Three years ago, Myra Gleason and her husband Gabe moved to Iola from California to open Wild Bloom Coffee. From the start, several things about Iola stood out. “Everyone drops everything to help you,” Gleason said, noting that when their espresso machine broke down and flooded the store, people she didn’t even know stopped by to help.
“People here really care,” she said. “They care about how you’re doing.” Gleason found, she says, “an overwhelming joy in seeing what community actually looks like.”
Now, after several years of being in what she calls “observation mode,” Gleason is seeking to give back to her new home. She’s a candidate for Iola City Council, running against Ward 3 incumbent Nich Lohman. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4.
GLEASON places a high priority on developing a vision for Iola. “Iola has to find its why. It has to cast a vision,” she told the Register. “We need a five-year plan, and we have to be able to stick to a plan even when hard decisions have to be made.”
It’s not enough to just have the plan, though. Gleason points to the necessity of communicating that plan with the public, saying, “We have to have a level of transparency with our constituents.”
For Gleason, an Iola without a vision, without clearly stated goals and plans, is a town spinning its wheels. “I think at one point Iola had a lot of vision, and then it got stuck,” she says. “We’re just functioning. People show up, do what’s in front of them, they leave, and that’s it.”
That’s simply not good enough, Gleason insists. When looking at the City Council’s activities over the last couple of years, “I haven’t seen a lot of good ideas,” she says. “How are we going to grow? We are all risk-adverse. No one is willing to take chances.”
In particular, Gleason is concerned the city isn’t doing enough to grow, whether by attracting new residents or bringing in new businesses.
“If we keep going down this road of declining population and more taxes, we will not sustain Iola. We will become a ghost town,” she warns. “How do we bring in money?”
Gleason points to Lehigh Portland State Park, which is slated to open to the public this spring. She sees the state park as an economic opportunity for Iola, but only if we’re primed to capitalize on it.
“What are some initiatives that the city has for the state park? Do we have a trail to the square? Do we have a vision?” she asks. “I would love to see some PR done. We can’t just expect the Register and the Chamber to do it all. The city needs to invest in marketing. We need a brand. We do not have a brand here. We need an identity.”
Gleason also worries about the city’s staffing levels. “There’s a lot of payroll going out,” she notes. “Do we need all of these city workers? That’s taboo to say because city workers are your neighbors. No one wants to take away jobs, but if you have a plan, those are the hard decisions that need to be made.”
AS A private citizen, Gleason knows there’s much happening behind the scenes with the city government. She knows she “can’t see everything.” But that’s also part of why she’s running: to increase openness with local government.
“As a council member, we have to be transparent with our constituents,” she says. “They need to see progress, and many times we’re left in the dark. There’s no one who gives progress updates, and if you ask them, they’re not transparent.”
Gleason notes recent experiences with the local city government have left her with a sour taste. “My history with the Council — I can’t say it has been positive. And if that’s my experience, think about everyone else here. I feel that I don’t have a voice, I don’t feel seen, and I don’t feel heard. People are so afraid to speak out, not because they’re unkind, but because of retaliation.”
HOUSING is a key concern for Gleason. “When I came here, there were monthly Airbnb rentals and some homes for purchase,” she notes. “There was almost nothing for me to rent.”
