NIT – It’s been the declared goal of Mayor Eric Bookmeyer and the city council to grow the population of Mason City.
We’ve heard the rhetoric, we’ve heard the grand schemes, the declarations. We’ve listened and cringed as the mayor bloviated and spittled all over the lectern during his “state of the city” moon speeches that the city must somehow grow.
It hasn’t.
In fact, new population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau say all the supposed “hard work” by the mayor and city council are doing just the opposite: Mason City is still shrinking.
In fact, Mason City is estimated to be losing over 100 people per year since 2010, the year Bookmeyer (and two other new city council members – Travis Hickey and Janet Solberg) strolled into city hall. Here are the latest numbers:
CENSUS 2010 – 28,079
POP. ESTIMATE 2010 – 28,049
POP. ESTIMATE 2011 – 27,952
POP. ESTIMATE 2012 – 27,767
POP. ESTIMATE 2013 – 27,664
POP. ESTIMATE 2014 – 27,458
That’s 621 less people living in Mason City than when Eric Bookmeyer and his two favorite council members took office.
It is clear, this mayor and council have failed to grow Mason City. Numbers do not lie. Many say, the slippery slope is un-forgiving, and the path the city is on can’t be reversed under this leadership. Low paying jobs are the calling here; $9.50 an hour is to be bragged about if you listen to this mayor and council. We have seen top-notch outfits like Winnebago snub Mason City for smaller cities miles down the road; the good jobs aren’t coming. Even Clear Lake is thriving, and its population losses are leveling out, the numbers show:
CENSUS 2010 – 7,777
POP. ESTIMATE 2010 – 7,768
POP. ESTIMATE 2011 – 7,750
POP. ESTIMATE 2012 – 7,725
POP. ESTIMATE 2013 – 7,678
POP. ESTIMATE 2014 – 7,682
Do you think Mason City can once again get back on the path to growth? What will it take to accomplish this?
