Mark DeJong, 30-year Veteran of the Pella City Council

The son of Bill and Bea DeJong of DeJong Greenhouses, Mark DeJong always knew he wanted to go into the flower business. He started full-time in the family business following his 1969 graduation from Drake University with a degree in business, and has been the sole owner for many years. The business has grown to 35 full-time and four or five regular part-time employees, and Mark "ramps up the temporaries" during peak times like Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. He's been in the greenhouse business all his life.

When he followed his dad in one business, he didn't know he would also be following, then surpassing, him in another - the business of local government.

"I first ran for City Council," Mark related, "because my Dad pushed me into it! He had served twelve years, Bob Van Hemert served a couple of terms and was retiring, and no one was taking out papers. I walked into the business one day and Dad literally stood in my face and told me to do it!"

Smart man that he is, though, Mark first talked it over with his wife. "Dad was on a ton of committees," Mark said, "and I saw my mother sitting alone two, three evenings a week. Mary and I agreed that if I was going to do this, it would only be one major undertaking at a time - for either of us. That's sure made it easier over the years to say no to other things!"

Mark has been on the City Council for thirty years, and he and Mary were recognized at the City Council meeting of Jan. 2.

"We didn't even realize it'd been thirty years," Mary said.

"It was awfully kind of the mayor and staff," added Mark. "It was unexpected and unnecessary, but awfully kind."

When a councilman has served that long, one wonders why he never ran for mayor. "I was the heir apparent to CB Caldwell," Mark said, "but I knew there was no way I could do the job well. I've seen the significant time investment that Johnny (Menninga), Ted (Zylstra), and Darrell (Mayor Dobernecker) have made, and I don't have any real regrets. I can't tolerate getting involved if I can't devote the necessary time and effort.

"Besides," he laughed, " you know darned well that in small towns the mayor gets all the complaints!"

When he was first elected, the hot issue was the construction of the Sents Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant and that was his first committee assignment. City Councilmen used to put in even more time than they do now, because each was assigned a couple of committees.

"Everything was done by committee when I started," said Mark, "and there was never enough time to do all that needed doing." With the development of a professional city staff that so ably does the footwork, the committee structure gradually fell out of use. "Being a Councilman changed greatly," he said."The mayor had a great deal more responsibility, the councilmen less."

The committee system is returning, however, under Mayor Dobernecker. "We'll be making ourselves more available in support of department heads," Mark explained, "and while that will take more time, it's time owed to do it right."

The politially hot issue before the council now is the development of the new airport, but there are other hot issues, issues that just won't go away, such as the electric power supply, the deterioriating infrastructure, a new source for water, and the Washington Street turning lane.

"The demise of the Earthpark project has temporarily taken the pressure off the source water problem," said Mark, "but made the I80 corridor study a tougher sell."

One of the most significant things the community did to help itself, according to Mark, was pass the local option sales tax (LOST) that has allowed the construction of both phases of the new outdoor pool. "The LOST is a great way to get the extras done; it makes the amenities possible. Our LOST ends about 2011 and the pool will take most of it. If the community voted for another LOST, a perfect candidate to replace the pool project would be the renovation of Caldwell Park." Bike trails to the east and west sides of town were also mentioned.

"I love Pella," Mark concluded. "I would be involved in something anyway, and I am just as happy to have landed on the City Council. I stay on because there's always something exciting going on in Pella and good people kept reelecting me. It's never boring being on city government in Pella!"

The message Mark would leave with the public is that "We really do have good city government, a really good community because really good people put in a lot of time. From the hospital auxiliary to the fire and ambulance, we have huge numbers of volunteers in Pella who give of their time, their talents, and their resources."

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