MASON CITY – Fourth Ward City Council candidate and NorthIowaToday.com Publisher Matt Marquardt this week sought answers from the North Iowa Corridor on why there was little or no progress on bringing good-paying jobs to Mason City.
Marquardt reached out to Corridor Director Brent Willett, as well as a long list of elected officials via email. He also included Globe Gazette reporter John Skipper in the contact attempt.
“You lead Mason City’s most visible agency,” Marquardt told Mr. Willett, “tasked with hunting down new industry, economic development and theoretically, good-paying jobs. Your agency serves an important purpose and its success is vital to our community.
“All due respect,” Marquardt told Willett, “you are now hanging your hat on jobs paying $9.50 per hour. What can you report at this time as progress toward recruitment of jobs offering wages of $20 per hour or higher (with benefits) to Mason City? I would like to report something positive from you today.”
Marquardt sent the email on Thursday morning, August 8th.
Mr. Willett did not respond, nor did any elected Mason City official from City Hall.
“That’s been their unwritten policy,” Marquardt said. “You ask a tough question and they run and hide. They ignore you. They hide behind each other and tell themselves ‘everything will be OK.'”
Mason City taxpayers gave the North Iowa Corridor $105,000 in its last budget. Mr. Willett recently spent thousands of those dollars to hire Iowa State Coach Paul Rhoads to speak at the Corridor’s annual luncheon.
“I’m seeking answers,” Marquardt said Friday morning. “Where are the jobs that pay good wages with benefits? Just what, exactly, is the North Iowa Corridor doing with a budget that is hundreds of thousands of dollars? Why are the people of Mason City and North Iowa, for that matter, continuing to throw money at an agency that obviously is bringing few or no results? The North Iowa Corridor needs to be laid bare and sunshine brought upon it so truthful answers can be obtained and results can then, hopefully, follow from informed decisions.”
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See email:
from: Matt Marquardt <northiowatoday@gmail.com>
to: bwillett@northiowacorridor.com,
Brent Trout <btrout@masoncity.net>,
mayor@masoncity.net,
Council Member John Lee <WardOne@masoncity.net>,
wardtwo@masoncity.net,
wardthree@masoncity.net,
wardfour@masoncity.net,
kuhnatlarge@masoncity.net,
tornquistatlarge@masoncity.net,
Scott Flory <slawrenceflory@netins.net>,
JUrdahl@co.cerro-gordo.ia.us,
“Drzycimski, Tom” <TDrzyci@co.cerro-gordo.ia.us>,
John Skipper <John.Skipper@globegazette.com>
date: Thu, Aug 8, 2013 at 7:34 AM
subject: JOBS: North Iowa Corridor / Economic Development
Good morning Mr. Willett,
BOTTOM PHOTO: Table outside the luncheon, stating no video recording permitted. Does Mr. Willett answer to anyone in North Iowa?
You lead Mason City’s most visible agency tasked with hunting down new industry, economic development and theoretically, good-paying jobs. Your agency serves an important purpose and its success is vital to our community. The people of Mason City have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into your outfit over the last 5 years and beyond, and – all due respect – you are now hanging your hat on jobs paying $9.50 per hour, jobs our own At-Large City Council member described Tuesday night as “only slightly above minimum wage” (Quote from Scott Tornquist, see video here: http://youtu.be/22-nJ-bYjsQ).
I have questions for you this morning that I feel deserve answers.
How many employees are currently working for you?
Your website shows three (http://www.northiowacorridor.
You recently had your website redesigned. Why is (it) not updated properly with accurate information? Is your staff trained to update your website?
What are the functions and job descriptions of all your (3-5) employees? Do they have their own separate offices or do they share office space? What are their salaries? What can you report at this time as progress toward recruitment of jobs offering wages of $20 per hour or higher (with benefits) to Mason City? I would like to report something positive from you today.
I have asked previously for a tour of your office space at the North Iowa Commerce Center and was turned down. I would respectfully make that request again. I will come in at anytime and change my schedule accordingly to accommodate yours. I want to see what $26,000 per year in rent pays for.
Lastly. What is the status of the Small Business Revolving Loan Fund? (http://www.northiowacorridor.
I anticipate your prompt response to these questions, have a nice day.
Matt Marquardt, NIT Publisher and Candidate for Fourth Ward City Council
@Watchdog good call on sheffield union man…Whats his union? Burger king minnimum wage or union of freeloaders….Oh and Sheffield man thank us taxpayers for you internet connection and your opinion being heard
I forgot, what about Turncoat and Hickey, these questions poised by Marquardt would be a foreign language to either of them. The sheer odiousness of Marquardt to even brooch the subject is unthinkable.
Can you see Janis Solberg asking these questions?
The editing on this article is fantastic!
First of all government can’t create jobs. What it can do is create an environment friendly to job creation and that is all. It can do this best by keeping taxes low and staying out of the way.
But I’m afraid we are going the way of Rome. We’ve peaked and will now be primarily a service economy with most of the good paying jobs being in government. Then, we are all going to suck the government teat until it’s all gone.
America is in it’s second act and has peaked. This is what we do now. We build military weapons, we work for the government or flip burgers or are involved in fighting the “War on Drugs”. (Cops, Prison guards, drug testers, The Prairie Ridges of the country IE drug treatment centers have done VERY well) and retired folks from days when people made real money.
From Scott Flory, Clear Lake City Administrator:
“I can tell you that the employees of the agency are: Rachael Bailey; Ken Bales; Brent Willett; and Shaun Arneson. I know the EDC went through a very substantial web site overhaul and it sounds like there may be a few bugs to work out with it.”
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Thank you Mr. Flory for taking a few moments from your busy schedule to answer what you could. Your dedication to open government is appreciated.
– Matt Marquardt
$9.50 an hour aint that bad we can live on that just fine here in sheffield. WE aint all gotta be rich some of us like small town living.
@peter l…….it seems this whole post is a veiled editorial on your two favorite subjects…NIT’s handling of the Barlas case, and loud motorcycles. Have you been checked for ocd?
Matt why did you take your pictures from behind the door did they block you out of the luncheon?
Most people learn that trust is not just given it is earned. When people lose your trust you get no respect back in return.
How can one serve three masters?
Matt, you need to realize that EDCs all swim in the same ocean of governmental freebies they can offer to competing companies looking for a new location to expand, etc. Astute business people are very aware of the range of goodies out there and for you to attempt to make our local EDC the whipping boy to enhance your campaign is disingenuous.
My personal opinion is that it is folly for any unit of government to engage in spending tax dollars in pursuit of businesses. However, it is fodder for a discussion on another day.
Government officials are not clairvoyant on these deals, nor should we expect them to be. Private investors tend to be even more cautious as they are playing with their own money, not OPM (other people’s money), in this case the taxpayers.
If you want to be a stand out candidate you need to think outside the existing EDC scenario for solutions.
Very good questions Matt, and they certainly deserve a good answer not only from Willet but from our elected officials and Trout as well.That is what they were elected to do, watch out for the taxpayers interest. It is a shame that you have to ask the questions because they are the ones who should be coming to the public with this information. If you don’t get a response it will just show that they have something to hide. I for one will not be surprised if they do not respond to your questions. Keep up the pressure.
Common sense would say if Willet does not answer these questions he has something to hide plain and simple. Matt these are excellent questions that deserve a answer. I don’t know why the EDC feels a need to hide their operating procedures and expenses from the general public who helps pay for their operation.
My feeling is the EDC and especially Willet needs a home run very soon, in order to keep his job. The EDC in its position can and should be very important to our community…as of right now it seems to be nothing more than a scam being played on the taxpayers of the corridor.