Trisha Kennedy

Traer City Councilman Dahn Kennedy has announced she will not run for re-election after eight years after eight years in office, yet another woman named Kennedy hopes to occupy a seat after November 5.

Trish Kennedy, a 14-year resident of Traer, will run for a council seat during the November 5 election, among five candidates running for three available seats. Kennedy currently works for the North Tama County School District as the secondary secretary and previously served on North Tama’s Board of Education for seven years. She also is on the Theater Fundraising Board and is involved in organizing the annual Easter Egg Hunt.

“I’ve always believed in giving back and being a part of a community to make it a better place to live for families,” Kennedy said. “Having been on the school board in the past, I decided to seek a spot on the council to bring that same passion to the City Council.”

Among topics important to Kennedy include community security. While she is “pleased” that Traer has the Tama County Sheriff living in town and deputies on patrol, Kennedy would like the council to continue to explore ways “to increase coverage”. This may include a Traer police officer or a deputy in town for more coverage.

“Even in a small community, we still have crime,” Kennedy said. “I know we live in a safe community, but I would like to step up that safety and security in town.”

Kennedy sees community betterment as an area of focus after being involved with the Traer Theatre and Pool committee. According to Kennedy, Traer already has amenities such as doctors, a grocery store and entertainment, but hopes she can continue to be in discussion with how the city can be better for its residents and attractive to families.

“We have a great community with lots in town,” Kennedy said. “I want to be a part of ways to keep our community improving. What can we do to bring in more businesses and be economically about it? We want to be able to keep enrollment up the school and bring more young families to Traer.”

Regarding streets, Kennedy applauds the work the street department has done over the winter months. She hopes to see more work concentrated on finishing incomplete sidewalks in town in order to keep children from walking on the streets. Kennedy also wishes to see crumbling streets and sidewalks addressed.

The decision to run came from the “East Side Kennedys” as Dahn is leaving office. The two women have grown to respect one another during interactions at the school, at AWE where Dahn works and in the community.

“We both have similar passions and I respect the work she does for her Hometown Hearts project,” Kennedy said. “She encouraged me to run, since I could no longer be on the school board because I work at the school full-time.”

Kennedy and his husband Keith moved to Traer as the latter took a position at the University of Northern Iowa. They have two children, Logan and Grace, who are both students at North Tama.

“We knew when we moved here that Traer would be home for us for a long time,” Kennedy said. “I really encourage the community to support their candidates in both the city elections and we have the school board elections happening at the same time.”

For more information about Kennedy and her campaign, check out “Trish Kennedy for City Council” on Facebook.”