Bemrich will not seek fifth term
Mayor decides against re-election bid
When Fort Dodge voters go to pick a mayor in November, a familiar name will not be on the ballot.
Mayor Matt Bemrich, who is now the city’s longest serving mayor, will not seek a fifth term in this year’s election.
“I am not running,” he said. “After 16 years as mayor and four years on the council, I think my time in public office has been spent.”
Bemrich was elected to his first term as mayor in 2009, after serving four years as an at-large member of the City Council. He was re-elected in 2013, 2017 and 2021.
Albert Habhab, who served as mayor from 1960 to 1974, previously held the record as the city’s longest serving mayor.
Bemrich said he is proud of working with the council and the city staff on “good comprehensive planning that brought jobs, investment and led to fixing infrastructure that had been neglected for years.”
He said he believes his work has made Fort Dodge a better place.
He said that the most significant thing that happened during his tenure in public office was the switch to a form of government that placed a professionally trained city manager in charge of the day-to-day operations of the local government. Previously, a full-time elected mayor was in charge. Before he was elected to the council, Bemrich was a member of the government study commission which proposed the city manager format.
In addition to electing a new mayor, city voters will pick two at-large members of the City Council and council members from all four wards.
The at-large members whose terms will be expiring are Quennel McCaleb and Lydia Schuur.
The council members representing wards are Jen Crimmins (Ward 1), Cameron Nelson (Ward 2), Dave Flattery (Ward 3) and Kim Alstott (Ward 4).
No one has declared their candidacy for mayor or City Council yet.