City Council Elect: Kim Etzel

Why did Kim Etzel sign up for the Marion City Council race? Because no one else signed up. 

"Two days before the deadline to turn in the 25 signatures (to get on the ballot) they informed me that no one was running in my ward," said Kim Etzel, Marion City Council member-elect. "I felt kind of obligated."

Despite another candidate entering the race at the last minute, Kim Etzel won the Ward 1 election and will be one of three new council members.

The Marion resident and visual merchandiser with Younkers said she was initially unsure of whether she would be good for the job.

“They said, 'Do you want to do it?'" she said. "I said, 'Do you think I can?' They said, 'Anyone can if they put their mind to it.'"

At the time of her decision to run, Etzel said she was looking for something else to do with her life. After her Marion coffee shop closed earlier this year and her son grew older and more independent, she found herself with excess energy.

Though it may surprise some that a mother with a full time job would opt for an additional responsibility, it didn't surprise her boss, Kris Kuester, store manager of Younkers in Lindale Mall.

"Kim is someone who can get so much done with the time she has,' Kuester said. "It didn't surprise me at all that she would take this challenge."  

Now she finds herself preparing for the job, which she said can be daunting. Though, she said she understands that much of her new job will push her outside her comfort zone.

“There is just so much to learn — I have a lot to catch up on,” she said. “Now I am just trying to visit with every department and all the projects going on.”

Even though she had doubts about her ability initially, she insists now that she is confident that she can get the job done.

"I am used to working in a fast paced environment," she said. "I am the kind of person that I always do whatever it takes to get the job done." 

Beyond her ability to do the job, she said she is excited to be on the council at a time of great change in Iowa. She said she is excited about the Seventh Avenue project and the possibility of Marion having more amenities for food and entertainment.

Etzel said she thinks there is a younger population that has been settling in Marion that are waiting for Marion to change, but at the same time there is an older generation that has grown up in Marion that likes how things are now.

She said striking a balance between the two will be one of her greatest challenges when she takes the reins next year.

“Some people are very happy with the way the city is now," she said. "You want both to be happy, you want everyone to be happy."