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Two candidates run for open mayoral seat

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Bill Frommelt

Sam Moser

Note: This is the first in a series of interviews with candidates for Guttenberg municipal offices in the Nov. 7 election. The series begins with the two candidates running for mayor. 

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Bill Frommelt

1. Why are you running for office? I believe Guttenberg can provide employment and housing opportunities with leadership from someone with knowledge about the vibrant years of Guttenberg, business experience and team leadership experience.  I have these qualifications through education, experience with a large business as well as business ownership and more than 15 years of project management, team building and business development experience.

2. How are you qualified to serve voters? My wife and I grew up in Guttenberg when the city was busy and very vibrant in the 60s – when we had three grocery stores, a bowling alley, pool hall, movie theater, a busy ballroom and three hardware stores. We moved away after college but moved back to Guttenberg several years ago. In between, we lived in several cities in several states.  This invaluable experience can help me serve Guttenberg better.  While we cannot live in the past, we can, however, use that knowledge and experience and apply it to today's technology, trends and environment.

Degrees from Iowa State (electronics) and Upper Iowa University (marketing) have allowed me to combine both technical and business development education into the career of a hands-on technician, to a product development leader, and then into key positions with two start-up companies and the creation of several companies of my own. I am also licensed in two states with their respective contractor's boards.

I was also an arbitrator for the Better Business Bureau for 15 years and was on the Board of Directors for the BBB. This experience allowed me to listen to both sides of a dispute and to find an equitable solution to resolve the disputes. The BBB is known for its high standards of ethics and integrity.

3. How will you make a difference? Guttenberg has some unique challenges as well as some unique opportunities. We have a couple of fantastic assets – the river front park system as well as the Guttenberg residents.  We also have a major limitation – we are somewhat landlocked.  How do we go from a declining population to an increasing population? 

I believe we need to create “destination” businesses.  We need to create an environment where visitors come to our community because a particular business (or asset) is in Guttenberg. The river does this for us today but we need to create more of these “destination” assets (for example a well-known German restaurant, steak house, attraction) as well as keep and build on the existing businesses. When we grow this destination business demand, we can grow the other businesses and the population. When we grow the population, the more likely it is for industry to look at us as a larger pool of prospective employees and relocate near us.

Guttenberg has a population of empty nesters and “second home” owners. We need to work at developing a housing environment for younger families that creates future demand as well as address the need for senior housing.

I support the push for the umbrella arts activities that stimulate the mind and enhance the surroundings. The swimming pool is a valuable asset for the city and I hope the support is present to move forward with the project.

If you want to be heard, be sure to vote on November 7!

Sam Moser

   1. Why are you running for office? I am Guttenberg. Our town is important to me, and I would like the opportunity to help make a difference. 

   2. How are you qualified to serve voters? I grew up in Guttenberg and I am currently raising my two children here, Sadie who is 13 and John who is 15. Growing up here was a great experience for me, and I am happily choosing to give my children the same type of experience.

  I served in the United States Army and was deployed to Iraq for one year following 9/11. While deployed I acted as Squad Leader many times, placing me in charge of 10-20 men who all depended on my leadership for guidance and safety.

   I have also had the opportunity to serve my fellow workers at John Deere throughout my 13-year employment there, serving multiple times as CIPP Represenative and Union Steward. These positions required me to listen to the concerns and issues of my coworkers before presenting them to John Deere and UAW. In these positions I acquired good listening skills, an ability to negotiate, and an ability to see things from all sides.

   3. How will you make a difference? How will I make a difference? By shaking things up, of course. I love our little town, but I believe some changes need to be made. I am hoping that my progressive attitude and optimistic outlook on the future will help to bring great things to the town. One of the things I would like to change is more internal hiring of city work, rather than contracting out to various companies out of town for labor. One of the attractions of our town is going for a cruise. Whether you're a local cruising uptown to check out the water levels, or a tourist driving through to visit the local shops, everyone enjoys a cruise through town. The roads located in town are in need of some serious attention, I have multiple ideas on how to improve the cruise for our town. I would also like to see some additional access to Acre Street. If Guttenberg is to expand this will soon be the only space available.

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