Trending
As the deadline to submit letters of interest for appointment to the vacant Third Ward Marshalltown city council seat before the Sept. 12 special election passed Thursday at 4 p.m., there are still three interested candidates -- just not the same three as originally reported.
Doris Kinnick, a midday DJ at KIX 101.1, has withdrawn from consideration and also told the T-R she will not be pursuing the necessary signatures to get on the ballot in September. Nonetheless, she plans to stay involved and will continue to attend meetings as a citizen.
"I will continue to hold all the members of the City Council accountable for their actions," Kinnick said.
With Kinnick now out, candidates Chris Bennett, an Information Technology Systems Administrator in the probation/parole office for the State of Iowa, and Greg Nichols, a manager of IT services for Jenzabar Inc., are both still running, and according to City Clerk Alicia Hunter, a third candidate, Leopoldo Reyes, submitted a letter of interest before the deadline. In his letter, which was attached to the city council agenda for Monday night, Reyes, a 2007 MHS graduate, said he believes he would be an asset to the council "because I believe my opinions and input would help our community become a better place to live in."
"I started a family, a business and have been a resident of Marshalltown my whole life, it feels like. With that being said, I would like the opportunity to make a difference in our community so our kids and families can have a fun, safe and welcoming town to live in," Reyes wrote.
The aforementioned agenda includes an item for the temporary appointment of a councilor, but so far, there has been no indication of whether or not a majority of the council wishes to proceed with such a path as the appointee would sit for just two meetings before the election.
Whoever wins the seat on Sept. 12 will take the oath of office during the subsequent meeting on Sept. 25.