Aaron Franklin did more than just put some idle thought into his decision to run for an Iola City Council seat. FRANKLIN, 31, has been an active campaigner. He estimates he’s visited 80 percent of the homes in his ward, with more to come. FRANKLIN has already heard an earful from the voters. (Editor’s note: Franklin is unrelated to Councilwoman Beverly Franklin.)
He did some research — lots of it.
Franklin has read the minutes of every city council meeting (and city commission before that) since 2009.
“Everything I do, I take seriously,” he said. “Hard work and service go hand in hand with being a good representative.”
Franklin is challenging incumbent Steven French in the April 7 general election in Ward 4. (See related article on French elsewhere in today’s Register.) Voters will choose between the two in the April 7 general election.
Any takeaways from the voluminous meeting minute study?
“The biggest thing I see is complacency, and not being proactive,” he said. “We’ve got to shift the culture from reactive to proactive. We have to develop a vision for the long-term goals for the city.”
For example, Franklin points to the recent discussions regarding campaign sign ordinances.
“We’re spending 15 to 20 minutes at a council meeting worrying about yard signs,” he said, instead of focusing on other issues, such as utility rates or infrastructure needs. “Let’s spend less time on trivial issues and more times on decisions that are going to affect us long-term. Why don’t we have a plan so not only does the city know what expenses are coming two, three, four years down the road, but the citizens know, too?”
While the city has such a plan in place, Franklin said the council does too little on keeping it in focus.
“Some people ask me what my agenda is,” he said. “My agenda has been to be a representative, to be a voice for people’s concerns. You, know, I hate the word ‘constituents.’ It reminds me of ‘Oh Brother Where Art Thou.’ It’s almost derogatory to me. These are the folks I’d be honored to represent.”
After graduating from Iola High School, Franklin attended Allen Community College and Kansas State University before traveling much of the United States for his role in the insurance industry. He works out of his home for Nationwide Insurance.
For the past 10 years, Franklin has worked as a claims adjuster, then as an auditor. Both, he said, give him a unique perspective on city matters.
“I’ve worked with commercial properties and businesses for a long time, and I’ve spent a great deal of time working with homeowners. I have an understanding of how we think as individual homeowners and as business owners.”
He’s also ready and able to make tough decisions.
“When you’re settling complex losses that range in multi-million dollars, you don’t always get to tell people what they want to hear,” he said. “There are times when I’ve showed up at doors and had to tell told people I can’t help them.”
His time as an auditor, meanwhile, has taught Franklin how to read the fine print; how to understand profits and losses; how to establish — and stick to — a budget.
“What really helps me, and what I think I’m going to bring to the council, and I don’t see a lot of right now, is that I can build relationships with the other council members so they understand that I have the best interest of everybody at heart,” he said. “It’s OK to disagree. It’s a good thing to disagree. If people are always on the same page, and just agree because they are comfortable with each other, and they don’t want to unsteady the waters, that’s when bad things happen. That’s not a good strategy.
“I’m not going in Wyatt Earp gunslinging and trying to rock the boat right away. You’ve got to understand, change does not happen overnight, but I am going in with the mindset that I have a very strong backbone, and I have a lot of conviction, and I’ll state my opinions and beliefs.
“My agenda is to promote collaboration,” Franklin said. “We can’t solve problems if our egos are in the way. You have to be able to take a macro look at the city, take a macro look at what your ward is, and make a decision that’s best for the whole.”
“The roads and infrastructure are the biggest thing people in this area I’ve spoken to have concerns with,” he said. “They are concerned with how much money we’re spending on — and it’s not necessarily something I agree with — but how much we’re spending on the trail systems and the recreation, when we have part of our town that’s deteriorating. Like I said, it’s not my agenda. It’s what they’re telling me.”
Franklin and wife Allegra have three sons.
Franklin: Planning vital for Iola
