Ames residents can find resident Frank Jeffrey on the ballot for council representative for the 4th Ward.

Jeffrey has spent 35 years in Ames and completed both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in physics at Iowa State. After spending some time at the Solar Energy Research Institute in Colorado, Jeffrey moved back to Ames and started his own company, Iowa Thin Film Technologies.

On deciding to run for city council, Jeffrey said, “It’s getting to the point where my company is stable enough that I can spare some time. … There’s a number of things I’ve been following for the past few years that are important, and I think I can make a contribution. I have a different branch of expertise and background than most of the council so I think I can compliment what they can do.”

Jeffrey feels that his experience can help make a difference in the community and he is extremely passionate about student representation. He also simply loves being in a university community, making the 4th ward representative position ideal for him.

As a representative of the 4th Ward and by extension, Iowa State’s population, Jeffrey hopes to maintain the relationship between the city and the university.

“Most of time the relationship [between Iowa State and Ames] is pretty good,” he said. “The university is above all else what defines Ames. There are a lot of nice and neat things about Ames but the defining thing is the university. There are enough university people here that there’s not a large division. … Most of the time the interaction is pretty good.”

Jeffrey also hopes to continue to preserve the good relationship between the city and state of Iowa as a while.

With his campaign, Jeffrey has discussed several city issues which need addressing.

Jeffrey feels that there could be a large improvement in Campustown. The improvements would take time and include things such as easier access to parking and diversity in shopping. One goal is to meet the needs of the students, not just the university and the city.

“There is a significant desire to improve Campustown. Some modification and change would be of great benefit to the students. … That’s going to be a prime thing for their day-to-day lives,” he said.

A greater representation of the student population is an issue that Jeffrey feels is worth concern. “Half the people in the 4th Ward are students; representatives need to see and be listening to what’s going to benefit them. Supporting those ideas as much as possible is going to be important,” he said.

Jeffrey expressed a desire to better the renting situation for many of the university’s student population, especially after the revised rental code was passed without much student input.

“It’s going to have some impact, some benefit,” he said. “There are some issues that will improve the housing a bit, but there are also going to be increases in cost of housing, which is not going to benefit the students. … There will be fewer individual housing units and a push for more apartments. … Rental housing is important for students.”

This is something that Jeffrey would like to work on.

As many students can attest to, the shopping amenities in Ames are few and far between. Jeffrey would like to invest time in making Ames a more “friendly place for people to start a business.” With his background in opening a new business, he feels that he knows a lot about this area and can be of some help.

“It connects also with jobs. Either as a student if you want to work or if you want to stay in Ames after you graduate having a reasonable variety of jobs available is a good thing,” Jeffrey said.

Jeffrey would also like to improve the space in Ames for larger events and activities, which would create additional revenue for the city to use in order to better the everyday lives of the citizens.

“I enjoy being in a University community where there are a large range of activities. … Events and activities are moving down to Des Moines where in past years they would’ve been here,” he said. “Again, I think that the university working with the council might be able to give a better base for activities coming from out of town, there are spectacular facilities that are available, but we still need to attract more events and activities.”

Overall, Jeffrey hopes to improve on the issues of retail and business space, particularly in Campustown, look a little deeper into the issues regarding renters in Ames, and explore options for additional activity space allowing Ames to host more out-of-town events. Additionally, he would like to continue to maintain and improve the relationship between the city and the university as well as the daily lives of all Ames citizens.

“90 percent of what is required of the council is very general analyzing and making good decisions for the best interest of everybody in town. Sometimes you’re trying to balance different groups but you’re trying to do it as equitably as possible,” Jeffrey said.