Current, former council member vying for Solon seat

SOLON - Steve Duncan and G. Kevin Samek are no strangers to the Solon City Council.

Former council member Samek is challenging Duncan, who serves on the council. The council seat is the only contested position in the city.

When Solon Mayor Cami Rasmussen became the city administrator in May, council member Steve Stange was appointed mayor and Duncan was named to fill Stange's council seat.

'My time on the council heightened my interest in becoming involved with city government,” said Duncan, a retired athletics administrator for Valley High School in West Des Moines.

After working in education for 38 years, Duncan and his family moved to Solon five years ago. He since has served as chief fundraiser for the Spartan Outdoor Events Center and sits on the superintendent's advisory committee.

”I'm not an issue guy,” he said. 'I know one thing - people get on board for issues, and once those issues are gone, you're gone whether you're a good board member or not.”

Both candidates expressed concern about the city accommodating the new middle school.

'We need to be looking ahead. I'd like to continue with the infrastructure work. At one time we had a sidewalk program to help kids safely walk to school, and I would like to rejuvenate that,” said Samek, a retired sales manager.

Samek has lived in Solon for the past 35 years and coaches youth flag football and baseball. He was a council member from 2000 to 2008 and served as mayor pro tem for the last four years of his term.

'I enjoyed being on city council the last time, and I would have run for another term had my position at work not changed,” he said. 'Now that I'm retired and I have extra time, I want to get back into city government again.”

Duncan spoke Oct. 8 at a forum in North Liberty held by the League of Women Voters of Johnson County. Samek was unable to attend the forum due to knee replacement surgery, but said he hoped to be out in the community soon to encourage residents to vote.

Candidate Bios:

Steve Duncan

' Age: 66

' Hometown: Burlington

' Occupation: Retired athletic administrator

' Previous political experience: Solon City Council, appointed June 2014

' Highest education: Master of arts, University of Iowa

G. Kevin Samek

' Age: 59

' Hometown: Fayette

' Occupation: Retired sales manager

' Previous political experience: Solon City Council, Solon mayor pro tem

' Highest education: Fayette Community High School