Franklin errs on the side of involvement

Beverly Franklin faced a tough decision of whether to run for the Iola City Council, but community involvement is something she just couldn’t pass up.
Franklin is running as the incumbent for the council seat in the Second Ward, along with Bob Shaughnessy as the other candidate. The top vote-getter in the ward will serve a four-year term, the other will serve two years.
Her reasoning is simple.
“I just enjoy it,” she said. “I like being involved.”
Franklin, originally from Moran, worked as a bank officer in Iola for many years and started doing the books for her father’s contracting business when she was 14 years old. She said her experience with small businesses has given her the insight to give relevant input with the council — and adds to the spectrum of talents. Franklin is a partner of B&J Homes as well, with daughter Jackie.
She said her experience has shaped the way she makes decisions for the city.
“I’m an honest person,” she said. “I’m not one to make rushed decisions either.”
A decision that must be made, Franklin said, is how to deal with the city’s water supply and water fund. She said water issues are very common across the nation, and Iola must find ways to manage its resources responsibly and efficiently.
“The whole state and the whole nation has a water issue,” Franklin said.

FRANKLIN SAID Iola is lucky to have all of its retail, shopping and local businesses — a luxury that many small communities do not have.
“You can go to other cities our size, and they don’t have anything like the businesses we have,” she said.
She said the council needs to do everything in its power to help these businesses thrive, in order to help the community grow as it should.
There are tough decisions that must be made as a city council member as well, and she believes any candidate must be prepared to face the facts in decision-making.
“You have to have broad shoulders to take some guff from that,” she said.
She said raising the water rates is an example of a controversial choice the council has made, but it was needed.
“You hate to raise the prices on the taxpayers for anything really.”
The tough decision to run for the council came from Franklin wanting to spend more time with her family. Her husband, Jack, is a local farmer. Jack and Beverly have three daughters — Jennifer, Jackie and Jeanine. Jennifer lives in Iowa, Jeanine in Texas, and Jackie is a teacher at McKinley Elementary. Franklin has five grandchildren as well.
But, Franklin felt it was worth the time to run again for her council seat.
“I think it is operating very well,” she said. “We have a lot of good people right now.”