Meet the Candidates – Garner City Council

The city council election at Garner on Nov. 2 has five candidates running for three seats on the council. Candidates are incumbent Don Bell and challengers Damon Quandt, Amber Jenniges, Jennifer Briester and Mark C. Kaczor.

Don Bell

Occupation: Don Bell is a retired businessman. He has served on the Garner City Council for a total of 10 years (8 years, and 2 years).

•Why are you seeking re-election to the Garner City Council? 

I’ve lived here most of my life. I had a business here for 44 years when I retired. We raised our family and they attended school here and were fortunate to have the Henschen fund to help them through college. Since I retired, I have the time to devote to seeing Garner progress in the future.

•What do you see as the top priorities or goals for the Garner community?

We need affordable housing for the people that work here to live in. Their children to attend school and shop here and draw new businesses to the area.

We are trying to attract business to our main street empty buildings. There have been improvements made to the existing buildings by their owners on State Street.

•Other comments:

We have been working on the ordinance to remove junk vehicles, etc. and general improvements. If you drive around town, it looks great and some people are still working on their places.

In conversation with a person from another town, they said their town was a mess and they wished they would do the same there as Garner.

We’ve had a problem with city employees. Some have not lived up to job requirements and others have been offered more money and more opportunities than we can provide.

The death of [Mayor Ken Mick] was a big loss to our community. He believed in Garner and what it could be in the future with industry and good jobs, a top notch school, rec center, pool, parks churches, medical center and room to grow. Our phone number is in the phone book and I will take your concerns or problems to the proper source.

Damon Quandt

Occupation: Damon Quandt is an Assistant Vice President at Reliance State Bank.

•Why are you running for city council? If elected, what strengths or insights will you bring to that position?

I have lived in Garner almost my entire life. Back when I was in high school, I remember a lot of my classmates saying, “I can’t wait to get out of this town” and the thoughts that came to my mind were always the same, “who wouldn’t want to live in a town that has little to no crime, a town that has a great school district, or that bands together in times of need and always helps out?” 

Since moving back to Garner, I still have the save love for the town and all it has to offer. I have decided to run for City Council in hopes to continue to support these traditions! With my experiences, both professionally and as a volunteer, I plan to add some new ideas and perspective that I believe can help grow Garner to something even better! 

• What do you see as the top priorities or goals for the Garner community?

While attending the city council meetings over the past 6 months I have learned a lot. I observed that there is more going on than I could have ever imagined. With this experience I know that there are priorities that will take precedence.

The biggest priority I see for our community is a continuation and advancement in “quality of life”. What does this mean? Garner has a lot of industry in our town, which helps to promote Garner and bring people here not only to work but hopefully live. A main focus of mine will be to promote ways to increase housing choices (this has already been a focus with Hejliks 3^rd) by continually looking for new opportunities and ideas. 

Part of “quality of life” is making sure Garner has the necessary facilities and programs to make sure that everyone can enjoy living in our town. For example, family and adult recreation programs. 

•Other comments:

After graduating from college and moving back to Garner in 2015 I tried to get involved as a community member. I started by helping out where I was needed. I then had the opportunity to serve on the Garner Chamber Board and currently I serve on the Avery Theatre (Treasurer), Garner Main St. Inc. (treasurer), Garner Area Community Betterment (treasurer), and the Garner Parks and Rec (board member). 

Amber Jenniges

Occupation: Amber Jenniges works for Danielle Goll at North Iowa Designs since January 2021. 

“I wear many hats, as it is both a boutique and a printing company,” she said. 

She previously served as the Executive Director of the Garner Chamber of Commerce from mid-2016 through December 2020.

•Why are you running for city council? If elected, what strengths or insights will you bring to that position? 

I am running for city council because I love Garner and the people who make it so livable. I believe that the strongest communities are anchored by collaboration. 

As the previous Executive Director of the Garner Chamber of Commerce, I sat on various committees within the city of Garner, Hancock County, and GHV School District. I worked in collaboration with Hancock County Economic Development and the Hancock County Health and Wellness Coalition and was also a mentor for the GHV YIELD Program and a Rotarian. I have attended many city council meetings, business workshops and leadership development conferences.

During my time at the Chamber, I’ve built relationships with many business leaders and community members, advocating for bettering both the residential community and business community. I feel the relationships I’ve made both within the community, as well as in the Chamber world gives me connections that could help if certain issues arise or if needing additional resources that could serve useful to accomplish a project.

 •What do you see as the top priorities or goals for the Garner community?

I feel the current and past city council have done an excellent job keeping up with projects needing done within Garner. Our businesses are expanding so the need for residential housing increases. Housing has always been an issue here in town. I feel the council has done their best to bring additional, affordable lots available for purchase and working with local businesses/contractors in helping expand the residential market. 

The downtown is growing and I believe we will see many great things within the next few years involving the buildings, one of them being residential use on the top floors. Infrastructure is over course a top priority as well. It seems to be a constant battle. To be honest, I’m not up to date as far as where the most crucial areas in town are at the moment nor am I familiar enough with how everything works. That’s one of the more important issues I will have to learn if elected. 

•Other comments:

I think it important to have someone on the council who can learn from older generations while being connected to current needs of the younger families. As a parent myself, I value the importance of living in a community that is safe and affordable, while still being able to offer activities for the younger families. 

I have a genuine passion for Garner, its people and its future success. Though I would have much to learn if given the opportunity to sit on the city council, I very much look forward to it.

Jennifer Breister

Occupation: Jennifer Breister is owner and project manager for Crown Point Builders, Inc. in Garner.

•Why are you running for city council? If elected, what strengths or insights will you bring to that position?

As a business owner and long-time resident of Garner I have found it rewarding to be an active member of the community. Garner is full of people working hard to improve our community and I am proud to join them in contributing to the greater good. 

I will leverage my construction knowledge and my experience in working together with the City along with my ability to get things done to help improve the lives of Garner residents. I look forward to the opportunity to be a strong voice for my neighbors and leave a lasting impact on our community.

•What do you see as the top priorities or goals for the Garner community?

Today our families and businesses face growing challenges. Making accessible and affordable childcare a community priority is one important step to build opportunities for families and help employers recruit new talent. 

As a growing community, we need to keep a focus on infrastructure and housing to ensure that we offer a variety of safe, accessible, and available options for families, seniors, and newcomers alike. Garner has a long history of maintaining a beautiful and welcoming town and we have a lot to be proud of.

Continuing to improve our parks and creating new recreation opportunities will benefit us today and into the future. 

•Other comments:

Garner has given me many opportunities and I am proud to call it home. I hope to learn from our collective history while bringing fresh ideas for the future. I welcome everyone’s input and have scheduled open office hours every Thursday evening from 6:00 to 7:00. When everyone has a voice, we can build our community together.

Mark Kaczor

Occupation: Mark Kaczor is a small business owner and entrepreneur in Hancock County for the last 17 years.

•Why are you running for city council? If elected, what strengths or insights will you bring to that position?

Garner is a great place to live, and I feel we all need to be in this together. I have decades of experience incustomer service and working to bring businesses and community together. Garner is about neighbors who care and a city government that is working for them.

•What do you see as the top priorities or goals for the Garner community?

Core infrastructure is a top priority. This includes safe travel for bikes, wheelchairs, cars and pedestriabns in our neighborhoods by having adequate sidewalks and streets. It also includes the city utilities and sewer systems.

Creating programs to assist our residents to aid in keeping our town safe and clean.

Assisting the Park and Recreation program to continue to bring programs to our community.

•Other comments:

My family and I are long-time residents of Garner. My wife, Kami, was born and raised in this community. My children all graduated from GHV. Because of this I want to preserve the history of Garner while still moving forward for future generations. I want to work hard to serve our community and work hard on their behalf. It’s not just for our children but for our grandchildren, too.