Indianola City Council Appoints Bob Lane as At-Large Council Member

The Indianola City Council, during its special meeting Monday, April 14, motioned to appoint Bob Lane to serve as an at-large council member and was officially sworn in to fill the seat. This process follows Steve Richardson's appointment to mayor on February 18.

"I think soaking up as much as I can but also looking for those opportunities where I can contribute something - so I'm not just somebody taking but I'm giving to the process - that's important," Lane said after the meeting. "That's why I wanted to sit here. There's a lot to learn."

In an emailed statement sent to City Clerk/Finance Director Jackie Raffety at 5:42 p.m. April 14, Eric Martens removed his name from consideration due to personal reasons, Raffety informed the Council at the start of the meeting.

"I do not want to do a disservice to the council, or the community," Martens wrote in his email and read aloud by Raffety. "I think Bob (Lane) is a great candidate with far more experience than I. At this time, I am respectfully removing myself from the race. I apologize for the short notice. This was an extremely difficult decision to make."

After the statement was read, Mayor Richardson publicly thanked Martens for his interest in the position.

Lane, now retired, is committed to giving back to the Indianola community he has called home for over 30 years. He retired from Simpson College in 2023, where he served as vice president for college advancement from 2007-23 and acted as interim president for five months in 2020.

With a career rooted in higher education, Lane held leadership roles on the President's Cabinet at multiple institutions, where he helped guide overall institutional strategy and operations.

Lane will serve the current term of the at-large council position through December 31. It returns to the ballot in November.

In accordance with state law, the Indianola City Council was required to fill the at-large council vacancy either by appointment or special election following the February 18 mayoral appointment for Steve Richardson to mayor, who previously held the seat. The appointment must be made within 60 days after the vacancy occurred and be for the period until the next regular city election, according to Iowa Code 372.13.

After the Indianola City Council passed a resolution on Monday, March 3, providing for notice of intent to fill the at-large Council vacancy by appointment, an application process was established for residents interested in filling the vacancy. It remained open until 4 p.m. March 28, with interviews scheduled with the Indianola City Council during its regular meeting on April 7.

Besides Lane and Martens, other applicants included Jason Etnyre, Todd Kielkopf, Bob Lane, Eric Martens and Brad Ross. Prior to the meeting April 7, Kielkopf withdrew his application.

Per Iowa Code, the appointment needed to be approved by a majority of the entire Indianola City Council, where four votes of the Council are required rather than a majority of voting.

Following a first round of voting April 7 after all applicants were interviewed, the Indianola City Council narrowed the field from four candidates to two, as Lane and Martens each received four votes. However, a majority vote could not be reached during subsequent rounds, prompting the special meeting on April 14 to reinterview Lane and Martens for the role.

For more information about the Indianola City Council, please visit indianolaiowa.gov/citycouncil.