Polson Trades One Urbandale Civic Job for Another

After eight years on the Urbandale City Council and another seven before that on other city boards, Mary Polson wanted a little more flexibility in her schedule.

With family scattered around the country, Polson said she wanted more freedom to visit them. So she decided not to run for reelection.

"Pretty much it comes down to that I thought two terms was enough," said Polson.

Her exit from the council sets up a four-man race for three council seats. Incumbents Tom Gayman and Mike Carver are seeking second terms. Newcomers Creighton Cox and Tony Montgomery also are seeking a seat on the council.

She has endorsed Montgomery in the race for her seat. "I'm his campaign manager," she said. "That's a very full endorsement on my part."

Urbandale does not elect council members from specific areas of town, so the top three vote-getters will be elected, City Clerk Deb Mains said.

However, it seems that Polson won't have as much freedom and spare time after all. Last week, the Urbandale Community Action Network (UCAN) hired her as its new program coordinator.

The position is a full-time job, although Polson notes that it's pretty much a continuation of the work she was already doing as a volunteer with UCAN.

Polson said she didn't run for city council on any particular issue. In general, she said she just worked to make Urbandale the best place to live.

She said she's proud the city has been able to keep its tax rate low and stay within its debt limits, while making progress on capital improvements in the city.

Her only disappointment is that economic climate slowed the city's progress on major projects such as the Walnut Creek Regional Park in western Urbandale, as well as commercial and residential development.