Incumbent joined by CLHS alums in school election

School Board election is Tuesday

Voters will head to the polls Tuesday, Sept. 8, for Regular School Board elections.  Three candidates are running unopposed for three seats on the Clear Lake School Board, while four persons are seeking two seats available on the Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Board.  This will be the first election since the consolidation of the G-H and Ventura School Districts.

School Board members are elected to four-year terms.

Clear Lake

Chad Kuhlers is the lone incumbent looking to return to the Clear Lake School Board.  Jill Wilhelm and Jon Loge, who was appointed to fill Deb Betz’s position in August 2014, decided not to run again.

“I feel like there is still unfinished business,” said Kuhlers when asked why he is seeking a second term.  “Key issues, for me, are to maintain our spending authority, control the budget— keep a balanced budget, and keep the district solvent.”

Kuhlers noted the district’s agreement with Mason City to share a superintendent has allowed Clear Lake to enhance its spending, but said the district must acknowledge the possibility of the sharing agreement ending.  “We have to be prepared for the inevitable and evaluate and decide how we will proceed,” he said.

Chad and his wife, Amy, have two sons.  Christopher, 19, graduated from Clear Lake in 2014 and Anthony, 13, is an eighth grader at Clear Lake Middle School.

Dr. John Brady said he decided to enter the School Board race after the idea was mentioned to him at an informal gathering.  The 1985 CLHS graduate jokes that friends today tell him his stint as student body president prepared him to enter political life.

“Actually, I thought there’s no better time than now to be a voice on the School Board,” said Brady.  “You can’t complain until you have a chance to participate.”

Brady and his wife, Bridget Farley, have two children.  Seven-year-old Josephine is a second grader and five-year-old Natalie is a kindergartener at Clear Creek this year.  Bridget is employed as a middle school art teacher in the West Hancock School District.

The candidate is a doctor employed by the Mercy Health System, working in the Hancock County Health System.  He graduated from Simpson College and Des Moines University, then practiced 17 years in the Des Moines area before returning to Clear Lake about three and one-half years ago.

Mike Moeller is another CLHS graduate (1998) who has returned to his hometown in recent years.    He and his wife, Rachelle (Neuberger), who is another CLHS alum, moved back a few years ago and he is in the practice of general law at the Sorensen Law Office in Clear Lake. The couple is expecting their first child this fall.

“I grew up in Clear Lake and Clear Lake means a lot to me.  Education in the public school system is an interest of mine and now, with a child on the way, it means even more,” he said.  “With some background and experience in the Clear Lake Community School District, it puts me in a unique position to know the history here.  I also believe my career also helps me to look at things in an analytical way and offer a rational voice.  The School Board has done a great job in the past and I would like to work to keep it in a good place.”

Moeller said the shared superintendent issue is one which he has heard about from Clear Lake residents.

“I think ideally you want your own superintendent, but there are a lot of different areas that dictate the best route, contingent on finances and the budget.  At minimum, it’s good to have a plan on how we would budget to have

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our own.  Now, we are hamstrung on the decision of the Mason City board.  We could find ourselves scrambling.”

Moeller believes his experience in city finance will be helpful in understanding school finance formulas.  As an attorney at the Sorensen Law Office, he has provided legal counsel to the communities of Clear Lake, Ventura and Thornton.

“It’s been fun being back in Clear Lake— as they say, the heart grows fonder,” Moeller added.  “Clear Lake is a pretty darn good place to raise your family and Clear Lake schools are not too big or small.  They offer personal attention with educators who challenge students to learn and be involved.

GHV

The new GHV Board has two board positions retiring this year.  Dave Zrostlik and Tim Tusha are each stepping down from Board service.  Both seats are at-large positions and can be filled by anyone living in the GHV district.

The four persons seeking office in the GHV School District are Gene Toppin, Brian Roberts, Diane Frank and Jeremy Gouge.

Toppin, a resident of Clear Lake, is manager of Five Star Co-op in Burchinal and is a farmer.  He was a member of the former Ventura School Board for 13 years.

Brian Roberts, of Garner, is employed as safety coordinator for Stellar Industries.  He is a paramedic with the Garner Ambulance Service and Hancock County Medical Examiner Investigator.

Diane Frank is employed as a business and computer instructor at North Iowa Area Community College.  She has earned a bachelor’s degree in business education and Master’s Degree in education.

Jeremy Gouge is president of IMT Transport in Garner.

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