Benjamin Larson
Age: 33
Occupation: Cardiac Nurse
Email: Benjamin.T.Larson@proton.me
My name is Benjamin Larson, and I have been serving Americans for over 13 years in the medical field as a paramedic and a nurse. As a young man, I always had an interest in reading medical journals and textbooks, but after an incident that required me to assist the local rescue squad in saving my father's life, I was inspired to enter the medical field. I became a paramedic at 20 and quickly specialized in critical long-term transport. This allowed me the opportunity to interact with many diverse communities within Iowa and Nebraska. I was then given the opportunity to serve at the Select Specialty Hospital within the ICU. During the 9 years I was working full time in the ICU, I attended classes at Iowa Western Community College to achieve my RN license. I am not afraid of the hard work required to better serve my community. I now specialize as a cardiovascular nurse collaborating with a variety of doctors and staff members in the Methodist and University systems. I understand it takes a united team of all kinds of people to serve our community.
| Question 1:
Population Growth & Economic Vitality Many residents and business leaders believe that growing the population of Council Bluffs is critical to near- and long-term economic vitality, workforce sustainability, and community vibrancy. Others are more cautious or uncertain about the need for growth, citing a desire to keep the community the way it is.
"From my perspective as a young professional, I believe it is important to note that our young graduates are choosing to leave Council Bluffs, and we must do a better job of, not only, incentivizing our young professionals to stay, work, and establish families within our city, but also, do better job of attracting new young professionals into our community to ensure we have a strong future. Growth is important for the success of our local commerce and it is important for our community’s ability to pay for essential services. Both are necessary for Council Bluffs to be able to thrive. Council Bluffs has an urgent need because of our limited housing availability. We are currently over 98% occupancy capacity in both housing and rental markets. Our limited availability can not even meet the current needs of our citizens; many of our neighbors have lost their homes. This is a vital problem that our city must solve. If elected, my goal would be to establish a healthy vacancy level. The vacancy levels need to increase from our poor standing of less than 2% to a healthy 8% vacancy level. This is necessary to allow for the natural growth of our city. A healthy vacancy rate ensures that our city is desirable and affordable which is necessary to retain and attract skilled young professionals and their families." |
| Question 2:
Attracting and Retaining Workers and Families Building and maintaining a strong workforce, particularly young professionals and families, is important to ensuring a strong future workforce and a vibrant local economy.
"Council Bluffs is in a unique position with its potential for workforce human resources. We have a potential pipeline of young professionals within our city at Iowa Western Community College, but also with other local universities in the metro area like the University of Nebraska Medicine Center and the University of Omaha. We need to be able to encourage these young professionals to make Council Bluffs their final destination instead of a mere stepping stone in their lives. We have lots of potential to increase the talent pool within our workforce, through partnerships with the local colleges, but we lack the healthy vacancy rate that will draw in these young professionals. After we have achieved the healthy 8% vacancy rate, we will then need to prioritize supporting these new families within our community. We can do that through the creation of walkable living spaces by utilizing mixed spaces in our new infrastructure. This will allow for the organic growth of community engagement and the natural interconnectedness of our citizens as well as natural improvements in the quality of life for our citizens. These new mixed spaces will also allow for business growth to bring in new opportunities for economic development." |
| Question 3:
Role of City Government in Economic Development Economic development is increasingly competitive across the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro, the Midwest, and the nation. Communities are vying for limited business investment, talent, and development opportunities. While these efforts are often driven by private and nonprofit partners, city government plays a vital role in creating the conditions for success through policies, infrastructure, incentives, and collaboration.
"A city's government has a particularly vital role to play, not only, in recognizing possible sources of growth and revenue in these markets, but also, in building and maintaining the city’s infrastructure to properly attract such new investments while supporting existing enterprises. Cities must have a long-term vision for the future. This vision needs to include infrastructures that will grow with the existing businesses as well as entice new businesses into the community. The vision also must include insights into sources of skilled labor as well as establishing bases of consumers to help these businesses thrive. I believe it is also necessary to incorporate multiple forms of access to these businesses. We need to take into consideration the various forms of transportation within our community including walking, biking, public transportation and independent vehicles, as well as the different accessibility needs of our citizens. I also believe that improved infrastructure like fiber optic internet will increase the quality of business ventures within our community. We must utilize a greater allowance on the use of land through mixed-use zoning, and utilize tools like Community Benefit Agreements to keep the new investments from pricing anyone out of their new homes. This way we will create the growth that we need while supporting our current neighbors and their businesses." |
Question 4:
Fiscal Responsibility & City Budgeting Developing and managing the city budget is one of the most important responsibilities of elected officials. A responsible budget must reflect community priorities, comply with legal and financial constraints, and respond to changing economic conditions. Understanding how city revenues are generated, and how those funds can and cannot be used, is critical to making sound decisions.
What experience do you have with budgeting, particularly in government, business, or nonprofit settings? Share your understanding of how a city budget works, including major sources of revenue and how city services are paid for. How would you approach developing and monitoring the city’s budget? What city services or projects would you prioritize?
"Though my experience with budgeting is largely with medicines and resources for ambulances, it shares parallels with the city's budgeting process. It begins with creating inventories of needs and desires; Council Bluffs has the heads of our local departments managing this job. Then it transitions into the process of negotiation with the person in charge of expenditures; the mayor handles this in Council Bluffs. Once that negotiation process is complete, it is then passed onto the board of directors for final approval or denial based on what the board would see in the budget. The city council would be equivalent to the board of directors approval at the hospital. It is important to understand that the council’s job isn't to see the minutial details but the big picture of what is best for our community.
Our community has bright and talented people hired to run its departments. I believe these talented individuals know their departments better than anyone on the council will ever be able to understand. If elected, I will focus on the bigger picture. I will prioritize open forums and direct discussions with the many residents of Council Bluffs to get a better assessment of the issues our citizens are noticing. It is not enough to simply have an open email list. I will have direct discussions with community members to show the people of Council Bluffs the leadership I hope to bring to the position."
| Question 5:
Downtown & Corridor Redevelopment Vibrant, well-designed corridors and a thriving downtown are key to a city’s identity, perception, and long-term economic momentum. In Council Bluffs, areas such as First Avenue, West Broadway, the riverfront, and the historic downtown, among others, serve as gateways to the community and focal points for housing, business, entertainment, and civic life. Redevelopment of these areas is central to attracting new investment, residents, and visitors.
"My first priority is to ask myself what is going to make Council Bluffs thrive. The 100 Blocks recent redevelopment has brought in a larger consumer base and has helped boost our local businesses because of its mixed use design. I feel that the West Broadway region, with its large brick buildings showcasing street level businesses with apartments above, looks wonderful and blends modern business with highlights of our history, and I would want to continue to champion its unique appeal showcasing our old downtown district. Turning towards the riverside, the living spaces have a more modern feel but still utilize the same mix use design that allows for its own aesthetic and vibrancy while still creating a walkable consumer base for the local businesses. These store fronts so close to our neighbors across the river open up opportunities to draw in businesses as well as tenants into our tax base which is necessary for us to continue to be able to afford essential services in our community like fire, police, and road maintenance. I firmly believe that Council Bluffs can keep its beauty and charm while pursuing the growth that we need to thrive as a community in the future." |
Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil Questionnaire
1. Why do you want to serve in this office?
I have been serving Americans for over 13 years in the medical field as a paramedic and a nurse and I believe I can use my experience to better serve the people of Council Bluffs as a city councilman.
2. What should voters expect if you’re elected?
Voters can expect me to value their concerns including a push for more affordable housing, comprehensive assistance for our homeless neighbors, supporting our emergency services, and respecting the rights of all people.
3. What’s the most important issue facing voters?
The biggest issue facing our community is our low vacancy rate. We are currently over 98% occupancy capacity in both housing and rental markets. Our limited availability can not even meet the current needs of our citizens; many of our neighbors have lost their homes. This is a vital problem that our city must solve. If elected, my goal would be to establish a healthy vacancy level. The vacancy levels need to increase from our poor standing of less than 2% to a healthy 8% vacancy level. This is necessary to allow for the natural growth of our city. A healthy vacancy rate ensures that our city is desirable and affordable which is necessary to retain and attract skilled young professionals and their families.
4. What's something else you plan to focus on?
As we are the only bordertown in Iowa whose partner city across the border has a larger population base than our own, I would focus on cooperation with the state government to create specialized policy so that we may compete more effectively with the Omaha economy.
5. Is the city going in the right direction?
It's trying! Council Bluffs needs to continue to grow its tax base so that we can continue to afford to maintain our roads, our park services, and fund our emergency services. It is common sense, our dollars can only stretch so far, and each year we are trying to do more with less. Increasing the population of our city without increasing the sprawl of infrastructure will increase the tax base and set Council Bluffs up for success in the years to come.
6. What is your position on the streetcar? Is that position firm or flexible?
I am flexible in my position on the streetcar. Public transportation is an important part of Council Bluffs’ infrastructure, but I believe there needs to be more public information on the economic benefits and disadvantages of the streetcar before I can make any firm decisions. I would like to see public forums for information dissemination and opinion gathering.
7. What’s a realistic timeframe to make housing no longer the city’s top priority?
The vacancy rate is a critical metric for any town's success. With our rate at less than 2% we need to raise it to a healthy 8% vacancy rate before Council Bluffs changes our priority.
8. If you could have the state adopt or change one policy, what would you want?
This year I was shocked to see the removal of one of Iowa’s civil rights. If the government can come for our trans neighbors’ civil rights, they can come for anyone's. My number one priority as an American is to protect everyone’s right to liberty and justice. When I say The Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America, I mean it: Liberty and Justice for All. I would restore civil rights to all Iowans.
9. What else should voters know about you?
I became a paramedic at 20 and quickly specialized in critical long-term transport. This allowed me the opportunity to interact with many diverse communities within Iowa and Nebraska. During the 9 years I was working full time in the ICU, I simultaneously achieved my RN license. I now specialize as a cardiovascular nurse collaborating with a variety of doctors and staff members in the Methodist and University systems. I am not afraid of hard work, and I understand it takes a united team of all kinds of people to serve our community.
10. In a sentence, why are you the right choice?
I have the skills, tenacity and mental fortitude to help Council Bluffs’ city council make the right choices that will lead our city to a successful future.