T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Fourth Ward Marshalltown city council candidates Mark Eaton, left, and Melisa Fonseca, right, participated in a forum hosted by the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce inside Dejardin Hall on the MCC campus Tuesday night.

Before a packed house of at least 60 attendees inside Dejardin Hall on the Marshalltown Community College (MCC) campus, Fourth Ward city council candidates Mark Eaton and Melisa Fonseca shared their credentials and answered questions from Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO John Hall during a forum held Tuesday evening ahead of the July 16 special election.

As they explained in their opening remarks, both hopefuls grew up in Marshalltown and graduated from MHS — albeit a few decades apart — and Eaton graduated from MCC and worked in the engineering field in California and Utah, earning additional degrees from Brigham Young University in the process, before returning here in 2015. Fonseca, who graduated from MHS in 2014, headed to UNI and studied abroad in Greece for a semester but came back to Marshalltown and entered the real estate field from there. She now operates a brokerage of her own.

Hall first asked each candidate about their visions for growth and the future of Marshalltown, with Fonseca calling for “a little bit of everything” to benefit all of the community and keep the budget in check. Eaton felt Marshalltown was positioned for growth but had handicapped its efforts when the government chooses winners and losers, instead preferring a “level playing field” to promote organic growth.

The next question was about addressing the ongoing workforce shortage locally. Eaton commended MCC and the Marshalltown Community School District (MCSD) for promoting trade programs, and Fonseca shared her own experience as a “boomerang” who always intended to return but felt amenities and good paying jobs would attract MHS grads and newcomers alike.

From there, Hall moved on to a question about the Destination Iowa grants for four projects in the Linn Creek District — the Ann C. Keyser Trailhead, the Apgar Family Water Plaza, the Emerson Bridge and the Martha-Ellen Tye Playhouse — and whether each candidate favored them. Fonseca offered her wholehearted support.

“All of these amenities are open to everybody of all ages and all abilities, and I think that when we set ourselves to be more unique, that is how it brings more of an attraction for people moving here or just those boomerangs coming back, anything like that,” she said. “Making Marshalltown special is the way to go, and I think with these special unique things that aren’t everywhere, it definitely sets us apart and it will help us in the long run.”

Eaton said he liked the plans for the projects but struggled with figuring out how to fund them and didn’t feel the burden should fall on Marshalltown’s taxpayers.

“Taxpayer money is low hanging fruit. As a community, if we’re really Team Marshalltown, if we’re really a community, then there are other funding sources that I would expect to be standing on the front line with the taxpayer, and I think we can achieve that and all get what we want — a fiscally sound government and amenities to enjoy,” he said.

When Hall asked him for specifics on what wasn’t currently “at the table,” Eaton responded that he had seen improvement over the last few years with more involvement from the Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation and the Ann C. Keyser Trust. The topic of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) drew one of the more animated exchanges of the night as Hall pressed Eaton, based on his response in the T-R candidate questionnaire, to square away the past successes of the tool in Marshalltown with Eaton’s belief that the practice is detrimental to growth overall.

Eaton called TIF “a love-hate relationship” depending on how it is used and expressed concern with corruption and wealth redistribution. Hall also asked him about tax abatement incentives, which he was also critical of in the questionnaire.

“This is just a discussion. This is the way I think about the problem, and we need to seriously evaluate it. Is it really generating a return on investment? I don’t think we can put the numbers on those things,” Eaton said.

Hall then concluded by asking Eaton if he was suggesting there had been corruption in the use of TIF locally, to which he replied that while he wouldn’t go so far as to use that term, he did see cases of favoritism. Eaton specifically cited the fact that former Willard’s Owner Jonathan Hull’s grant application for upper story housing had been denied after he opposed the Self Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID), but when Joe and Janelle Carter purchased the property, they were successful in obtaining similar grants.

“I think that favoritism within the government is handicapping Marshalltown from growth,” he said.

That line drew a round of applause from some in the audience, which immediately prompted Hall to shut it down and ask that it not happen again. Fonseca, by contrast, commented that she felt Marshalltown had been conservative with TIF, and she supported tax abatement incentives for new builds. The next question centered around the city budget, with both candidates opining that it is a complex animal and would require frugal decisions going forward. Eaton said he didn’t feel further cuts were possible, that projects would simply need to be prioritized and that he didn’t support using Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) to balance deficits annually.

Both candidates stressed the need for beefed up code enforcement within the city as it has become one of the most discussed subjects in 2024, and a question texted in from a 4th Ward resident focused on the diversity of the community and how each candidate would strive to make Marshalltown more inclusive.

“Marshalltown has pride in its diversity, and as we keep going, it is very important to kind of bring in all those voices,” Fonseca, who would be the first Latina ever elected to the council, said.

Recounting his experiences with friends who had German immigrant parents to meeting refugees from Laos who came to Iowa after the Vietnam War, Eaton, who is working on learning Spanish, added that the diversity of the community makes Marshalltown unique and special.

“I respect all of the immigrants and their plights that they have had to endure to get to freedom, and I want to keep that freedom within the community,” he said.

In reference to the turmoil at city hall over the last year, both Eaton and Fonseca said they would strive to build a better working environment aimed at attracting and retaining top-tier department heads and staff, including the city administrator position. When asked to share their volunteering experience within the community, Fonseca noted her work on the recent Fourth of July celebration and the My Marshalltown Civic Pride group, and Eaton noted that he was recently appointed to the city’s Board of Adjustment.

As for their top priorities, Eaton’s was simple: the budget. Fonseca hoped to bring more people to the table of city government while supporting the long-term growth of the community. Another question dealt with House File 718 and the loss of standalone levies, with Fonseca indicating that she would support funding the entities at their previous levels, and Eaton felt that taxing individuals to fund nonprofit entities like the Marshalltown Community Band or the Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center (MACC) would make him less likely to donate privately.

Both candidates cited a desire to support small businesses in Marshalltown, with Eaton sharing that his overriding philosophy was to get government out of the way and Fonseca believing that the city should be willing to help fledgling businesses downtown or anywhere else in the community.

They also agreed on the positive impact of Main Street being rebuilt within the next several years — “It’s about time,” Eaton quipped — and Eaton hoped other neighborhood streets would also receive some attention. After questions about the failed franchise fee vote last fall and the Arts and Culture Master Plan, Hall asked how the city council could better promote housing to attract workers to Marshalltown. Eaton returned to his refrain of reducing regulations, and Fonseca again touted the positive benefits of providing incentives for new construction.

The ongoing Marshalltown Mall quagmire came up next, with both candidates expressing hope that a new buyer could be found to restore it back to something resembling its former glory. Eaton mentioned the city’s property maintenance code and felt that if the mall was in violation, the owners could be held accountable.

In her closing remarks, Fonseca touted her love for the community where she was born, raised and has since returned to and the fresh perspective she would bring to the seat as a young Latina entrepreneur.

“My diverse background is a part of this community, and it is something that I am proud of. And I think that this is a step forward, especially for our city government and the representation of our city council reflecting what the people look like as well,” she said.

Eaton said his goal was to make more people cognizant of local government and how it affects their taxes, citing his own history of attending meetings regularly since he moved back to Marshalltown and attempting to educate voters.

“You have the most power in your local government. You can reach out and ask questions of staff, and we are a community of the right size that you can get those answers and get guidance with them,” he said.

The candidates are vying to replace the late Al Hoop, the longtime 4th Ward councilor who passed away in March after running unopposed for a fifth term in the 2023 election. The winner will serve out the remainder of Hoop’s term, which concludes at the end of 2027.

The election is still set for July 16 with early voting currently underway at the Marshall County Courthouse.