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Marquette special election is April 5

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Larry Breuer

Steve Eagle

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor

Marquette residents will go to the polls Tuesday, April 5, for a special election, to choose a mayor and one council member. Polls will be open at Marquette City Hall from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Larry Breuer is the only candidate on the ballot for the office of mayor. Steve Eagle is the lone candidate on the ballot for the council seat, but Ryan Young is running as a write-in candidate. 

Breuer and Eagle currently hold the positions after being appointed by the Marquette Council in February. Both terms end in December 2017.

Breuer and Eagle shared their thoughts about some of the important issues in Marquette, and their responses begin below. Unfortunately, Young was unable to turn in a questionnaire in time for publication.

 

 

Larry Breuer

Larry Breuer has one daughter, Lisa, and a son, Bryan, along with eight grandchildren, one great-grandchild and another great-grandchild on the way. He has worked at Cabela’s for the past nine years. Breuer has also been on the zoning board and board of adjustment, in addition to serving on the beautification committee.

 

Why are you running for office?

For the betterment of the community. As mayor, my first concern is the safety of residents. The issue of safe drinking water is number one and we’re addressing that and trying to fix it. Issue number two is a safe way off the bench in case of an emergency, which we are also addressing.

 

How will you interact with and address concerns from people within the community?

Keeping an open line of communication is the most important thing. If there are problems, you need to get on top of them right away, before it escalates.

 

What would you have done regarding the mobile home matter at Timber Ridge? How would you have wanted the council to proceed?

Most problems are caused by a lack of communication. When there is a problem, you need to get on it right away and not let it slide through the cracks. It will only turn into a fire that burns out of control. You need to head off the problem right away and handle it with the right attitude.

The council has taken a lot of heat for a problem they didn’t cause. It’s impossible to make everyone happy. We all want zoning laws to work in the fairest possible way for all. It will work when they’re implemented correctly and with the right attitude.

 

How will you work to repair the rift among community members?

I will try to explain that we’re in a different phase with different people. We want to move forward with a positive attitude.

 

Tourism and economic development are hot topics in Marquette. What efforts would you like to see the city take to grow in those areas, to attract tourists and businesses?

Tourism will come and continue to grow because we’re on the river. My biggest concern is that, as tourism increases, our highway system is not adequate. We need the state to step up and address safety concerns on Highway 76 north of Marquette and between Marquette and McGregor.

We definitely need more businesses. We need to make it more known that tax incentives are out there and help line up financing and find banks that do commercial lending. 

 

What are some other issues facing Marquette that you would like to address?

At the Wetlands Centre, I’d like to see an expansion of the farmers market to include Iowa farm-related merchandise. I’d also like it to become more of a wetland welcome center, a place where people can stop and rest when they’re traveling and pick up some munchies and walk the dog.

 

 

Steve Eagle

Steve Eagle was a government employee for 39 years with the United States Postal Service. He started his career as a letter carrier in Waterloo for 10 years, then was in management for the rest of his career, serving as postmaster in Denver, Sumner, Waverly and Cedar Falls. He served as a union steward for the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) prior to his management positions. Eagle also helped coordinate the NALC food drive for many years. Eagle has a son, Travis, who is a crew chief electrician in Denver, Iowa, as well as a daughter, Sarah, who has a master’s degree in medical social work and is in St. Paul.

 

Why are you running for office?

I’m eager to serve the people and community of Marquette. I’ve had a life-long career in public relations.

 

How will you interact with and address concerns from people within the community?

With openness and fairness and without bias. If I don’t know the answers, I will find out the answers and get back to the concerned party.

 

What would you have done regarding the mobile home matter at Timber Ridge? How would you have wanted the council to proceed?

I cannot answer this question since I was not on the city council at that time and am not privy to all the pertinent information surrounding this issue.

 

How will you work to repair the rift among community members?

As a peacemaker, I am eager to resolve this problem and move forward to the productive issues that will benefit this community.

 

Tourism and economic development are hot topics in Marquette. What efforts would you like to see the city take to grow in those areas, to attract tourists and businesses?

I would like to see the purchase and re-development of the former hardware store property either by the city or a private entity with retail space and living quarters. I recently made a sizeable personal investment in the development and opening of the North Street Market. I would also ask for fresh ideas toward the enhancement of the river viewing platform, such as food vendors and entertainment on summer and fall weekends.

 

What are some other issues facing Marquette that you would like to address?

The nuisance abatement codes concerning specific buildings in the downtown area.

 

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