This is a ringing endorsement letter on behalf of Riad Mahayni,s candidacy for City Council for the Fourth Ward.

Riad is certainly one of the most qualified candidates for City Council we have ever had, and that says a lot. He has a national and international reputation — he has been named a Fellow in the American Institute of Certified Planners (of which there are very few), has served the City of Ames as a board member on Planning and Zoning and on the Historic Preservation Commission, has been a Board Member for Youth and Shelter Services and has recently served as Fourth Ward City Councilman. He served for more than 10 years as the Chairman of the Department of Community and Regional Planning at Iowa State and distinguished himself in that capacity as well as within the university.

I wish to add this perspective from a close friend of over 20 years. There was an issue involving a property in Ames in which I was heavily involved. Riad clearly knew my position on the matter, but rather than vote in my favor (which would have been easy and perhaps noncontroversial), Riad voted his conscience even though his vote would go against his friend. I have admired Riad for his conviction, which states volumes about his integrity — he is an honest man who cannot be bought.

Riad’s knowledge of planning issues, which comprise issues of growth, fiscal and social planning, transportation and long-range goals, and their implementation will greatly serve the needs of Ames. I am pleased to live in the Fourth Ward and be able to vote for Riad.

David Block

Ames