Iolan John Smith became the first candidate to throw his hat in Iola’s mayoral race, while competitive races in two of Iola’s four voting wards have been assured as three more candidates filed for seats on Iola’s new city council.
Smith, a retired hotel manager, cited his experience in managing employees and dealing with people to help make decisions as beneficial to a mayor’s role.
“I think I can help Iola get through this crisis,” Smith said. “I see it as a crisis, because we are going to have a brand new form of government” and wrong decisions made early on could cripple the city. “I have no hidden agendas. I have no agenda at all, except to help the city.
“It’s time to unlock the hidden potential of our community,” he said. “We have a lot of good people who can help the city, but we need to find them.”
Smith, 73, managed Klein Tools north of Moran for eight years before turning to the hotel management business. He and wife Mary managed a Motel 6 in Arkansas for six years before moving closer to family in Allen County. Then, they managed the Best Western Motel for eight years and Super 8 Motel for four more.
They retired in 2008 to Arkansas, a stay that lasted less than a year before returning to Iola.
“If I have one piece of advice, if you’re looking to retire and move to a community, find out what kind of medical services and doctors you have available there,” Smith said.
Routine doctors appointments in Arkansas typically required a wait of 90 days or longer, he noted, a critical issue for Mary Smith, who suffers from diabetes.
Upon returning, Smith continued his locksmith operation and has since been involved with Allen County’s Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) a network of first responders throughout the county who can assist various agencies, such as firefighters and ambulance personnel, in emergency situations.
He also served previously on the Gas City Council in the mid 1980s and on Iola’s Tourism Board. He also was active with the Knights of Columbus.
Incumbent Bill Maness announced last month that he will not seek re-election.
“I saw that nobody else had stepped up and filed yet, and I think I can serve the city,” Smith said. “If a better candidate files, that’s fine, but I think I have a lot to offer the city.”
THE LIST OF city council hopefuls grew by three. Scott Stewart filed for a seat in Iola’s first ward, while Jerod Kelley and Richard Gilliland both joined the race in Iola’s fourth ward.
Stewart is former Iola city employee, working a combined 12 years as a 911 dispatcher and as an assistant purchasing agent. He also assisted occasionally in Iola’s administrative and city clerk’s offices.
“We have a great city to live in,” Stewart said. It will be the new city council’s responsibility to manage resources wisely to avoid having to cut services.
“We have a solid infrastructure, but there’s a danger in damaging that if we don’t make wise decisions,” he said. Efficiency is key, he concluded.
“It would be a privilege to serve the community.”
Stewart is currently the Humboldt municipal court clerk.
KELLEY, AT 30, is the youngest to file for a seat on the new city council.
He is a construction engineer with the Kansas Department of Transportation and is charged with administering road and other construction projects throughout the area.
Kelley said his skills at reaching consensus on hot-button topics “is my strong suit. I’ve always been able to pull people together.”
Kelley moved to Iola about six years ago and sees an eight-man city council as the best fit for the city.
“And you need some diversity on a panel like that in order to ensure good changes will happen,” he said.
He vowed to visit with residents throughout the fourth district — the southeast quadrant of town — to learn more about his neighborhood’s concerns.
“I love Iola, so I have a vested interest in seeing this community continue to grow,” he said. “There are several challenges before us.”
GILLILAND, a retired firefighter, said he would serve the city earnestly.
“I had a few people who talked me into this because I will do an honest job,” Gilliland said.
Gilliland hopes to see Iola’s governing body retain its focus on community service. It will be critical, he said, for the new council to have members willing to work together and reach agreements honestly and with critical thinking.
“If the new council members don’t work together, nothing will get accomplished,” he said, “and Iola will continue to suffer.
“I don’t profess to know it all, but I want the people in my ward to know that they can come to me if they have concerns,” he continued.
Gilliland, like Stewart, said maintaining Iola’s level of community service as one of the new council’s biggest challenges.
“There’s some comfort in knowing that if your water goes off at 4 in the morning, or if you have a fire, that you have a dedicated, skilled city employee who can be on the scene immediately,” Gilliland said. “If elected, I would do so in the town’s and the city employees’ best interests.”
WITH STEWART in Ward I, voters will choose from among him, Steffen Centlivre and Nancy Ford. Kelley and Gilliland are the third and fourth candidates to seek a seat in the fourth ward. Other candidates are Ken Rowe and Jim West.
Melinda Luttrell is the only candidate in Iola’s second ward. Jim Kilby is the only candidate in the third.
Candidates have until noon Jan. 25 to file.
