MASON CITY – The Prestage Foods hog processing plant that seemed like a done deal just hours ago was defeated with a tie vote Wednesday morning.
The 3-3 vote came after Bill Schickel revealed he would not be supporting the development and then in a bombshell emotional moment, John Lee said he would be voting no. The council had been considering an economic development package for Prestage Foods worth over $15 million over 10 years of tax breaks.
Mr. Lee had seemed like a solid backer of the project until he began to talk about his family and the hours upon hours of time he had dedicated to researching the proposed $240 million development with Prestage Foods. He referenced a note that his daughter had written and slid under a door at their home, in which she wrote to her dad that she knew he would do the right thing.
The 3-3 tie vote essentially stops the Prestage development. There is always a chance – however unlikely – that more negotiations could take place between Prestage and the City and another development agreement brought forward. It was mentioned in the meeting that Prestage had looked at Charles City as a possible destination.
Bend over and kiss your ass good bye. We just said no to the ugliest girl in the dance line. Last one out, turn off the lights.
The thought of people working for 13.00 a hour did not bother me.
What does bother me is the thousands of people in Mason City that sit on their porch all day and refuse to work! This is a sad town, welfare supported, drug infested, worthless deadbeats!
As far as this deal? I guess we will just wait for IBM or Apple to come, I am sure they will.
My council woman Janet Solberg stated i drove around wright county for 7 hrs. and couldn’t smell anything. She should of asked me to driver her and we wouldn’t of had to go to wright county and if you don’t like phone calls at all hrs just maybe you should of answered your phone or emails during normal hrs. Please do Mason city a favor and step down.
These people angrily commenting are clueless. Higher paying jobs – what – $13? NOT worth the work entailed to work in a slaughter house. We have factories hiring for that all the time. Loosing 2000 people? Where are those people going to live? With you? Ha. We don’t have affordable, quality housing for the renters we currently have. Oh, some of the rentals look great on the outside – go inside once. The good landlords are so overloaded they can’t keep up on repairs; renters wait months upon months for needed repairs. Who’s going to teach the kids of those people? Our kids are already pulled out of CORE math to read stories to a teacher 3x in a row in hopes to increase how fast they read, even though they test high in vocabulary and comprehension. Let’s not even go into what it would do to air quality and crime rates. A slaughter house is not going to attract anything better.
Okay, all you naysayers – now YOU come up with something that could bring this town back to life!! I know I’ll be voting differently at the next city council election. There were complaints about the Park Inn, which was renovated with private money and now all anyone can do is brag about it. There are complaints about the new Hotel, people saying we don’t need it – which we probably won’t, and no one wanted the ‘kind of people gambling brought’ so the casino was voted down (how’d that work out for you!) Just exactly what DO you people want?
R.I.P Mason City. It will be a slow creeping death, but it will happen. What comes next will be more $9 per hour jobs, higher property taxes and more rotting infrastructure. Prestage was the only large employer wanting to locate here. For those people who think we should wait for a high tech company are dreaming——ISN’T GOING TO HAPPEN!
I for one am ashamed of Mason City I have lived here for 60 years and am totally embarrassed to live here. I have seen so many people move from here there is nothing here only restaurants and nobody can live off minimum wage. Has anybody ever wondered why this city is not growing? Why is this city losing its pop. Because nobody can survive here.When I was young it was a great place to live but not anymore soon it will be a ghost town.Shame on you Mason City for not wanting to make Mason City a place to be proud of.
I’m moving! There will never be hopes of decent jobs for my kids in mason city. We turn down diamond jo because we’re too close minded to listen, we turn down 2,000 jobs because we’re too close minded to listen. Congrats Mason City you have your poor, retired, bleach white community back. I find it embarrassing especially if all the uneducated, twitchy, retired, pro-union bigots claiming “not in my backyard” last night are a perfect example of what’s left in mason city. All we have are those living off of food stamps, social security, and government supplements as the community’s incompetence and ignorance has sucked the life out of anything before it has a chance to produce anything good. Don’t worry mason city there will still be jobs at TJ Maxx for $9/hr, but you’ll sneeze at that because your uneducated, unable to pass a background a$$ thinks you deserve $15/hr just for showing up on time and sitting on a stoop! I’m tired of the fight… Done here!
All you have to do is look at the way the vote was split:
For:
Janet Solberg – Clueless & just sat there like a bump on a log. An embarrassment to MC and way out of her abilities (or lack thereof)
Travis Hickey – Bookmeyer stooge, also clueless & an asshole.
Brent Schoneman – Young pup just looking like a deer in the headlights, and wagging his tail to please Bookmeyer.
Against:
Bill Schickel – Veteran in MC politics and listened to the people.
Alex Kuhn – Very analytical in his assessment & researched this very well
John Lee – Excellent teacher & after much personal deliberation went with the voice of the people.
And last but not least (and thank God he was not allowed to vote), Eric “the weasel” Bookmeyer.
He thought that if he moved quickly enough, that he could ram this through to pad his own resume.
His comments last night were disgusting. He needs to go and go soon.
Good for you Mason City!You just lost 2000 jobs and the other corp.are watching and you can bet no corp.will be calling anytime soon.I guess we can build more stores and eating establishments and pay min. wage just what the SO CALLED upper crust wants.So the wages stay low and you can line their pockets.Mason City is not open to new people, you may draw a big circle around this area and it is not on the upward spiral compared to rest of populated areas in the state.What we are building here is a retirement community.Down 10,000 citizens since the 70’s boy! we’re awsome aren’t we.I think withthe tech. we have now in this country would have eliminated all worries we would of had with the smell,transportation,and whatever,the real reason is people didn’t want the different ethnic groups,because all we do it bitch and lose population.Can’t wait to hear your comeback.Also people against this,OK where is your the companies that you think are better for us.Need to work as hard at that as you have ruining this idea.At least Someone stepped up and tried thats all I can say.You bash,but let’s hear all your GREAT ideas for our area then.
Comment for Solberg. when the bio-diesel plant wanted to build you were totally against it for your neighborhood. well the shit plant would have been directly south of you and during the summer the wind would have given you and the whole town a good aroma. fight for whats good for you neighborhood but to hell with the rest of the town. come election time the people will show what they think of you., by the way thanks for returning my phone call to you, wait a minute I guess you didn’t return it, way to go elected offical
John Lee knows what it is to be an elected official. He voted the voice of the majority of the people, not his own agenda.
Congratulations fellow neighbors!!! We have learned who won’t be elected again! We don’t forget. You have terrorized the people far too long! OVA! Yes MAX is our next mayor! A hometown boy with good common sense for ALL!!!!
Awesome!!!!!!! Can’t blame this one on Weaver! WEAVER OUR NEXT MAYOR!!!!!!!!
Good job you three! You won’t regret any of this. They will get over it. Wait probably not. But you were fine before them! Ouuuhh smell that smell! Of pure clean air! take another hit!
Really. Did you hear Bookmeyer say “Won’t be able to trust this council again” Thank goodness for the 3 decent people. Solberg and Hickey…so absolutely dumb anyway. Watch the tapes..unreal the way you talk and slam the very people who voted you in. Won’t happen again! Hahahaaa
CONGRATULATIONS MASON CITY
Amazing experience. I have to say I’m truly shocked. Did not expect this after that late stage chastisement of the citizens by Bookmeyer as he attempted to describe to us his definitions of agriculture. Corporate death machine factory farms do not describe and speak for agriculture Mr. Mayor…What a dumb ass you are sir~~!!!
I never thought I would see the day that this council would go agents the Mayor, and you could tell the Mayor never thought they would go agents him either! He was not happy!
Bookey and Hickey can leave now too.What a couple of turds.Didn;t get their way so they badmouth the people of Mason Cty