Ankeny Council Candidates React to Tuesday Night's Election

There’s a lot of learning to be done, but the two newest faces on the are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

Ankeny voters elected newcomers Jim McKenna and Mark Holm to the Ankeny City Council Tuesday night. According to unoffical results, the two men received 1,269 and 1,088 votes, respectively.

Incumbent Craig Block also will retain his seat on the council. Block garnered the most votes with 1,381.

And although the new members won’t officially be sworn in till January, Holm said he plans to hit the streets as early as tomorrow.

"We have many challenges facing our community,” he said. “I look forward to working together with my fellow council members to implement my platform goals.

“I’m excited and I’m happy to serve.”

Incumbents Tom Strait and Gary Welch received 789 and 778 votes, losing their bids for re-election.

Holm, 35, said he felt a mix of emotions when he heard the news. Mostly, he was honored Ankeny residents chose him for the job.

“I’m relieved now because it’s over and I get to move on and represent the people of Ankeny,” he said.

And representing the residents of Ankeny means ensuring the city remains frugal in its spending, Holm said.

“We’re in the worst economic times most of us have seen in our lives,” he said. “We need to move cautiously forward and, at the same time, evaluate the wants versus the needs of this community.”

McKenna, 61, was surrounded by his friends and family when he heard the news. It was surreal to him as his friends read the voting results from the Polk County auditor’s website.

“You go from ‘I wonder if it’s true’ to relief – relief that it’s done,” McKenna said. “And now I’m anxious to get started.”

One of the first orders of business McKenna will tackle, he said, is finding a way to repeal the city’s utility franchise fee.

“It might take awhile, but I promised an awful lot of people that would be the first thing I look at,” he said.

McKenna said he was grateful for those who braved the cold, rainy weather today to cast their votes.

“I want to thank the Ankeny voters for their vote of confidence,” he said. “Hopefully some changes can come about now and we can find a way to save this city some money.”

Block, 54, said he was humbled by the show of support from Ankeny voters.

“This will be my sixth election I’ve been victorious in – it’s always humbling to know when you’ve been re-elected,” he said.  “I’m very appreciative of their confidence and trust in me.”

Block said he plans to continue finding ways for the city to work with other entities to make the community an affordable place to live.

Welch, despite his defeat in the polls, was upbeat Tuesday night following the news. The loss marked the end of his 12-year tenure on the city council.

Although he said he would continue to find ways to serve Ankeny, he’s happy at the prospect of a little more free time.

“I’ll get to spend more time with my wife and my grandchildren,” he said. “To be honest, those are the most important things in my life.”

Welch said he has no bad feelings toward the newly-elected council members.

“I really hope they do well for the future of Ankeny,” Welch said. “They have some major upcoming decisions to make and I do wish them well because they’re going to have a tough job to do.”

Strait was not available for comment Tuesday night.