The Square

Learning from successful and seasoned Mayors is not only helpful in gaining understanding…it is also a lot of fun! We welcome Caleb Housh, Mayor of Seymour, and Courtney Clark, Mayor of Waukee to The Square where they share about themselves, how they ended up in city government, their accomplishments, and what campaigning is like.

Milestone birthdays only come around every so often. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Iowa League of Cities. This is something worth celebrating for any organization, and we will be doing just that this year. We welcome Jess Vogel and Alan Kemp from the League to share their research and insight on the past 125 years and hear about several milestones along the way. Look for other ways...

Each year during the League's Annual Conference & Exhibit we get the honor of inducting someone to the Hall of Fame which recognizes individuals who have provided extraordinary public service to the League and local government. This year was no exception to that rule. This month on The Square, we chatted with our two newest Hall of Fame winners, Larry Burger and Teresa Rotschafer. Hear how they go...

During this month’s episode, we welcome two very talented (and quite humorous!) city clerks as Trish Gleason with the city of Dubuque and Shelby Hagan with the city of Bondurant join The Square. Gleason and Hagan share how they ended up working as city clerks and the variety their job brings on a daily basis. This episode is full of fun and meaningful stories that all city clerks across the state...

As we all enjoy a nice, warm Iowa summer, The Square sits down with Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart, whose community will serve as host to the League's 2022 Annual Conference & Exhibit. Mayor Hart and his team are excited to welcome city officials from around the state and show off the impressive work being done in Waterloo, including the redevelopment of a historic neighborhood, riverfront amphitheat...

Why does my small city in Iowa need to worry about cyberattacks and cybersecurity? Why would we spend our city funds on something our citizens can’t even enjoy or see the benefits from? How do I know if an email is legit? This month on The Square we invite Cole Two Bears with ThinkGard to tackle these questions and more. We are certain that after hearing what Cole has to say your city will think t...

This might be called the "Fun Episode" as Parks and Rec Directors Matt Jermier with the City of Waukee and Nick Schenck with the City of Adel stopped by The Square for a great conversation. Both began their careers when the Parks & Recreation departments had just opened in their respective cities and they've been having fun ever since! Hear exactly what goes into running their department, the bene...

This month we welcome Mayor Matt Walsh from Council Bluffs and Mayor Lorraine Borowski from Decorah. These two strong leaders share advice and wisdom from their combined 57 years of serving in some form of city government. Hear how they measure success, what it means to be “off the clock” as an elected official, and their favorite and least favorite things about their role as mayor. Mayor Walsh an...

This month’s episode features a conversation with the League’s governmental affairs team. Robert Palmer and Daniel Stalder share the importance of the interim months between legislative sessions and the foundation that happens during that time. We also hear an overview of the League’s Legislative Values and they discuss ways cities can become more involved with the legislative process and how thei...

Happy holidays! We're joined this month by Lohrville Mayor, and new League President, Donny Hobbs. Mayor Hobbs shares his perspective on the importance of public services, some of the work the city and local volunteers have done in his community, and what they're hoping to achieve in the near future. He also provides some of the goals he has for his tenure as League President, highlighted by a pus...

On this months episode we talked to a few of the award winners from our 2021 Annual Conference & Exhibit: Rhonda Wood Smith Award Winner: Holly Berg, Council Member, Ottumwa Hall of Fame Award Winner: John Lundell, Mayor, Coralville Hall of Fame Award Winner: Decker Ploehn, City Administrator, Bettendorf Each award winner offers great advice to newly elected, veterans and everyone in between. We f...

The League's Annual Conference & Exhibit is quickly approaching and The Square is joined by Kelly Hayworth, Coralville City Administrator, as he discusses the great events that his community will host in September. Kelly shares some of the benefits of attending the Annual Conference, the fun spots around the Iowa River Landing that attendees can enjoy during their stay, and how the camping theme i...

It may be summer but this fall’s regular city elections are right around the corner. This month we brought in Heidi Burhans with the Secretary of State’s Office who is a true expert in all thing’s elections. We discuss what cities need to do to prepare, the nomination process, what is required for someone to be eligible to be a candidate for elective office in Iowa, and much more. We then welcome...

What's your favorite place to visit in Iowa? In this month's episode, we chat with Amy Zeigler, the State Tourism Manager at the Iowa Tourism Office, about the many great places around the state to visit this summer. And our hosts, Katie Wheeler and Mickey Shields, also share some of their favorite summer travel spots. Give it a listen and let us know your favorite places in Iowa! This month's epi...

Spring is in full bloom and cities across Iowa are gearing up for summer programs and projects. Part of the work includes nuisance abatement, which is usually not a fun part of municipal government but always a necessity. This month's episode of The Square features a lively discussion on city nuisance abatement efforts as we are joined by Clinton's Rich Foley and Tammy Johnson along with Pat O'Con...

A community's road infrastructure is critical to daily life and in this month's episode, we are joined by Travis Goedken, Humboldt City Administrator, who talks about what it's like to manage a city's street system. Travis details the importance of planning and prioritizing needs, the different types of streets that the city maintains, and the process to complete road projects. We are also joined...

Welcome back! After a bit of a delay, The Square is rolling again as this month we chat with IMWCA's Safety and Risk Improvement Team. Dean Schade, Scott Smith, and Staci Griffin provide insights into working safely during an Iowa winter, pitfalls to avoid, and navigating the roads when winter weather hits. We are then joined by Jim Holz of MSA, an engineering and architectural design firm that wo...

City budget season has arrived! The Square chats with Marion's Budget Manager, Zach Wolfe, to get his thoughts on how to prepare for the city budget and what leads to a successful process. As a city official that is relatively new to Iowa, Zach also shares his perspective of learning our state's property tax system, fund accounting and more. We are also joined by Nate Summers from DA Davidson, one...

Summer has ended, school has started and The Square is back with a new episode! We talk with Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart, who was recently elected as President of the League. Mayor Hart shares what led him to serving on the city council and as mayor, the unique position of being a full-time mayor (a rarity in Iowa) and some of the fun and challenges that come with the job. We also talk about Mayor...

Summer is rolling along and we have another episode of The Square for your listening pleasure! This month we talk to Erin Mullenix, the League's Research Director, who provides a rundown on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on city finances. We discuss the various revenues that are projected to decline as well as expenditures that may be affected. Erin also shares findings from recent sur...

How does a native of Southern California end up as the city administrator in Strawberry Point, Iowa? Find out in this month's episode of The Square! Alison Osweiler, who joined the city in 2016, talks about her interesting journey to Iowa and to municipal government. We talk about what it's been like to manage a city during a pandemic, some of the city's plans for reopening facilities and programs...

The Square is back with a new episode! Enjoy a fun interview with Stacy Goodhue, who serves as the library director for the City of Carlisle. We actually recorded this prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Stacy's thoughts on the importance of public libraries rings true now more than ever. Hear what it takes to run a city library and the various programs and services they provide - you may be surpr...

The Square took a break from its regularly scheduled interviews to talk about COVID-19 and the impact it has on city governments in Iowa. We cover some League news, including adjustments we have made thus far to scheduled in-person workshops and how we will continue to operate through remote working. We also discuss some of the critical issues cities are facing currently, including the use of elec...

Buckle up your seat belts! The Square chats with Grinnell Police Chief Dennis Reilly for an insightful discussion on community law enforcement and the critical role police departments play in our cities. Dennis shared some of his background of growing up in New Jersey and starting out as a police officer before eventually working his to becoming chief of police, as well as how he landed in Iowa. W...

Our first episode of 2020! It's a new year, a new decade and we have a new edition of The Square that features a very interesting discussion about municipal public works. Scott Kleppe, Solon's Public Works Director, joins us to chat about how a city's water and wastewater system works. For those who have wondered how water gets to their faucet, or what happens when you flush a toilet, give a liste...