Marion City Council appoints new council member to fill vacancy

MARION — The Marion City Council on Thursday appointed Gage Miskimen, a former reporter at The Gazette, to fill the vacancy left on city council when Colette Atkins, who had been on the council since 2018, resigned at the end of March.

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Miskimen will represent Ward 1, which covers the southwest side of the city, until Dec. 31. The council seat will be up for election this November. Marion voters have the right to file a petition to hold a special election to fill the seat instead of accepting the council’s choice. The petition would require 1,000 signatures and must be filed in the next 14 days.

Two other Marion residents — Kim Etzel and Lou Rogers — applied for the position with city council. Council members Steve Jensen, Grant Harper, Randy Strnad and Will Brandt all voted for Miskimen. Mayor Nicolas AbouAssaly voted for Kim Etzel. Sara Mentzer, the Ward 4 representative, was not present.

Miskimen has lived in Marion for most of his life. From January 2020 until January of this year, he covered Linn County and Marion local government for The Gazette. He now works as a community engagement coordinator at Four Oaks.

Miskimen cited his experience as a journalist in his application for the council seat, stating that because of his previous job he is familiar with the ins and outs of city council work.

“I feel as if I’ve been a city council intern for the past few years,” Miskimen said in the meeting. “I’ve been doing a lot of the work already and I feel like I’m ready for the full-time position. I’m ready to hit the ground running.”

He also said that he hopes to bring a new perspective to the council, as a community engagement professional and as a younger person.

“Most importantly, I care deeply about Marion and Eastern Iowa. I’m a personified example of everything Marion has been striving to become over the years. I’m a young professional from Marion who has returned home to the area to contribute to the city’s continued success,” Miskimen said in his application letter.

Mayor AbouAssaly encouraged the other two applicants to still be active members of the community and look for other ways to stay involved.

Etzel previously served on the council for Ward 1 from 2011 until 2018, when she resigned. She has lived in Marion for most of her life and has worked in sales and member service jobs at various local businesses. She also owned her own business — a coffeehouse — from 2001 to 2010, according to her resume submitted to the council.

Rogers is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and ran for a seat in the Iowa State House of Representatives in 2020. Since leaving the Marines, Rogers has worked with multiple companies as a security and fire alarm system installer.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com