T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY From left to right, Mayor Joel Greer, First Ward Councilor Mike Ladehoff, At-Large Councilor Barry Kell, At-Large Councilor Jeff Schneider and Third Ward Councilor Dex Walker pose for a photo after a swearing in ceremony at Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Monday morning.

A new year means new local officials in Marshalltown, and three first-timers along with an incumbent councilor and mayor were sworn in after taking the oath of office at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Monday morning.

Barry Kell (at-large), Jeff Schneider (at-large) and Dex Walker (Third Ward) are new to the city council, while Mike Ladehoff of the First Ward is serving another term. Ladehoff initially served from 1995 to 2001 and rejoined the council in February of 2021 after winning a special election over Raymond Starks. He was then re-elected in an uncontested race in November. Mayor Joel Greer will serve a second term after winning re-election over challenger Serina Stabenow in the November election.

Kell, Schneider and Walker, who range in age from mid 30s to early 40s, are excited to bring a new perspective to the council and hope to spearhead the continued redevelopment and growth of the downtown area, and they can expect full agendas at their first few meetings. In addition to the downtown initiatives, Schneider would like to see an expansion of industrial commerce space in Marshalltown to attract both companies and families.

“I don’t think I’m really nervous about anything. I’m just excited to address some of the issues the council’s already been working on — downtown revitalization, economic development and housing,” Schneider said. “I think there’s a lot of opportunities, and I’m looking forward to some progress.”

Kell offered a similar outlook, noting that all three of the new council members are committed to helping Marshalltown expand in the coming years.

“I think we share a lot of the same hopes and wishes for the growth and betterment of the community, and now we begin to work collaboratively to achieve that,” he said.

Ladehoff, who first served when he was in his 30s, remembered the guidance he received from the late Bob Schubert on how to become an effective councilman. He also stressed the importance of being able to disagree without letting it affect personal relationships.

“Everyone has their chance to vote. Everyone is entitled to their vote, and that’s just the way it is. Sometimes it’s a little tough,” Ladehoff said. “I’m looking forward to working with these guys. I think we’ve got a good group. They’ve all got special talents that I think we can all use on city council.”

After making the decision to step up and run for city council, the newcomers are excited to hit the ground running, and now that they’re officially sworn in, the hard part begins.

“I think we’ve all been participating in a lot of conversations, learning a lot (and) gleaning a lot from other people who have been through this experience in guiding Marshalltown to this point,” Walker said. “We’re excited to cross the finish line and get to the real work.”

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.