You can’t say Bob Shaughnessy has a lack of experience of how things work in Iola — and he has experience fixing things.
“I’m all about fixing things,” he said. “I’ve fixed things my entire life.”
Shaughnessy, 52, born and raised in Iola, is running for the Iola City Council seat, Second Ward, along with Beverly Franklin.
“I am running for the council because I have liked the way they’ve run things recently,” he said. “I’d like to be a part of it.”
Shaughnessy has worked as a residential contractor for 33 years in Iola, which he said gives him the experience to know the strengths and needs of the people of Iola. He said housing and commercial development is an essential part of Iola that needs to be expanded.
“I could give them (the council) some ideas of how to turn negative property into positive property,” he said.
The east side of Iola is an area that needs some help with its lots both commercially and residentially, he said. Ways to help could include incentives for homeowners and developers.
“Something needs to be done,” he said. “We need to give people a place that is affordable to live in.”
The other issue Shaughnessy said the council needs to face is the aging schools for Iola’s children. He said he is willing to explore the idea of combining the grade schools to cut costs and increase efficiency.
Either way, he said he believes the council is in good position to make things happen in 2013.
“The dynamics of the meetings are better, there is a lot of positivity,” he said. “That’s why I ran for the city council.”
As for the strengths in Iola, he believes community activism is key to helping a community grow and support itself. He said he has been impressed with programs such as Thrive Allen County and the historical society.
“That’s what I like to see,” he said.
He also mentioned the city’s discussions with the county in regard to the EMS merger, which he believes has shown a lot of progress in recent weeks.
“It needs to be resolved,” Shaughnessy said. “It affects the whole county, not just Iola.”
After living in Iola for 52 years, he said his goal in a public office would be very simple.
“I’d like to see good things happen here. I’d like things to move forward.”
Experience is on Shaughnessy’s side
