City Council Elect: Cody Crawford

Cody Crawford always wanted to run for Marion City Council, but, as he told Marion Patch Wednesday, he didn't feel like he was needed.

"I had looked at running previously, but the candidates that ran before, I liked," he said. "For the most part I agreed with them."

That is, until current Marion City Council Member, Kay Lammers, decided to not run for re-election.

He said what he is most pleased about with the council — and with Marion at large — is how how forward looking the city is. Crawford said many communities don't plan for their future and find themselves building their town in awkward ways.

“I think what you see a lot of in other cities is just random growth. Someone puts a store in here and they say, 'Let's do it,' where as we could do lets put it over here in a new zoining plan,” he said.

That's why Crawford said he has approved of the way the current Marion City Council has handled the city.

Crawford said this is especially necessary considering the growth that Marion has seen.

"I am seeing a new generation of leaders," he said. "You have the people that lead Marion through the 60s, 70s, and 80s and now you are seeing people in their 30s, 40s and 50s, and doing so in a way that is very positive." 

He said he hopes his representation of the slightly younger generation of Marion residents can aid in Marion's growth and reconstruction.

Also part of the “new” Marion that Crawford is excited about is the , which he supports. He added that a lot of mis-information was spread about the project and he hopes in the future that both the residents and council will facilitate a better dialogue.

"If you have a question, if you have something negative on the plan, come to city, come to me and address it right there,” he said. "Getting people to truly look at the plan, at that point if they disagree, that is absolutely fine."

Crawford said his experience with the IMAGINE8 program, a community building effort to develop eight ideas that will enhance the quality of life and create a strong community identity, means that he knows how to lead and how to get things done. For him, that has meant that he has learned to be patient with plans that can be drawn out, in addition to learning to collaborate effectively with others.

His colleague with Imagine 8, Ann Kieslings, said he would be a great fit for Marion City Council, as he has experience in many different positions.

"He is extremely engaged in the community — he wants us to succeed,” she said. “The fact that he has his fingers in all these different things — Rotary Club the Chamber [of Commerce], Imagine 8 — he is truly vested in the success in Marion.”