In fast-growing Tiffin, a rare mayoral face-off between long-time incumbent, challenger

Voters in the fast-growing city of Tiffin will head to the polls on Nov. 7 tasked with choosing between a long-time mayor and a relatively new face.

Tiffin’s population grew from just short of 2,000 people in the 2010 census to more than 4,500 in 2020 and has only continued to grow. The city’s mayoral race is one of just two in Johnson County where the incumbent city leader is being challenged — the other being Solon — and a rare challenge for the town's long-time mayor Steve Berner. Tiffin’s mayor serves a two-year term.

Early voting began on Wednesday, Oct. 18 and runs through Nov. 6. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot and to “pre-register” to vote was Oct. 24. Polls will be open Nov. 7 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and you can find your precinct and polling location on the Secretary of State's website.

The Press-Citizen sent identical questionnaires to each candidate to gather their specific campaign points. Answers have been edited for clarity and style. Responses appear in the order that the candidates appear on the Nov. 7 ballot.

More: We asked the N. Liberty City Council candidates about their priorities. Here are their responses.

Who is running for the mayor’s office in Tiffin?

Tim Kasparek

Age: 44

Tiffin residency: Since 2018

Occupation: Business Development/Sales Management for a Technology Organization in Cedar Rapids

Steve Berner (Incumbent)

Age: 57

Tiffin residency: 26 years

Occupation: Bank Vice President

More: How to vote in Iowa's 2023 city and school elections, including early voting and absentee ballots

Why are you running for mayor?

Kasparek: It’s no secret that Tiffin has remained to be one of the fastest-growing cities in Iowa for several years running. In the 2010 census, we were a town of 1,900+ people; now, in 2023, we are a city of 6,700+ − well on our way to 10,000. With that in mind, the challenges and opportunities we face now are extraordinarily different than they were 12 years ago and leading a city our size takes a different set of skills.

We need a pragmatic leader who has the necessary skills to advance the city into the future while retaining its past.  Provide a sense of community and pride for every resident. And listen to the wants and needs of ALL citizens. I will use my 20+ years of business development, relationship building and leadership expertise to do, every day, what is right for this community and the individuals I represent.

Berner: I served Tiffin as a Planning & Zoning Commission member and Chairperson for 14 years and as Mayor for the last 12 years. My 30 years of experience in finance at a local bank provides me with the knowledge necessary for the complicated process of understanding city budgets and capital project financing.

Over my 26 years with the City of Tiffin, I have had many opportunities to invite and work with many businesses to promote Tiffin as a great city for economic development. During my time as Mayor, Tiffin has led the State of Iowa as the fastest-growing city in the state. Tiffin will continue to grow exponentially in the coming years, and I have the experience to help Tiffin manage this growth.

What is the most important issue in Tiffin right now?

Kasparek: The pace of growth we’ve experienced since 2010 and the needs that come with that growth have resulted in very challenging growing pains. Those growing pains are compounded when we’ve spent a tremendous amount of time neglecting proper planning and due diligence prior to making major decisions.

We need to break away from the short-sighted leadership approach that has been shown over the past 12 years and start making important decisions that will impact our residents today, but also do proper planning for the larger future needs of tomorrow. I would love to say there is just ONE major issue to focus on but it’s just not that simple.  We have a lot of catch-up work to do, and it needs a comprehensive plan in order to be successful. I understand the incumbent mayor would like to believe his experience matters but the experience of our residents matters more.

Berner: Managing the City budget and providing City services during exponential growth is the most difficult issue Tiffin is facing. Tiffin may be more fortunate than some cities because our taxable valuation increases year over year due to the growth, thereby increasing revenues for Tiffin. However, the costs of providing services increase significantly as well.

The State Legislature continues to place fiscal constraints on cities, making the City budgeting process even more difficult. The current City leadership has managed the growth and budgetary process over the past 12 years and is poised to position the City in a strong financial situation for years to come.

What are your three priorities for Tiffin for the coming term, if elected?

Kasparek:

• Infrastructure. Due to poor decision-making and improper planning around major arterial roads (ie. Forevergreen Extension), we continue to burden our resident’s mobility throughout the town and have hindered economic development. The growth of our city has been heavily impacted by the fantastic work done by CCASD but failing to be in lockstep with them as they expanded, particularly in the 2014-15 timeframe, gives us challenges all over the city. Time to get to work!

• Services Improvements. Public Safety, Fire Safety, Water Quality and Recreational facilities have been woefully ignored (see previous comments regarding planning). Seeing phases 2 and 3 of the water quality improvement project through to completion as expeditiously as possible, making responsible decisions regarding the short and long-term needs of both our public and fire safety partners, and simultaneously trying to provide our residents with recreational facilities are of the utmost importance.

• Economic Development. There are some bright spots on the horizon that we can all be excited about, but to do all of the things mentioned AND do it in a fiscally responsible manner, we have to find new ways to attract large and small businesses to our community. Addressing the elements I’ve already mentioned will certainly aid in the efforts to grow commercially, however, I will lean heavily into my professional business expertise to help provide our residents with the business offerings they are clamoring for.

Berner:

• Manage the tremendous growth Tiffin is experiencing. I have been working with city staff, the city council and all city departments over the past 12 years while Tiffin has led Iowa as the fastest-growing city. This challenge is significant and will continue for years to come.  The Mayor is expected to lead the City and control growth, and I have the experience to continue to lead our City.

• I have been advocating for a Recreation/Wellness Center for nearly 10 years.  With the recent passage of the local option sales tax, Tiffin is now in a very strong financial position to fund and operate this center. The city council is quickly moving this project forward. I plan to work closely with our city administrator and city council to break ground on our new Recreation/Wellness Center in mid to late 2024.

• Improve Tiffin's water quality. Planning for this project began nearly 2 years ago. This project has actually been started and our city engineer is working on plans, which must be submitted to the Iowa DNR for approval. This is a lengthy process, but I have high hopes our new water plant will provide much-improved water to the City of Tiffin by the end of 2025.

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Tiffin mayoral race: Berner, Kasparek on vision for fast-growing city