Profile: Iowa City mayor steps down

IOWA CITY - It was almost two years ago to the day when Matt Hayek, who was then planning to reprise his role as mayor of Iowa City, said he did not intend to seek a third term on the Iowa City Council.

Sticking to his words, Hayek closed out one of his final council meetings Dec. 15 - a day declared Matt Hayek Day by the council - after two years as a member of the council and six years as mayor.

The public votes on council members for four-year terms, while the seven-member council elects a mayor every two years.

Looking back on eight years, Hayek couldn't think of any major regrets.

'It's been intense and by and large really enjoyable,” he said. 'I think the community underestimates how hard it is to serve on local government in a place like this where the issues are tough and the pressures are intense and the personal sacrifice is significant.”

The challenges of serving in public office were noticed from day one, he said.

'I recall being very nervous about the first meeting and worried I would not understand how the voting process went or when to speak up or how to make a motion, basic parliamentary concerns. I must have read the materials three times to make sure I had every detail understood,” he said.

And while Hayek soon had a more firm grasp on the procedural matters of serving on the council, he admitted that the job never gets easy.

'While one grows more comfortable in a City Council meeting, it doesn't become a completely comfortable environment, by virtue of how its set up - you've got people watching you so even in my eighth year, you gear up for a council meeting,” he said.

Especially in a community such as Iowa City, where packed council chambers and well-attended meetings are a regular occurrence.

'Criticism is to be expected and how you deal with it matters, keeping your cool and developing as think of skin as possible helps,” he said.

With eight year's of votes, resolutions and ordinances, Hayek has plenty to look back on. But he noted issues such as passing and maintaining the 21 ordinance on drinking or post-flood matters as particularly memorable.

It was one of the council's actions during his first year as mayor, in 2010, that Hayek pointed to as particularly impactful - the hiring of current City Manager Tom Markus, who was hired after several years of flux for that city position.

'That kind of limbo in the city manager's position is challenging. It's hard to make progress, there's uncertainty and the focus is often on keeping the proverbial trains running,” he said. 'I was determined for the council to get it right. ...

Tom has surpassed my expectations and, looking back, I think he was exactly what Iowa City needed.”

Looking forward, Hayek said his immediate plans involve spending more time at his law practice and with his family.

That said, Hayek admitted while he will no longer be casting votes or directing council meetings, he surely will remain interested.

'You can take a mayor out of city hall, but I don't know if you can take city hall out of the mayor. To that extent I will always be an interested observer watching from the outside,” he said.

'What my role is in a civic sense in the future is something I'll be thinking about. I just don't know yet.”