Three apply for at-large council seat

FORT MADISON – The Fort Madison City Council will get a closer look at three candidates for a council seat that will be vacated this month.
Current councilman Kevin Rink has announced his resignation to move closer to family.
Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, the council will meet at 4:30 p.m. to interview three candidates, Angela Mueller, Matt Emmett, and James Hatfield.
Rink is an at-large councilman so there are no ward requirements and the council is slated to appoint one of the three at the regular council meeting that begins at the regular time of 5:30 p.m.
Mueller lives on Storms Court and currently works for Fort Madison Community School District as an accountant specialist. She’s working toward her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.
“I have lived in Fort Madison my whole life and have seen what the town used to be and what it is becoming,” Mueller wrote on her application for the position.
“I would like to be a part of shaping the city to be a better place for families to live. I feel I would represent a very large portion of people in this town.”
Mueller said she wants to be a representative for others in her age group in the city and do what she can to make the city better for everyone.
Emmett lives in the 800 block of Avenue E and works as a technician specializing in Artificial Intelligence. He also owns the Hillside Inn. He’s an active citizen, has sat on Mayor Matt Mohrfeld’s pillar committees, as well as being a Planning and Zoning Commissioner.
His application indicated he wanted “to help Fort Madison grow and thrive by applying my skills, leadership, experience and deep commitment to the community’s future”.
“I bring leadership, problem solving, and a focus on innovation from my military and professional careers. My civic involvement and technical expertise can help drive growth and address community needs,” he wrote.
Hatfield lives in the 1500 block of Avenue L and wrote that he had a “wide variety of people encouraging me to do this.”
He wrote he wanted to help the citizens/city grow in the future and provide a different perspective.
In other action, the council is scheduled to:
• consider an increase in the acreage and lease that the city has in place with Kyle Steffensmeier. Steffensmeier has been leasing farmland at the airport for about 13 years. The current lease is $14,000 per year. The new lease would be at $185/acre or $16,095 annually.
• consider the second reading on an ordinance to rezone property located at 1326 Avenue E to R-6 multiple-family dwelling district.
• review and approve the city Historic Preservation Commissions annual local government report for 2024.
• set a public hearing for the Avenue L reconstruction from 20th to 30th Streets.