Editor’s note: Ward 3 in Cedar Falls is the only contested race in the Nov. 4 city election. The Cedar Falls News Hub is profiling the candidates in this race in a three-part series. Below is the third feature.
By Brody Lovell
Ward 3 incumbent councilman Daryl Kruse, 66, is running for his third term in the Nov. 4 city election.
Kruse is facing two newcomers — former banker Bob Manning and engineer Tom Nagle — in the only competitive council race.
Kruse grew up in a farming community near the small town of Jackson Junction, Iowa. After graduating from Turkey Valley High School in 1977 he worked in a tool and die shop in Waverly before attending the University of Northern Iowa, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics in 1984. During this time, he also participated in an exchange program that sent him to Northern California. There, he gained experience in the real estate markets before returning to Iowa. Back in his home state, Kruse purchased his first rental property on College Street across from campus and began his financial planning business.
He has lived in Cedar Falls since 1981 and in Ward 3 since 2002. For the last 39 years, he has worked as a financial planner and a rental property manager. He is also the executive director of Landlords of Iowa, an organization that connects landlords and property managers with resources for success and advocates for tenants’ property rights.
Kruse has expressed criticism of the current developer codes in Cedar Falls, which, he said, were “dramatically changed” in 2015. He says they have increased costs for developers, thereby increasing property values and the property tax burden.
“The code we have drives up the costs for new construction and your property tax goes up,” he said.
Kruse wishes Cedar Falls would rewrite the code and simplify it, similar to local communities such as Dike, Hudson and Evansdale. A balance between safety standards and affordability should be a goal for the council, he said. If reelected he plans to champion it.
Moreover, Kruse also has concerns about form-based zoning, which, he argues, limits property rights and creates uncertainty for neighborhoods.
“To take an old part of town and now change it — people lose their property rights and expectations for their neighborhood,” said Kruse.
He advocates for more transparency from the government in making these decisions as well as more fiscally responsible spending. As a councilman, Kruse wants to ensure spending is primarily going towards the city’s “needs” as opposed to their “wants.”
“People will spend money on what they want, not what they need,” he said. “To me, it’s always — what do you need first?”
In terms of the city government, Kruse is a fan of its current structure, believing it to be effective. He emphasizes the importance of who is in government positions as opposed to the positions themselves, calling it “the person in the chair” who matters when it comes to policymaking.
Regarding his time on the council, Kruse is proud of the work he has been a part of, particularly with the city recreational services and infrastructure, such as the new high school, the bike network and improvements with the UNI Dome. He also highlights the success of Cedar Falls Utilities and their award-winning services for families and businesses.
“We’ve got some of the fastest internet speeds in the nation,” said Kruse.
Kruse lists several reasons for running for a third term, but mainly he enjoys the job and sees it as an extension of his financial planning career. As he concerns himself with the financial well-being of the people of Cedar Falls, being on the council allows him to influence policy that helps the residents.
“It’s not a job, it’s enjoyment,” he said. “I like what I do. I like helping people.”