It’s been some years since a Sunday-morning idea moved a South Sioux City native to run for the City Council.
Jason Bowman has been a longtime member of the Council, and on Monday he announced that he has to step down from the position due to work commitments.
Bowman was recently elected to his seventh term on the City Council, beginning his service on the board in 1996. Aside from a two-year stretch where he opted to run for the Nebraska Legislature, he has been a part of city government for all or part of four decades.
And he’s not one to toot his own horn about it.
“It’s never been about politics on this board, it’s always been about the betterment of the community,” he said in announcing his resignation during Monday evening’s City Council meeting.
A 1988 South Sioux City High School graduate, Bowman had recently returned home from the service when an idea popped into his mind.
“My wife and I were laying in bed one Sunday morning, and I thought I had this great idea that maybe I’d give back to a community that gave me a lot, so I threw my name in and the community elected me,” he said after Monday’s meeting.
He took two years off in the early 2000’s to run for the Nebraska Legislature, and when that wasn’t successful, he ran again and has been on the board since.
Bowman said that he has missed several meeting of the City Council and the Public Works Committee, which he has chaired for several years, due to work commitments. His work will be taking him to the Kansas City area, and he said the family may move, but wouldn’t say for sure when or where.
“My job has caused me to miss a lot of meetings, and in the best interest of myself and the Council, I think this is the thing to do,” he said.
While a number of Council members and Mayor Rod Koch praised Bowman for his service on the board, he was quick to point out that it has never been a one-man show.
“It’s been a group effort, there’s no one individual on this council,” he said. “I think there have been some tough decisions but I think we’ve acted in the best interests of the community.”
City Administrator Lance Hedquist said that Bowman has always been a positive part of the board during his years of service.
“He’s always been a caring Council member and always listens to the situation and cares about the individual,” Hedquist said. “He and his family have been a great asset to this community, and it’s hard to see him leave the Council but you have to take care of the family.”
City attorney Mike Schmiedt said the city has the option to either have the mayor ask for applications and appoint someone, or they can have a special election. In the past, most recently with Monty Peters, the city has chosen to appoint an individual, and all indications are that is the direction the city will go to replace Bowman.
A public notice appears in this week’s Dakota County Star and will run again next week. After that, Koch has four weeks to present a candidate for Council approval, which can be done in a regular meeting or in a special meeting. That individual will serve out the rest of Bowman’s term, which runs through 2028.
