Tell me a story about your educational background.

I love this story because I’m a 1973 graduate of Parsons College. And people kind of give me a bad time about Parsons College because it is now Maharishi University (of Management). But I always tell people that I’ve never had one request for alumni dues. On the other hand, I went and did a master’s degree at Drake (University) and graduated in 1981, and of course, obviously you get lots of calls from Drake, but none from Parsons College. So that’s where I did my undergrad. I actually started at an area community college in Waterloo.

What’s the possible outcome for the Capital Crossroads campaign?

I’m anxious to see this work out and watch this vision develop and see what this vision is going to be. I think there are certain things we can count on that are going to be exciting for the region. … We’ll have the vision, but I think there’s got to be a core belief if we are going to implement the vision. That core belief has got to be that there are no losers. When I was mayor of West Des Moines, I was always talking about regionalism. We have to think as a region. We are kind of a nine-county region now that the Partnership is involved with. I think we are mature enough to understand and take advantage of the fact and know if a small business adds a job, that is a victory for all of us. If a community in the region adds a new company, that’s a victory for all of us.

Did you experience any losses while you were mayor?

There were companies that we competed for in West Des Moines that went to other suburban communities. But the bottom line is that business established itself, it employed people. Those people moved here. They built homes in West Des Moines and Clive and Urbandale and Des Moines and Altoona. They ate in restaurants. So while we didn’t get the company, we certainly benefited from the byproduct, if you will, of what happens when companies put roots down here and begin to hire people. That’s the win that I’m talking about. And I think we’ve matured. We’re not completely there, but we are better at it; there is a better understanding of it.

Will politics play a role in your new position?

I think the one thing that I established as mayor of West Des Moines is good working relationships with other mayors in the region, other city council people in the region, other people who serve on boards and commissions. I was very active on a number of boards and commissions; in fact I served on the executive committee of the Greater Des Moines Partnership. And those partnerships held, so I can call people and have really good conversations with them, and I think we trust each other. I think that relationship and the trust relationship will do well for me here as we move forward with the Partnership.

What do you do in your spare time?

I play golf, badly. I tell people I have season tickets for Iowa State football, Iowa State basketball, the Iowa Cubs, the Des Moines Symphony and the Civic Center. We love to do those things. I’m obviously a sports enthusiast and also enjoy cultural activities that go on here.

What was your first job?

My dad had a construction company, and I’d go to work with him. But I think the very first job that I actually made real money was, believe it or not, I was a milkman. I was in high school and I would get up at 3 o’clock in the morning, in Jesup, Iowa, a little town of 1,400 people, and we’d unload a semi-load of juice and milk, et cetera, and put them on trucks. And I’d run around and deliver milk to people’s doorsteps until about 7 a.m. Then I’d go clean up and go to school.