Mark Peters was born in Iola, worked in Iola all his life and chose to stick around after retiring in 2014.
So he’s seen the city’s successes, setbacks, and challenges that lie ahead.
Iola’s not unlike other rural communities in this part of America that are witnessing a slow, but steady, population drain.
The most recent Census figures showed that Iola lost 5% of its population since 2010.
“That’s a pretty good chunk of people to lose every 10 years,” he said. “We might get a few who move in, but a lot moving out.”
The lost population puts an extra burden on those who remain.
“We have fewer customers” who buy utilities and other goods in town, thus pinching the city’s revenues for costs that rarely, if ever, drop.
Which begs the question.
“How do we turn this around?” Peters asked.
He hopes, if re-elected to the Iola City Council, to help seek out those answers.
Peters is completing his first four-year term on the Council. He is opposed by Josh McArdle in Iola’s Ward 4, which covers the southeastern quadrant of town, in the Nov. 2 city and school board elections.
Peters is well aware there’s no magic bullet in stemming Iola’s population losses, which have been consistent since the start of the 20th Century. Only one Census report (1980) saw an increase from 10 years before.
“I don’t know what it will take to get people to move here, short of giving them a free home,” Peters said.
Attracting more large businesses doesn’t need to be a part of the turnaround, Peters opined. He notes there are plenty of jobs available around town. And, for that matter, empty houses.
“In my area of town, a 3-by-3 block has 80 homes,” he noted. “Ten are sitting empty. Two have been empty for 25 years.”
While he admits the houses aren’t new, he’s curious if some can be restored enough to attract a new resident.
“It would be nice to have a crew come in that could do renovations reasonably enough to keep people here,” Peters said.
He’s also eager to see the city adjust its ordinance dictating how big lots must be for a homeowner to build new.
See, the lots a century ago were 50-by-100, while Iola’s ordinances mandate a new home be built on a 75-by-100-foot lot.
“So that means somebody has to buy two lots right off the bat,” he said.
However, he hopes to create an exemption for smaller homes.
“Say, if you’re gonna build a home between 700 and 1,000 square foot, we should be able to build on a 50-by-100 lot,” Peters said. “But so far I haven’t been able to get the ordinance changed.”
PETERS, who was born in the old St. John’s Hospital just east of Iola in 1949, worked for 15 years as a police officer, then 20 more at Gates Corporation before retiring in 2014.
With wife Virginia already enjoying retirement, the couple discovered “we were bored,” he chuckled.
So they began attending city, county and school board meetings, just to learn more about the community.
Then, in 2017, former Iola Councilwoman Sandy Zornes announced she was not going to run for re-election. But by the time Peters had found out, the filing deadline had passed, and nobody had filed to replace her.
Undeterred, Peters mounted a successful write-in candidacy, and was elected that November.
He notes there are several big-ticket items on the Council’s to-do list in the coming years, from tackling a potential rebuild of U.S. 54 through town, to changing the city’s ambulance service once again to a city-only service. (Since 2014, Iola has provided countywide EMS, but county commissioners opted to end the contract to go with a private company starting in 2022.)
Peters also is curious about Iola’s city staffing levels, and the subsequent costs to taxpayers.
“I’ve asked. why can’t we just not replace an employee, when they leave. Can we just hold off?
The answer is usually, yes, but with a caveat. That adds to the burden on the other employee, and usually includes paying overtime.
“We’ve gotta find ways to work around it,” he said.
He’s also eager to see Iola institute a recycling program, similar to what Burlington does in Coffey County, to reduce the constant loads of waste to the Allen County Landfill.
Peters also credits Thrive Allen County and the throngs of volunteers who have provided Iola with a gem of a trails system.
“We’ve got a really tight community, with so many opportunities,” Peters said. “Thrive has been a big boon for us. I hear people complain, ‘What do we need a trail for?’ I use them every day. I walk them and see other people walking and biking every day. Including people from out of town.”
Peters also offers a bit of advice for Iolans hankering to have their concerns heard.
“Don’t go to Facebook and complain about water rates, or about a street with a pothole,” he said. “Come to the meeting. We’ll get it fixed. We’ve got guys who want to help. You shouldn’t have to complain on Facebook.”
On top of his re-election bid for the City Council, Peters also has announced his write-in candidacy for the Allen Community College Board of Trustees.
Peters said he would recuse himself from any votes or decisions affecting either entity if he were to become a member of both governing bodies.
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