Other council candidates explain campaigns

Two of the 10 candidates on the Nov. 2 ballot for Creston City Council seats are running unopposed. They are Jocelyn Blazek for Ward 1 and Steve Wintermute for Ward 5.

Thursday’s council candidate forum featured only the candidates for contested seats. Blazek and Wintermute provided statements about their campaigns during the forum.

Steve Wintermute:

“I have decided to run for Fifth Ward council partly because of my own desire and the request of several people. As you may know, I have been on the council previously. I have a good understanding of how city government works. My hope is to have a good working relationship with the council in order to get things done. We all know budgets are tight, so we have to be judicious in what gets done and what gets pushed back. I’ve always been interested in the best for Creston and your tax dollars.”

Jocelyn Blazek:

“I am currently the Ward 1 representative for the Creston City Council. I was raised on a farm a few miles northwest of Creston and while I have only lived in Creston for a few years I have been a part of this community my whole life. My parents have both worked here since I was a child, I have family here, I participated in dance here all the way through high school, I am a graduate of Southwestern Community College, and I am currently the parent of child who is growing up in this community and is in his final year at St. Malachy school.

I have also worked in this community for the last 11 years and I have over a decade of experience in government. Since 2010 I have been contracted by the state to coordinate child welfare services for eight counties in Southwest Iowa, including Union County. Through this position I work with a multitude of agencies and organizations on a local, county, and statewide level and am responsible for managing state and federal funds as part of the child welfare coordination process. I also have experience at the township and city levels as I have been both a township clerk and a city clerk. From these experiences I have developed an extensive understanding and healthy respect for fiscal accountability and responsibility that I have brought with me into my role as a city councilperson, a role that for the past two years I have thoroughly enjoyed.

This city and this community have played a large part in shaping who I am today and in who my son is becoming, and for those reasons, among many others, are why I am passionate about seeing Creston continue to grow and thrive and be a safe, secure place for all who live here. That passion combined with my experience is why I believe I am the best candidate to represent Ward 1 and I would be honored to have the opportunity to continue to the serve the people who live there.”

Vidette Dixon-Borgmann is running for one of the at-large council seats. She was not in attendance at the forum but provided a statement.

“I am a resident of Creston for 16 years. I am running for city council because I believe that minorities, working class, and people that are considered and treated as outsiders are a part of this community, too. We need a seat at the table so our community can truly grow humanly and financially.

I have volunteered for several organizations in the community. I was the first African-American to graduate from High Lakes Leadership Academy. I was the first African-American on the Friends of the Library Board. December 2020, I joined the library board of trustees. I became the first African-American to join any city board.

I believer we should treat each other better, have affordable housing and attract more businesses to the community. I will work for the community and for you because everyone should be sitting at the table.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2. The following is the list of polling locations based on towns, townships and wards

Afton, Union, Jones, Pleasant: Afton United Methodist Church

Arispe, Sand Creek, Grant: Arispe United Methodist Church

Creston Ward 1: Salem Lutheran Church

Creston Ward 2, Spaulding, Douglas, Platte: Southwestern Community College arts building

Creston Ward 3: Trinity Lutheran Church

Creston Ward 4, Highland: Supertel Inn

Creston Ward 5, Lincoln: Crest Baptist Church

Cromwell: Southwestern Community College arts building

Lorimor, Dodge, New Hope: Lorimor City Hall

Shannon City: Arispe United Methodist Church

Thayer: Afton United Methodist Church.

Voters are required to provide a form of identification at the polling place before receiving a ballot. Voters who are not pre-registered and voters registering on Election Day will be required to show proof of residence. Those with physical disability may vote from a vehicle. For more information about voter registration contact the Union County Auditor’s Office at 641-782-1701.