Max Grundy wants Iola to walk with a bit more swagger.
“A little bit of pride is good,” he said. “I want us to realize how great a city we have and how much potential is here. That’s what I think about when I think about serving the city.”
Grundy is running unopposed in the Nov. 7 election for a seat on Iola’s City Council and will join Joel Wicoff as a representative of Ward 2, the northeast part of Iola. Current council member Carl Slaugh is not running for re-election.
And while it’s just his name on the ballot, Grundy is quick to point out that his time on city council will be a family affair. He and his wife Candice “do everything together. We’re a team, and we’re lucky we have that.”
Max, 46, and Candice, 41, have two children, Church, 13, and Ace, 11. The independent artists are ready to give back to their new home. They’ve already made a splash, whether for their recent purchase of Iola’s abandoned water tower or their collaboration with the Iola Area Chamber of Commerce on two murals in town. (Two more are in the works.)
“Part of moving to a small town was about getting involved as much as we could,” said Max.
Candice sees it as part of her civic duty. “Public service is part of being in a community. It’s not fair for people to sit back and complain about their leadership if they’re not willing to take on some of that. I think it’s everyone’s responsibility, if they’re able, to do their part and serve.”
The Grundys, who lived in California for 17 years before moving to town almost three years ago, see advantages to looking at Iola with fresh eyes.
“I think it takes outsiders’ perspectives to help people who’ve always lived here,” said Candice. “People need to hear someone from Colorado say ‘We came here for the trails, and your town is great.’ We really do have something special here.”
The Grundys are used to looking at things from multiple points of view. “We’re kind of funny because we’re conservative and religious, but we’re also artists,” said Max. “We want to do non-conventional things while also caring for the city. We want to find that line between creative and responsible thinking.”
WHEN considering how to best serve on Iola City Council, Max dials in on listening.
“When I approached the city council about purchasing a water tower, they heard me out,” he said. “And I see my role as doing my best to hear people out, see what ideas they have, and find where we can take some chances.
“It feels like we’re just at the beginning of something here. Iola is an old town with a lot of history. We love the story of Iola, and we love its past, but it also feels like a blank canvas.” Not afraid to try new ideas, Max hopes to cultivate the same spirit in Iola.
While on the council, he hopes to find a certain balance. “How do you bridge the responsibility of someone like Carl Slaugh, who looks at every single expense, but also have crazy ideas and think big?”
MAX and Candice see lots of reasons to be optimistic about Iola’s future. “The Chamber’s been great. Thrive has always been great,” said Max. Candice celebrates Iola’s new businesses and forthcoming drive-thru coffee shop along the highway.
