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Ogren runs alone for LT mayor
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It's likely to be a one-sided mayoral election this fall - with life-long Lone Tree resident Rick Ogren the only candidate in the field this cycle.
Ogren, who has served a four-year term as a Lone Tree council member, is seeking the gavel of retiring LT mayor Eldon Slaughter.
Ogren runs alone for LT mayor
It's likely to be a one-sided mayoral election this fall - with life-long Lone Tree resident Rick Ogren the only candidate in the field this cycle.
Ogren, who has served a four-year term as a Lone Tree council member, is seeking the gavel of retiring LT mayor Eldon Slaughter.
Ogren has an interesting and exciting job outside of being a council member: He's a flight nurse for the University of Iowa "Air Care". Ogren first got his RN degree after working with the Lone Tree First Responders. The store he worked in closed down, so Ogren went back to school and got his Nursing degree. Since that time he's worked in intensive care and the emergency room in Iowa City before getting a job on the "Air Care" helicopter.
When he's not working in the helicopter, flying with patients between hospitals or attending to victims at accident sites in the region, Ogren has been working on behalf of the community of Lone Tree.
Ogren said the biggest accomplishment the current council has had is managing to work together for compromise.
"In the last four years one of the things the council has been able to do is peaceably disagree and come to compromise solutions," said Ogren. "I think that is the best thing that we can do. Work together as a group and not just stick to our own agenda so much that we can't work together."
Ogren points to the efforts by Mayor Slaughter and the council members to cut wasteful spending. Increasing the city surplus from a deficit to a $500,000 surplus.
"We have increased the surplus of the budget," said Ogren. "When I started, I think we had a surplus of $19,000 and I think last year the surplus was $524,000. I think that's a pretty respectable swing."
Ogren said the credit for that budget surplus goes to Mayor Slaughter and everyone on the council.
"We've done that by watching what we spend our money on," said Ogren. "The mayor has done a good job of not spending a lot of money on overtime and I think the council has also been frugal with the money to put us in a better position than we were when I first got on council."
Ogren points specifically to the yard-waste pickup service that he has helped the city to re-work.
"Before I was on the council they started a yard-waste pickup service with an outside contractor," said Ogren. "It cost about $15,000 a year and we were taking that money out of the general budget. Most services come out of the proprietary budget. So, I found and the council purchased a limb chipper and also a leaf sweeper and we're having our own city guys doing it."
The council estimates they've saved close to $10,000 a year by owning their own equipment and having their own employees pick up yard-waste in Lone Tree.
Ogren is certain that he and the current and incoming council members will be capable of working together or reaching compromise when they can't agree. Ogren said before the city bought their chipper and leaf sweeper, he'd proposed lifting the burning ban.
"We couldn't burn leaves and I proposed a leaf burning period and that was turned down," said Ogren. "So instead of saying, 'To heck with it,' - I found a better solution - with our own chipper and leaf sweeper. So, I didn't get my way on the burn period, but I was OK with that. That's how the council is supposed to work."
Ogren also pointed out that the yard-waste pickup service is now funded through the Lone Tree utility bills.
"Water and sewer and regular garbage pickup - things like that that are services people use - they need to pay for it," said Ogren. "We added it to that bill so it's not coming out of the general fun and we've minimized the cost of that as well."
Ogren points to his life-long experience of living in Lone Tree as the best asset he brings to the job.
"I think just being here and growing up," said Ogren. "I think I represent what the majority of people think and what their priorities are. I think I've got a general feel for how people think. I think I can understand how the majority of people would vote on situations."
Ogren said he's generally accessible and eager to work with citizens of the community.
"When I ran for the council- I walked around town and put a flyer in every door. With my email, address, and phone number so people could feel free to call me. And people do feel free to call me," said Ogren. "I think I'm open to listening to people on the phone. I've spent a fair amount of time on the phone with people."
Another way to hear people is to give them their say at town meetings.
"When they come to council meetings I'm more than happy to listen to people's points of view - I've stood up for people while a council member - letting them stand up and speak their minds," said Ogren.
One current issue before the City Council is the DeVoe Street project. Ogren said he's been in support of the changes.
"I think when it's all done people are going to be proud of it and realize that that was the right way to go," said Ogren.
Ogren said he thinks outgoing mayor Eldon Slaughter has done what was in Lone Tree's best interests and he's planning to do the same.
"The previous mayor was frugal with finances and I think he always did what was in Lone Tree's best interest. And I'm going to try to do the same things," said Ogren.
Ogren lives in Lone Tree with his wife Sherry who is in her first year of retirement after teaching for 33 years (30 at Lone Tree). Rick and Sherry's children are Ashlee and Alex. Ashlee is a nurse in the Quad Cities, working at the Genesis East Cath Lab. Alex is studying Agronomy at Iowa State and slowly becoming a Cyclone.
"They don't have much of an agronomy department here at the University of Iowa," said Ogren. "He's still a Hawkeye fan for football but he's slowly becoming a Cyclone - and that's good."
"If elected I am more than happy to take input and answer all questions," stated Ogren. "Just give me a call at 629-4211 or drop me a line at rickogren@hotmail.com."
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