MASON CITY — A longtime city councilman is the first person to throw his hat into the race to be Mason City’s next mayor. John Lee has been a member of the city council since 2012, representing the First Ward based in the northeastern portion of the community.
Lee tells Northiowanow.com News that it was a hard decision, but it was the right, easy decision for him as he feels the community is headed in the right direction. “Bill’s done a great job and the city council has been pulling from the same end of the rope for the most part. We don’t agree on everything, but we kind of know the vision, and I want to continue that vision. I’ve got my own twist to it, but I’m really excited about where we’re at and where we’re headed.”
Lee says the three pledges he made when he first ran for city council still hold true today — enhancing the amenities that make life better for individuals and families; listen to all citizens while encouraging compromise and open dialogue; and preserving the city’s rich cultural past. “I’m going to push the historian in me, the cultural guy in me, we’re going to be pushing a lot of that. My biggest push will be rebranding Mason City, but for ourselves. I want to make us so strong and so proud to live here that others want to join us, and my focus isn’t the outside world, it’s going to be the inside.”
Lee believes growing our inside so strong will make outside people and companies want to join us here. “My thinking is, we grow so strong that those companies are like ‘what’s going on over there?’ It’s like if you’re in a room with a bunch of people, and one group is laughing and smiling and joking. That energy is addictive, and people look over and say they want to be a part of that, and I think that’s what Mason City is on the verge of, and I think we can do that.”
Lee is conducting a survey to get public input on the city on his Facebook page “Lee for MC”.
You can listen to more of our conversation with John Lee via the audio player below
