By Anelia K. Dimitrova
He’s been in town for a short while.
Just enough to know that he has made the right choice picking Cedar Falls as his job destination, yet not long enough to have met all the movers and shakers in the area, and certainly not long enough to absorb everything there is to know about the job he now holds.
Far from it.
But Craig Clark, the city’s newest leader, is patient and purposeful, so he is methodical about learning on the go. He knows that landing a desirable job in a forward-thinking community is different from planting roots there.
He started in his role as the city administrator in early July. His office at City Hall, just two doors away from that of Mayor Danny Laudick’s, already looks like a space where work is in focus. Documents on the desk make the case that Clark has rolled up his sleeves and is dialed into city priorities like economic development and strategic planning.
As he settles into his new routine, Clark is reflective about the transition that has been happening in the past couple of months since he took over the reins at City Hall.
This is his fourth position as a city administrator, so he is not new to the duties and the expectations of the role. Prior to this, he served as the city admin in Austin, Minnesota, for over 11 years, and before that, for the City of Worthington in Minnesota for six years and Clayton, Wisconsin, where he was for almost 4 years. Early on in his career, he served for five years as a committee administrator for the Agriculture and Rural Development Finance Committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Hamline University, a private liberal arts college in the Twin Cities, and his undergrad degree is from Buena Vista University, where he double majored in political science and history.
In March, when he interviewed in town as part of a shortlist of five candidates for the job, Clark told me that what attracted him to apply to the job was the growth of the character of the community, the quality of life it offers, the focus on planning, the fact that Cedar Falls is a university town and “the vibrancy” that the presence of UNI brings to the community.
At the time, he also mentioned listening as one of his main approaches to the job and that statement rang true in the attentiveness with which he answered my questions in that first interview.
Just the other day, at an open house for the future of a dog park, a skate action park and a splash pad in town, he was among the city officials who chatted with a handful of community members who were interested in the projects and had stopped by city hall to review the plans and provide feedback.
Cedar Falls: A return to Iowa roots, closer to family
Among other things, the Cedar Falls job appealed to Clark because he wanted to return to his home state. He grew up in Indianola, in a community he described as half rural and half urban, where his mother still lives.
“I wouldn’t be here without my parents, they were formative in my life,” he told me, thinking about his journey.
When he eventually got the call from the recruiter that he had been picked for the Cedar Falls post, Clark told me he was “ecstatic.”
Now that moment of complete joy has given way to the task of getting things done – meeting other leaders around the area, attending council meetings and getting ready for such staples of the job as budgets and goal setting.
This summer, Clark’s family visited Cedar Falls and tasted some of what the town has to offer, but the pace has been hectic because there were a lot of moving parts to everyone’s schedule.
Clark and his wife, Anita, who works as the director of digital marketing for KSMQ, a public television station in Austin, Minnesota, have become empty nesters, as their three kids are in college. Their oldest, Garrett, goes to Iowa State and this fall, so does their daughter, Emma. Peyton, the middle child, goes to Minnesota State University, Mankato.
“I have two Cyclones and I know it doesn’t always go well with Panther fans,” he joked.
Community members will have three upcoming opportunities to meet Clark and other city officials.
A meet and greet for Clark will be held at 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 31, on the upper floor of Urban Pie, where guests can munch on breadsticks courtesy of the hosting restaurant. City staff and other elected officials will also be present.
Coffee with the City, an informal gathering that has now become a tradition, will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, at Scooters on Viking Road in Cedar Falls (315 Viking Road). A second event will take place at 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct,21, at The Vibe (1828 Waterloo Road, Cedar Falls) in partnership with Cedar Falls Public Safety.