2021 Tama City Council Candidate Matthew Beatty

Tama City Council Candidate: Matthew Beatty (incumbent)

Age: 28

Residence: Tama

Profession: Elementary ELL (English Language Learners) Teacher

Education: Bachelor’s Degree – Upper Iowa University

Family: Girlfriend Kiya and her son Etzio

What motivated you to run for this office?

I got involved with the city council almost two years ago to explore innovative and unique ways to help the City of Tama thrive and develop to make it a great community for everyone to live, work and grow.

What qualities and behaviors should school board/city council members and mayors exhibit?

The ability to represent citizens’ views and commitment towards investing within the city is essential to being on city council. Representatives need to take time to understand the issues the city faces, and explore ways to establish long term solutions for the issues.

What do you see as the primary roles and responsibilities for the position you are running for?

As a member of the city council, my role is to find adequate solutions and make tough decisions that represent citizens’ views and will help the city progress for longevity.

How would you handle requests if approached by an individual? Special interest group?

I would listen to an individuals’ requests, but make no promises. I strongly encourage individuals to bring their concerns and requests to the council meetings because that will have the strongest impact. The greatest accomplishments become reality when people collaborate to find solutions.

Why is it important for people to vote in school board/city elections?

There are so many decisions made in council meetings that affect citizens, yet so many are unaware of what all occurs in those meetings. Citizens need to be an active part of city government, otherwise decisions can be made that don’t represent their interests when there is no input from citizens at those meetings.

What challenges do you see small, rural communities like yours facing today as compared to larger cities and suburbs? What do you plan to do to help meet those challenges as a city council member/mayor?

Larger cities and suburbs are allocating their resources and collaborating to find ways to progress their communities. Our city’s biggest challenge is supporting all the citizens’ needs and wants on a tight budget. We simply do not have the income like larger cities, so we need to collaborate to find alternative sources of funding and work with neighboring communities like Toledo and Meskwaki Nation to support all of our citizens by sharing our resources and ideas to build stronger communities. In my two years on council, I have reached out to essential stakeholders, wrote grants to support the city, and established routines on council that will better support our work to represent citizens and develop a stronger community that attracts others to live and develop in Tama.

Why should people vote for you on November 2, 2021?

In just under two years on council, I have achieved a variety of accomplishments that have helped push our city ahead. A few projects I’ve accomplished are stronger routines for the council and employees to collaborate, established a new city website easier for citizens to navigate and attract outsiders, and achieved a Block Party Trailer and Community Clean-Up Trailer to support citizens and develop the city further. I plan to continue this same kind of work by being innovative and bringing the community together to make goals in our 2040 Comprehensive plan become a reality. The more we come together, the more we will accomplish for our community.