013. Honorees were:
Carol Christiansen and Pat Yeggy for the city garden club work on the plantings next to Stella.
Chris Luzzie the founder and Chair of the University Heights Community Fund.
John McLure city videographer who has filmed city council and other important meetings as a volunteer.
Al Wells who has cared for the Triangle Park and shelter area. This has included mowing and planting flowers.
FY2015 Budget Planning
Finance Chair Jim Lane has begun to gather department budget information. Council will discuss this further at their February meeting. By state law an adopted FY15 Budget must be submitted to the Johnson County Auditor no later than March 15, 2014. FY 15 begins July 1, 2014.
Boards and Comissions:
Mayor Louise From announced new members appointed to the following:
Board of Adjustment: Randall Aitchison
Zoning Commission: Stuart Rosebrook, Pat Yeggy
Mayor From and the council thanked outgoing members Michael Flaum from Board of Adjustment and Pat Bauer from Zoning for their faithful service to the city.
Council members being sworn into office.
Get Timely updates via Twitter:
Stay on top of official city announcements by following the City of University Heights on Twitter
Streets and Sidewalks news:
Committee Chair Virginia Miller announced that residents with concerns about unshoveled sidewalks can email her at virginia@university-heights.org
Miller also announced she has secured $1000 in tree planting grant funds from Mid American Energy for new street trees. That amount has been matched by HILLS BANK (correction from email) and Midwest One Bank for a total of $2000 toward new trees. High pedestrian traffic areas with little shade would be prime places to begin planting in the spring.
MVP's of 2013
As is her tradition, Mayor From recognized volunteers' outstanding service to U-Heights in 2013. Honorees were:
Carol Christiansen and Pat Yeggy for the city garden club work on the plantings next to Stella.
Chris Luzzie the founder and Chair of the University Heights Community Fund.
John McLure city videographer who has filmed city council and other important meetings as a volunteer.
Al Wells who has cared for the Triangle Park and shelter area. This has included mowing and planting flowers.
FY2015 Budget Planning
Finance Chair Jim Lane has begun to gather department budget information. Council will discuss this further at their February meeting. By state law an adopted FY15 Budget must be submitted to the Johnson County Auditor no later than March 15, 2014. FY 15 begins July 1, 2014.
Boards and Comissions:
Mayor Louise From announced new members appointed to the following:
Board of Adjustment: Randall Aitchison
Zoning Commission: Stuart Rosebrook, Pat Yeggy
Mayor From and the council thanked outgoing members Michael Flaum from Board of Adjustment and Pat Bauer from Zoning for their faithful service to the city.
Council members being sworn into office.Get Timely updates via Twitter:
Stay on top of official city announcements by following the City of University Heights on Twitter
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Thank YOU!
It is with a deep sense of gratitude that I say thanks to the voters
of University Heights. To have a turnout that is triple the county
average is amazing.
Top 5 finishers elected to council
When talking to the Press Citizen Tuesday night I was hoping to express that it is imperative for the new council to work to bring our community back together. It will take effort from all parties to do so.
Pro-development sweeps U. Heights
City Council
|
Early Vote
|
Nov. 5TH
|
Total
|
Percent
|
Haverkamp
|
133
|
221
|
354
|
63%
|
Lane
|
129
|
205
|
334
|
60%
|
Quezada
|
126
|
198
|
324
|
58%
|
Miller
|
121
|
175
|
296
|
53%
|
Nampala
|
118
|
165
|
283
|
51%
|
McGrath
|
123
|
134
|
257
|
46%
|
Hopson
|
120
|
122
|
242
|
43%
|
Leff
|
116
|
125
|
241
|
43%
|
Stewart
|
116
|
104
|
220
|
39%
|
Write Ins
|
4
|
9
|
13
|
Top 5 finishers elected to council
MAYOR
|
Early Vote
|
Nov. 5TH
|
Total
|
Percent
|
From
|
151
|
205
|
356
|
90%
|
Write Ins
|
26
|
15
|
41
|
Total Voters
|
Early Vote
|
Nov. 5TH
|
Total
|
242
|
317
|
559
|
When talking to the Press Citizen Tuesday night I was hoping to express that it is imperative for the new council to work to bring our community back together. It will take effort from all parties to do so.
Pro-development sweeps U. Heights
60.3 percent of registered voters cast a ballot,
which set a city record and led county in turnout
Voters turned out in record numbers Tuesday in University Heights, delivering a resounding pro-development message.
With 60 percent of registered voters casting a ballot, residents ousted the three City Council members who have stood in opposition of a developer’s plans to construct the mixed-use project along Melrose Avenue called One University Place.
Incumbents Rosanne Hopson, Jan Leff and Brennan McGrath — who have fought the proposed commercial and condominium project that has been at the center of bitter debate the past five years — each lost their seats. They will be replaced by Virginia Miller,Zadok Nampala and Silvia Quezada, a trio of first-time challengers who ran on pro-development platforms.
“I’m really looking forward to working together with the rest of the group and finally having a green light for the development going forward, the way people in University Heights want to see it,” said Nampala, a 30-year-old master’s student in social work at the University of Iowa.
Pro-development incumbents Mike Haverkamp and Jim Lane retained their council posts with the top two showings, garnering 63 percent and 60 percent, unofficially.
In total, 559 of University Heights’ 927 registered voters cast a ballot, or 60.3 percent. It was by far the highest percentage of any city in Johnson County, and set a new city record for turnout, surpassing the previous high mark of 534 voters in 2011.
Although past elections amid the One University Place debate have been decided by razor-thin margins and resulted in councils with clashing development philosophies, the coalition of pro-development candidates ran away with the race this time around.
Still, rather than touting victory, Haverkamp and others stressed moving on from the contentious and sometimes ugly debates of the past few years and bringing people back together.
“The thing to always remember is we’re a small town where we know everybody, so I think what’s important is to remember the entire community functioning together is the only way we’re going to move forward,” said Haverkamp, a 53-year-old teacher. “I think the responsibility the citizens of our community have entrusted us with is something I take very seriously, and I’ll make sure I’m responsible to everyone in the community.”
Lane, a 68-year-old investment consultant, said the pro-development camp presented “a positive vision” that resonated with voters. However, he said much of the heavy lifting lies ahead, particularity the looming question of how much financial support the city will contribute to One University Place.
“Quite frankly, the work is just beginning,” Lane said. “We have to figure out the right development, especially the financing. I don’t want to see the community get financially strapped.”
Quezada, a 39-year-old attorney, said that even though Tuesday’s five victors campaigned as a “loose coalition,” they each will bring distinct approaches to the council in how they’d like to see the development take shape.
“I think the voters are ready for smart, intelligent growth in our community, and I’m ready to do the people’s business and protect our best interest going forward and setting us up for a bright and fulfilling future in University Heights,” Quezada said.
Miller said that with St. Andrew Presbyterian Church set to finalize the sale of the property to the developer and relocate in the coming years, she’s eager to help University Heights “start trying to move forward.”
“We now have a pretty firm time line of when the church is moving out that we can work around, so there are not as many unknowns as there were in the past,” said Miller, a 31-year-old stay-at-home mother.
Mayor Louise From, who ran uncontested, will serve a fifth term as mayor after collecting 90 percent of the votes.
With 60 percent of registered voters casting a ballot, residents ousted the three City Council members who have stood in opposition of a developer’s plans to construct the mixed-use project along Melrose Avenue called One University Place.
Incumbents Rosanne Hopson, Jan Leff and Brennan McGrath — who have fought the proposed commercial and condominium project that has been at the center of bitter debate the past five years — each lost their seats. They will be replaced by Virginia Miller,Zadok Nampala and Silvia Quezada, a trio of first-time challengers who ran on pro-development platforms.
“I’m really looking forward to working together with the rest of the group and finally having a green light for the development going forward, the way people in University Heights want to see it,” said Nampala, a 30-year-old master’s student in social work at the University of Iowa.
Pro-development incumbents Mike Haverkamp and Jim Lane retained their council posts with the top two showings, garnering 63 percent and 60 percent, unofficially.
In total, 559 of University Heights’ 927 registered voters cast a ballot, or 60.3 percent. It was by far the highest percentage of any city in Johnson County, and set a new city record for turnout, surpassing the previous high mark of 534 voters in 2011.
Although past elections amid the One University Place debate have been decided by razor-thin margins and resulted in councils with clashing development philosophies, the coalition of pro-development candidates ran away with the race this time around.
Still, rather than touting victory, Haverkamp and others stressed moving on from the contentious and sometimes ugly debates of the past few years and bringing people back together.
“The thing to always remember is we’re a small town where we know everybody, so I think what’s important is to remember the entire community functioning together is the only way we’re going to move forward,” said Haverkamp, a 53-year-old teacher. “I think the responsibility the citizens of our community have entrusted us with is something I take very seriously, and I’ll make sure I’m responsible to everyone in the community.”
Lane, a 68-year-old investment consultant, said the pro-development camp presented “a positive vision” that resonated with voters. However, he said much of the heavy lifting lies ahead, particularity the looming question of how much financial support the city will contribute to One University Place.
“Quite frankly, the work is just beginning,” Lane said. “We have to figure out the right development, especially the financing. I don’t want to see the community get financially strapped.”
Quezada, a 39-year-old attorney, said that even though Tuesday’s five victors campaigned as a “loose coalition,” they each will bring distinct approaches to the council in how they’d like to see the development take shape.
“I think the voters are ready for smart, intelligent growth in our community, and I’m ready to do the people’s business and protect our best interest going forward and setting us up for a bright and fulfilling future in University Heights,” Quezada said.
Miller said that with St. Andrew Presbyterian Church set to finalize the sale of the property to the developer and relocate in the coming years, she’s eager to help University Heights “start trying to move forward.”
“We now have a pretty firm time line of when the church is moving out that we can work around, so there are not as many unknowns as there were in the past,” said Miller, a 31-year-old stay-at-home mother.
Mayor Louise From, who ran uncontested, will serve a fifth term as mayor after collecting 90 percent of the votes.
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