Opinion: Mason City man has message for Barry Alvarez ahead of his fundraising visit to town

Hey Barry,

I see you are coming to Mason City Iowa to try and get people to donate to a sports complex they did not need and did not get to vote for. Instead of lowering class sizes in the school system the school board in their wisdom decided to spend 20 million dollars for a sports complex that they did not need. They maybe needed a new pool. They used tax payer’s money to build a sports complex but they forgot that they had to put equipment in the building. You better get ready to keep coming back to raise money because the school board is going to have to heat and cool the building also. I don’t think they thought of that either. Plus, they are going to have to hire extra staff for maintenance. In ten or twenty years the board is going to have to have more money for building maintenance. I don’t think they thought of that either. The track team could have bought rain track suits instead of building an indoor track. When the schools build the current weight room, they said that was going to turn their athletic program around.

The school board voted this in without a district vote. Most people don’t vote in Mason City and the school knows that. So, the school board slips in a resolution in the school board elections that states that the people won’t get to vote on things like building projects. The school board can vote without district voter approval. Only it’s hard to understand the wording on the ballet. I think it is a form of voter suppression. If you ever go to a school board forum you will know what I am talking about. If the people would have voted for this, I would go along with it. Some of this is for the kids and that’s important.

Our state representative Sharon (Steckman) is always trying to get money to lower class sizes. Here the school board has a chance to do that and they spend the money on a sports complex. The school board also could have given that money back to the tax payers that need the money to live on but they did not do that either. The school board could have remodeled the existing building. Insulating the existing building is one of the most cost-effective things anyone can do. Start putting in solar, wind and alternative energy which in not the too long future we are going to all have to do. Property tax is a regressive tax that hurts the poor the most. Owning a home is one of the best ways to get out of poverty. If the school board wants to throw money away use income tax. Tax the high-income people.

In your speech you might want to go over the chances of becoming a professional athlete. On average you have a better chance of getting your engineering degree. Instead of going to practice after school a student could use that time for studying. They could also just get a job and start saving their money. Exercise is very important but you don’t have to spend more than 30 minutes to an hour a day on that. Instead of going to a Wisconsin sports camp someone could use that money to get a math tutor or a tutor for something else. Ask the Mason City schools how many division one athletes have they hired in the last 30 years? Ask the Mason City schools if they would hire any University of Wisconsin Athletes to coach and teach. If they hem haw around with you, you will know your answer.

Why don’t you write out a check for two hundred thousand? Mason City is what got you the job at the University of Iowa. You got those guys to come out for football so that you could move up. You can write the donation off in your income tax. You should be letting Mason City football players into your Wisconsin football camp for free. Mason City Schools think that former college athletes are supposed to donate their time for coaching for free. I don’t think they realize that ex-athletes have to pay bills also. They also don’t get paid a million dollars a year.

I email our U.S. representatives and tell them it’s one of the dumbest things I have ever seen to pay a college football coaches millions of dollars. That money could be used for affordable health care. Colleges are taking advantage of the tax system to pay these crazy salaries. Either they are a business or they are not. Colleges should not have it both ways. I don’t think any college football coaches developed the corona virus vaccine. Do you know any football coaches that invented anything that has benefited society?

You might want to tell the school board to get back in the old Big Eight conference if they continue in athletics. That’s the conference your old buddy Dan Delaney got Mason City out so they could travel an extra 30 to 45 minutes each way to and from athletic events. I heard Dan Delaney was told not to do that.

I am not trying to pick on you. I may have done the same thing that you did if I had your talent. I am sure you are a nice person.

Have a great day!
David O. Brown Mason City, Iowa

Publisher’s Note: According to a public social media post connected to the Alvarez visit to Mason City:

Tickets are now on sale for “The Future Is Now” fundraising dinner to be held on Thursday, September 30th at Music Man Square in Mason City. Our featured guest will be Barry Alvarez who was head football coach at mason City High School and whose 1978 team won the state championship. At 5:00 that day there will be a private reception for Barry and his former players, managers, and cheerleaders. At 5:30 the doors open for the general public. At 6:15 there will be a buffet followed by a live auction and comments from Coach Alvarez. Tickets are $50 each and can be purchased on-line by going to mohawksfuture.org, from Shari Rottinghaus in the athletic department at the high school, or at Wealth Partners located on the third floor of the Brick and Tile Building in Mason City. Please feel free to contact Phil Johnson at 641-423-7070 if you have questions. Our “The Future Is Now” capital campaign has $441,765 in pledges and contributions with a goal of $750,000 by the end of the year. Thank to all of you for your great support!!

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