Editor’s note: The following is the first in a series of profiles of candidates for the fall municipal election.
Jason Parizek, 28, of 604 Seventh Ave. is challenging first term Councilman James Kurovski for the Third Ward city council seat in the November election.
Parizek is the owner of Kool Kustumz, an auto and home improvement company located on 13th Street. His wife’s name is Amber. He has two stepchildren, Landyn and Larkin. He has lived in Belle Plaine for the past 13 years.
He decided to run because, “I feel it is important for someone to be on the city council that really interacts with the public and is able to hear the concerns and views of the public away from the council chamber. The city council tends to have their own views and opinions and the community doesn’t have much of an option to voice theirs, besides at the meetings, and yet it tends to never go any further then that. The community needs a leader for the community, not just for the city council. I believe by me running, (and possibly being elected) the community will have a better chance of getting their concerns across the table more so. I will speak for the community, not myself. So, the answer to the question would be, I want to be a community leader, not an ordinary council member.”
When asked what are the greatest challenges facing the city council in the next year, he said, “That is a difficult question to answer. There are always challenges and the position of being challenged. We cannot tell what is going to happen in the future, just like we, or most, were not able to predict Benco Manufacturing was going to be closing its doors. That was a tough situation for a lot of the community from an economic standpoint.
“We really need to “think outside of the box” when it comes to things other than the community presenting themselves in a nice, clean manor for passersby or potential new members of the community. For the last year, it’s really been just about making the community look nice, recognizable or basically giving it a facelift. We need more then a facelift. The world is still in an economic hole and should think about those perspectives as well. If we can make our community attractive to new business’ and companies, that will very well be a way to get more people to come to the community and possibly be interested in becoming a part of the community.
“In general, the council needs to “think outside the box” and come up with a game plan for other “developments” other then “facelifts” for the city. And that is a challenge as an idea itself that needs to be taken into consideration.”
He was also asked how the city can best grow and continue to thrive. His response: “By getting more or new people involved in the city. New leaders bring new ideas, new inspirations, new goals and new value.”
