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.
I have never been happier to say I am from Mason City. I believe the majority of people living here did not think this plant was a right fit for our community with the low wages and large give away of public money and they stood up and let their voices be heard. Everyone pro or con had the opportunity to do so. Nice to see our local government actually works for the people who elected them.
I think the vast majority did not care either way. Everyone knew this proposal had pros and cons! The tie vote was both a win and a loss. I guess we can just die a slow death like we have for the last 40 years?
I have lived in Mason City most of my life and after listening to some of the ‘ramblings’ of citizens who got to be on TV and speak against Prestage makes me extremely sad to say that out loud. I am truly embarrassed at how many of our citizens acted during these public hearings. Would they sit there and let people call them liars and bad neighbors to their face? I doubt it. Some should not throw stones.
I am beginning to believe that the council meetings should not be on TV. It looked like several people just wanted their 5 minutes of fame
When Mad Max was on the Council lots of people would tune in purely for the entertainment valve of a meeting. Cheap thrills as public expense.
A honest question. Meetings lasted 5-6-7 hours? Why did or does anybody living outside of Cerro Gordo county get to speak?
Its not their dollars at stake, should not get a voice one way or another in my opinion
how about only mason city residents? not special interest groups from des moines, and not farmers from two counties away?
The only good thing that came out of the negative vote is Bookie will not get the political appointment now.
The look on Alex Kuhn’s face when he saw John Lee start to blubber was absolutely priceless. Then, he had to say to Bookmeyer, “Are you okay?” He must have felt like a babysitter.
The right decision was made. The public was never behind this project. For people that say we always turn thing away that just BS. We did not speak out agains Sunny Fresh, the Ethonal Plant, the Bio Diesel plant. When the people stand up and let their voices be heard its for a good reason.
The city council is the city’s council, not Bookmeyers private coumcil.
This is wonderful news.
Just wondering what the current starting pay is for manufacturing jobs in this area? A lot of people that work at Kraft, Curries, Graham ect. work for temp companies with low pay and no benefits. Also where do these people work that are downtown picketing against jobs during the day and how much do they earn? Can someone enlighten me please?
North of the north what are you trying to say. Because people were protesting during the day that they are free loaders or jobless. I saw many people that had great paying jobs protesting. Personally I pull in the 80000 range right here in good old Mason City. High school education and when I retire I ll rake in 4000 a month. There are jobs that pay good money here. But when you spend all day on north Iowa today you can’t find them. Don’t judge people if you know not what you are talking about. I ll give you a hint RR.
People bash Unions,but looks as if your contract took care of you.There is one example consider yourself lucky,because how many of those jobs are here.Like how your promote yourself.Dead give away who you are.Attitude you have is I’ve done good what’s the problem.There you go! That is problem with a lot of people in MC.
Casino – casino -casino – Your a bunch of Bernie Sanders wanting something for nothing – taxes have gone up 30% and jobs at the casino pay as little as 8 bucks. Free stuff free stuff 25% of my taxes are added school and TIF (pay taxes for corporations) – By the way the Northwood Lumber was closed down – seems he owed the casino more than $250,000.00 all from trying to get free stuff.
IF Bookie and crew hadn’t tried to push/sneak this thru, like everything and brought it to the public first, they may have gotten a different outcome. I was on the fence about the plant because I didn’t have much info. I don’t trust Bookie and I don’t like the way this was presented to the public!
Precisely!
It would have had a much better chance if they had been forthright from the beginning and if they had taken more time & perhaps if Prestage had held some open forums on their own.
Not saying that it would have passed, but it would have had a much better chance than trying to ram something down the people’s throats.
Gotta, give some credit for this,At least someone tried to do something toward bringing jobs.No names needed they know who they are.Thanks,hopefully we don’t have another bad 20 years or so because of the way we as a community went about this.
We need a factory that builds robots. That is the future.
So we can put even more people out of work?
Show me an employee base with the intelligence to build robots instead of de-boning animal parts and we just might have something!
The Chinese.
Or one that manufactures products from the hemp that that ass hat governor should legalize to grow in the state of Iowa. I believe that we should stop looking for companies to bring us jobs. We have the two colleges and that Pappajohn entrepreneurial center that we have been putting a lot of money into and we are getting nothing from. Why can’t they develop business plans for industries that we can start right here in this community? Waiting for some company to come by and offer us something is not productive. Getting the systems that we have in place to actually function is the best plan of action.
“Corrections worker” that by far is the best comment on here, but our judges only give out suspended sentences so the prison wouldn’t have many customers. I feel $13 an hour and a little stink isn’t to bad. I was not for it nor against it. I started working for General Foods (Kraft) in 1987 making $8.50 an hour and if my mind can think back that far I think that plant was a big issue and almost failed the vote and look at it now (bought me a lot of toys). I made a pretty good living for the 23 years and 11 months there and now with my PENSION and 401k I think I made the right move. We have lost a lot of things for Mason City for one reason or another. Trust me People not everyone makes $13.00 or higher in this town. Our mayor and his council need help but they did try to get some jobs here which we badly needed. I believe there are more people free loading off the working class in Mason City than there are workers so why bring in jobs. Keep bringing those statues the humpty dumpty sat on the wall one is great!!
So (in your mind) there is no overcrowding in prison? Or did you just feel like casting shade on judges?
for the record, your $8.5/1987 starting salary is equivalent to $18 in today’s money. i opposed prestige, but if they had offered $18 and a PENSION to their packers things sure would have been different.
I foresee a change to the City’s rules that will allow the Mayor to cast a vote on ties.
Not possible. It’s in state law.
After Hickey’s comments at the end of the meeting last night I am calling for him to resign and step down.
He made the comment if he owned a business he would never come to Mason City to build. We do not need that type of attitude on our City Council, just because the vote not go your way. For that matter Janet needs to go to she agreed with him.
Hickey is not bright enough to own a business.
FedEx needs to take a serious look at their management promotion guidelines, there is a serious flaw in there
Show love to John Lee and the other two who were elected by and spoke for the people when it mattered!! There are other employers in the area who wont pollute our living area!!
Thanks to John Lee, Alex Kuhn, and Bill Schickel for really studying this whole plan and making an informed and responsible decision for the city and it’s people. God’s blessings.
So what happens if they get approval to build nearby such as Northwood or Hampton? All of the same concerns but now without a buffer zone, school incentives, or tax revenues. Sounds a lot like how the casino played out. I don’t know if I would celebrate too much until after they have picked their next location.
The difference is the casino didn’t cause a crime wave and a total collapse of all morality as was predicted but the hog plant would bring all the wonders of a hog plant as seen in other cities with similar plants.
To use Morality to discribe a Casino shows the type of person you are.
i think you totally misread his post
maybe we could land a nice prison!
A tough issue with both pros and cons. After all the research, the risk of the cons outweighed the pros. Any council member that approached this with a open mind and did legitimate research had a hard decision to make. The decision was easy for Hickey because does what the mayor said. Solvers just leans over and copies off Hickeys test. Schoneman also had a easy decision because he was set to flourish off of low income housing for all the migrant workers. Kudos to the council for time, efforts and honest thinking about this. I’m sure it has been consuming!
This is an example of how the process should work, a call with pros and cons. Both sides had good reasons for how they voted and we should thank them.
Well spoken!
Any honest person knows that the consequences FAR out numbered the Benefits ! President Trump and a healthy Mason City –The boo hoos are the ones crying here because their corporate lobbyist cash bribes just faded like SMOKE AND LYING TED. Make America great again by jailing all corrupt elected officals.
A Trump supporter (presumed repub) who cares about the air and water quality? Hats off to you!!
Also leave your emotions at home, you guys were voted in to work for our city, Ive made a lot of decisions at home with my children and if I let my emotions make my decision I would have the most spoiled brats in this town. Get out of politics guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your right Hickey, Schonamen, and Solberg should get out of politics!
All I will say is all you people that want jobs but then again dont want them your not going to get any decent corporations to come into good ole river city because this town is a f**king joke. Most of us in town dont know our heads from our asses. Sorry to say but if you look at Mercy Hospitals starting pay for clerical,food, sanitation and other workers not having a degree in the medical field you will find that the STARTING WAGE IS 10.00- 12.00 an HOUR. People pull your F**KING heads out until you hear that POP. Now you have your head out of your ASS!!! Just a pretty sad day.John Lee you lost my vote. Pretty boy your a joke and shitkle you need to go back to the radio.
My faith has been renewed in our City Council, thx to John Lee, Bill Schickel and Mr. Kuhn. Hooray to you guys. You did the right thing for our community. When the majority of us want keep the pig smell out of here and all that goes with it, a Hats off to you three. Thank YOU!!
Rumour dude don’t be upset! You have to understand Lee, Kuhn and Schickel are straight edged!!! That puts them one up above the three that voted yes, they will never be able to join the straight edged society!
wow..all I can say is this comment must be from a 9 year old.
I was thinking 8 year old..
If my eight year old spoke like that I would spank him.
Can someone enlighten me. What is the starting wage for local manufacturing jobs? Curries, Graham, Wood harbor, ect. A lot of companies employ through temp services and the employees get no benefits and the wages aren’t so good, but what are they? Also where do these people work that are down town during the day picketing when I am at work? How much are they making that they can take off work to protest against jobs? I used to work in manufacturing and once a year we would have an all employee meeting and the bosses would tell us how we were doing and if we received a raise or not. They always did a wage survey of local factories and told us the results to show if they were comparable. Is this a done deal? can we renegotiate? I did have some questions but felt the good outweighed the bad. Thank you city council. That was a tough one.
With this whole issue that started with viting, without questions being asked, I wonder how many council members are going to lose seats in upcoming elections. Can’t wait to see Book’s political career die out now that the people see he does only what benefits himself. What a sleeze.
That’s a good question. Remember what happened to some Iowa Supreme Court Justices a few years ago?
Oh, I know a few local judges that should be sweating come reelection.
i think you are unfair. sure, his handling of the prestage deal was not good at all, but do you honestly think that the town is in worse shape now than when he first took the oat?
Thank you to everyone that researched all the true components of this issue. There would have been some good coming from a deal like this, but there was an overwhelming pile of bad to go along with it. Good job fighting for your city. I don’t see nearly enough people getting involved in things that directly impact them.
This plant will never be built in Charles City with the same incentative package as Mason City – 1 – they taxpayers cannot afford the tens of millions in incentives (sewer/water/misc) and the 1.5 million in Added taxes (TIF) that the residents have to pay instead of the company for 10 years) fk the large corporation feeding off the little guy – and they wonder why the little guy (private sector is going belly up along with our economy) If it is built in Charles City so be it – I lived in Mason and worked at Oliver back in the 60s – No big deal driving the 30 Miles. Great day yesterday for the city of Mason that finally said no to this corporate monoply and a great day for ALL AMERICANS (private sector working class as DONALD TRUMP WILL BE OUR NEXT PRESIDENT – and hopefully clean out our corrupt government and bring charges against most of our elected crooks getting rich off of corporate BRIBES ! — Happy days are here again !!! WHOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!
Figured you to be a Trump supporter. Yeah, let’s elect a multi-billion dollar corporate mogul to get rid of all the corporate moguls!?!? Anyone ever watch the movie “Idiocracy”? Rent it and watch closely we’re living it!
I just watched Idiocracy. It was the funniest and saddest movie I have ever seen. And you are right. We are already there.
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.
IBM? You should read the news more than once every five years.
Boy I sure wish there was a “like” button.
Not sure what that implies. IBM is still very much a company. 2ND largest in us possibly.
how about a reality check? our deadbeats are not going to disappear just because we get thousands of hardworking, underpaid welfare supported hispanics who live 7 cabaleros in a single bedroom apartment, dont speak english and send every cent they can spare back to their families down south. like you, i have a LOT of respect for these people, i enjoy their company on an individual basis, i would welcome one, two or ten, but not thousands. our community cannot afford it.
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.
Solberg told a friend of mine that she had not heard a negative about the plant except for a bunch of complainers. She also said there were only about 100 people in Mason City who were against the plant, hence, her vote in favor of it. She said the pro plant people were the silent ones.
She is my rep as well and while I dont want to slander her anonymously, she absolutely positively need to go and I’m going to do what i can to make that happen come reelection. I’m ashamed of myself for letting her get into office!
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?
Glad to hear you plan to vote for Lee, Kuhn, and Schickel at next election!
Wonder if Branstad called Bookie – Matt can you find out!! Can you imagine the conversation!!
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!
So move and go get a job at Pretstage!
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!
Nobody wants you here. If you think migrant workers would add anything to average or economy, you are as dumb as you sound
No, it’s not about listening. It’s about caring more about the environmental impact and impact this has on local private farmers more than corporate greed. See ya sheep.
BYE!
Curries, Kraft, Woodharbor, Winnebago are all hiring at a good wage. The’re having a hard time filling positions because so many can’t pass a drug and/or criminal background check. The Iowa Workforce has tons of listings for many different kinds of jobs, so don’t tell me their are no jobs here.
There are openings at the casino as well.
goodbye then…hurry out the door please…we won’t miss u
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.
Excellent assessment. Spot on in my opinion. Good bye Eric bookmeyer you sleaze bag, unemployed, egotistical jerk. Hope you and Toddyboy can figure out a way for you to spin this, probably not
I hope ALL citizens remember this in the next election and vote the mayor out he could care less about Mason city
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.
A bad deal is a bad deal! This deal would have cost us far more than it would have brought us. Tax payers are sick of paying for corporate ag, or any other multi-million dollar corporation pick our pockets, then destroy our environment. Oh, and that 1.4 million/year for the schools is chump change for Prestage. They could have paid that per year and still not covered the increase in the cost of services to the schools.
Bad Deal, what about the Millions in payroll that people would be spending I’m community.But still haven’theard what your group was going too bring to town.Bad can always be turned into something good if only you get the right people working on it.Still people your Industrial Park (as it is called)is a ghost town.See where closed minds have got us.And nobody can disagree on that .Blame on blame gets you nowhere.
What about the millions we would have to spend on the people who couldn’t hack it at the plant? When they figure out they don’t want to work that hard for that little and can just stay at home and collect from the system?
John Lee I hope he doesn’t run for Mayor guy has no back bone.Emotional crap stays at home.See who where the pants in that family and it showed last night.Crying doesn’t go with dealings in business.I can now see why are high school football was so bad for so long.Thanks John
So if John crys when his daughter shows love, he’s a bitch, but when repubs cry in their shit little trailer with a bottle of wild turkey, a tied off arm, and a revolver you’re tough? Ya right bitch you aint shit.
Lorax,John can use your right hand.Crying for daughter is one thing being P×ssy no backbone to stand on own folded to a few idiots.Talk to yourself now.
are you old enough to be on this site little girl? This site is for adults, you have your crayons, go play.
By the look of it, you are half way illiterate – clearly not one of his disciples.
Eye in the Sky: show me the census when Mason City had 37,500 population.
I really hate to cite Wikipedia, but there’s a table on the right side of the page with historical populations. I had always heard that MC’s population peaked at about 36,000, but none of the census counts support that. I’m not the original poster, btw.
It never got over 30,700 and that was in 1960. It has been downhill since then.
Census reported lowest in 60 years.2000=29177,2010=28079 still real bad.Rest of state up5.4%.
OK KATIE! I’ll bet we have lost a hell of a lot of people then,how is that.Then what was it fact checker.I’ve lived here 40 years.Maybe 5000.Is a lot for a town this size you have to agree.
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
… and unlike the kill plant that bioplant would have been good business!
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.
The true heart of representing, is to represent the people, not yourself. ♡
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!!!!!!!!
I would absolutely consider voting for Max. I know he would work harder than anyone, and support the majority of the citizens.
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~~!!!
Now the city can move on to way more important issues. Loud motorcycles.
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!
Sorry for the typo, I meant against that agent
Don’t you mean Turbo!
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
I would agree, very unprofessional behavior by both. Especially at the end when Hickey said that if he owned a company he would never build here. What a schmuck