Mike Matthes finds himself surprised that he gets paid to go to work every day.

“I feel like one of the luckiest guys in the world,” he said. “I love my job, I work in a great city and I get to work on great projects.”

Matthes, 35, is in his third year as Des Moines’ assistant city manager. He said that, while sitting around in his dormitory room at Graceland University, complaining about government, he made the decision to take action on his concerns and take on an active role in government.

“I was interested in local government because it’s connected to people,” he said. “It provides services everyone can name.”

Matthes received a bachelor’s degree in American history from Graceland, then briefly worked as a blacksmith at Living History Farms before going on to earn a master’s degree in public administration from Iowa State University. While completing his graduate work, he worked as an intern in the Des Moines city manager’s office. He went on to become a management analyst for the city’s finance department.

In 2000, Matthes was appointed acting deputy director of the Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency and was named acting director in July 2001. During his tenure, he helped the agency overcome a $550,000 deficit in six months.

He became assistant city manager in July 2001 and was assigned to manage the Housing Services Department. He was able to turn around an agency that some feared was near failure, achieving “high performer” status on the U.S. Department on Housing and Urban Development’s performance measurement system for public housing and Section 8 programs. He earned the Administrative Achievement Award from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officers.

With a director now overseeing the Housing Services Department, Matthes’ attention has shifted to new city projects that he says he is thrilled to be a part of.

“You look at the number of exciting projects – the East Village is exploding and we’re getting close to getting the Gateway West project finished,” said Matthes, also noting upcoming work on the Principal Riverwalk and work at Gray’s Lake. “It’s not very common that you have that level of philanthropy and a city government that says ‘How can we make this happen?’”

His current duties include working with the Des Moines City Council, which he praised for making tough decisions that have benefited the city and allowed it to get through difficult financial situations.

“The neat part is, we really get to focus on putting ourselves in the shoes of the average working person in Des Moines and rework our services from that perspective,” he said.

Matthes said he is focusing on creating a “one-stop shop” for Des Moines residents. He aspires to be the city manager in the future and create a tax-free local government.

“People think I’m stupid when I say that, but I think there’s a way.”

And at the end of the day, Matthes and his wife, Bobbie, unwind with their 15-month-old twins, Claire and George, whom he says bring a lot of joy and a lot of work.

“They’re teaching me a lot about life,” he said.