Five City Council candidates running for three spots have diverse backgrounds

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

An ag advisor, teacher, accountant, custodian and housewife.

Three of those candidates with diverse backgrounds will be members of the Charles City Council after the final votes are tallied from the upcoming Nov. 5 election.

There will be at least two new City Council members after two incumbents decided not to run again.

The terms of Keith Starr, Michael Hammond and Dan Mallaro are up after Jan. 1, 2020. Of those, only Starr is seeking reelection.

Starr is seeking a third term on the council. Also running are Charles City middle school teacher Phoebe Pittman, tax accountant Phillip Knighten, custodian Craig Hamm and former bus driver and housewife Ann Teeter.

Candidates were asked by the Press to submit profile information and were also asked to answer why they decided to run and why they think they would be a deserving council member if elected.

A forum takes place tonight (Wednesday) at 7 p.m. at the NIACC Center in Charles City where the public can meet and hear from the candidates. They will field written questions submitted by the public and inform interested voters on the issues they feel are important.

The council forum is open to the public and is hosted by the Charles City chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the Charles City Area Chamber of Commerce.

Here are the candidates, in alphabetical order, and their responses:

Craig Hamm

Hamm, 46, has been a Charles City resident all his life. He is married to his wife, Nikki, and his family includes stepson, Justin, and son, Bryce.

He works as a custodian at Trinity United Methodist Church. Hamm is involved with the Lions Club, Party in the Park committee, Community Revitalization and is a church trustee at Trinity United Methodist Church. He has a passion for car shows, meeting new people and taking his Corvette on weekend cruises.

Hamm said he’s running for City Council because he believes he can be an asset to the council and community by bringing in fresh and new ideas. He said he can offer determination, drive, honesty and the ability to listen to the people in the community.

Hamm feels the nuisance problem in town is an issue that needs to be dealt with and he would also encourage more people to become entrepreneurs.

“When going to other towns or cities I always think to myself, why can’t Charles City have this or that? I hate comparing Charles City with other communities, but I feel we could do just a little bit better. Knowing we will never become a college-type community, we can surely try. With me having the dedication and the want, I feel I can help make Charles City more vibrant,” said Hamm.

Hamm said he is patient and he accepts that certain issues take time.

“Living here all my life and seeing how things were then compared to now, I think I deserve a chance to get elected to City Council so I can dig in and try to help resolve some of the issues that others see in this community also,” he added.

Phillip Knighten

Knighten, 47, has lived in Charles City since 2004. He has been married to his wife, Tonia, for more than 15 years, and they have five children: Safiya, Malik, Jalen, Ana and Akil.

He was in the Marine Corps from 1990 to 1995, serving in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, in Somalia and Panama. After an honorable discharge, Knighen went on to complete a degree in computer science from Oklahoma State University in 1998.

Knighten currently works as a tax accountant for the Prichard Law Office in Charles City. He also runs his own DJ/music service on the weekends. Knighten and his family also ran 1 Stop Party Shoppe in Charles City.

“I am running for City Council to continue my service to my country and community. As a veteran and citizen of Charles City, I am anxious to work with others on the council to grow and build our city,” said Knighten.

Knighten organized “Be the Bridge” in Charles City, a non-profit organization with a goal of helping create healthy dialogue about race and racialization in the United States.

“I served my community on a spiritual and cultural level, striving to improve racial relations amongst citizens of the city and surrounding areas by fostering interaction between differing backgrounds,” he said. “City Council is another form of serving my community by offering my knowledge, as well as a new perspective to the group.”

Knighten feels his experience and education in financial and taxation-related fields would make him a good council member.

“I know how to work as a team with others by drawing on my military experiences and by serving on several local committees, including the Next 20 Design Team for the Charles City Community School District,” he said.

Knighten said issues at the forefront in Charles City include approval and implementation of a city-owned broadband utility, upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant, restoration of the Charley Western Trail Bridge and reaching a resolution on the McQuillen Place. He added that with the closure of Simply Essentials, efforts need to be made to create gainful employment by seeking new employer opportunities.

Phoebe Pittman

Pittman, 41, is married to Rob Pittman, a social studies teacher at Charles City High School. The educators have two daughters, Zadie and Fiona.

Pittman teaches sixth-grade science at the Charles City Middle School. She has worked in the Charles City Community School District for the past 12 years.

Pittman and her husband have served as shelter parents for local students in need. She was involved with RAGBRAI promotions in 2010 and 2017. She also led students for seven years in the Lexus Eco Challenge, which helps students tackle environmental issues that affect the planet.

Pittman serves on the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team that supports the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral competence of students. She has been on the parent advisory board of TLC: The Learning Center as well.

“I’m running for City Council to, first and foremost, give back to my community,” she said. “Secondly I am running because I think that it’s important for new voices to be heard in the decisions made by the council. As a city councilor I will strive to represent all members of the community and actively seek out input from all corners of Charles City.”

Pittman said she would bring the ability to look at issues from a variety of perspectives and has a willingness to explore novel solutions to problems. She said the most important skill she has is the ability to work with a group of people with an end goal in mind.

“This is crucial for any candidate because the City Council must function as a cooperative group where everyone is working with one goal in mind – to do what is best for our community,” said Pittman.

Pittman sees two issues crucial to the long term health of Charles City – housing and food insecurity.

“First, we have a population of aging homes that do not meet the needs and wants of our community. We need to pursue all possible avenues to aggressively support the rehabilitation of existing homes in order to provide more suitable rental housing as well as more suitable homes available for purchase. In addition to housing issues we have a high level of food insecurity which is strongly tied to poverty,” she said.

Keith Starr

Starr, 59, has been a council member for two consecutive terms, starting in 2013. He is married to his wife, Joanne, and they have three kids: Stephen, Robert and Emily.

Starr began working as an ag banker in the mid-80s. Since then he has been either a lender or supervisor in the industry. He transitioned to a role of helping farming families in need of financial advice in 2017.

“It’s been fulfilling, rewarding and a great way to utilize my years of experience,” he said.

Starr has been involved in a variety of community projects. He has taken on leadership roles in the local Rotary Club and was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship Award as a member of that organization.

He has served on multiple boards and commissions in his time as city leader. Starr said he is able to quickly identify weaknesses and opportunities in various plans and work with fellow community members to achieve significant progress.

“After seven years on the City Council, I’ve found each year has become more rewarding and personally challenging,” he said.

Starr said that much of his passions early in life were focused on his work, but he’s translated those passions into giving back to his community.

“I’m excited to continue to provide a great environment for growth and quality employment,” he said.

He points to the purchase of the Avenue of the Saints Development Park, expansion of the wastewater treatment plant and the city’s recent completion of the comprehensive plan as examples of Charles City moving in the right direction.

“With those solid foundation pieces, the city is a space for growth to occur,” Starr added.

Starr said city leaders have done a good job with expansion of the city sidewalks, the rebuilding of the Charley Western Bridge and the Clark Street Trail.

Ann Teeter

Teeter, 58, is married to Curt Teeter, a full-time member of the Charles City Fire Department. They have three children, two stepchildren and 13 grandchildren.

Teeter has been employed as a school bus driver in the past and has also worked at Winnebago Industries. She said she is currently a housewife.

“I think employment opportunity is an important issue. I’m running for City Council to keep this community growing and look forward to representing your views and voice on the council,” said Teeter.