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HONORING JOHN LUND AS IOWAN OF THE WEEK
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HON. CYNTHIA AXNE
of iowa
in the house of representatives
Friday, February 4, 2022
Mrs. AXNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor John Lund, the City Administrator for Atlantic, as Iowan of the Week. John's dedication to the residents of Atlantic and securing federal grants to meet the needs of Atlantic residents is the type of hard work that deserves recognition.
City administrators are not someone most folks spend a lot of time thinking about--who is the person paying the bills, focusing on margins and distributions, and submitting grant applications? But that's what John does for residents of Atlantic. He says he loves the budgeting process and getting to see his community grow day by day.
John is a lifelong Iowan; he was born in Johnston, attended Cornell College in Mount Vernon for his Bachelors, then got his Masters degree from Drake in Des Moines. After graduating, he began his public service career in the Iowa State Legislature, working as assistant to State Senator Pat Grassley.
John's been hard at work in the last eight years. He's helped respond to flooding in his community, solve budget needs, and meet the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic head-on. He knows that Atlantic faces the same obstacles that rural communities across the country are facing. The landscape of business is changing, he says, and he knows we need to ensure that communities like his have a fair, fighting chance.
Currently, John is helping Atlantic receive new federal money for projects across Iowa. He is helping bring taxpayer dollars back to his community, helping Atlantic apply for critical funds to repair roads and bridges, receive COVID-19 relief, develop high-speed internet, and much more. John says that getting the funds will make a significant difference for everyone, from improving their ability to do business, preserving habitats for generations to come, and increasing property values.
John has been instrumental in advocating for repairs to Atlantic's water supply. Fixing pipes and updating systems isn't front-page news, but it is incredibly important. Not only will getting these fixes help to ensure the health and safety of Atlantic residents, but it will create jobs and keep Atlantic as a great place to raise family, run a business, and live the American dream. John also helped the city secure USDA funding to build a new animal shelter opening this spring.
I'm proud to have voted for the legislation that creates these grants programs and invests tax dollars back into our communities. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will bring more than $5 billion dollars to Iowa. John, and city administrators around Iowa, have the important task of applying for these grants.
John wants to make sure that he can help as many folks solve their problems as he can. He's grateful for the dedication of Mayor Grace Garrett and the Atlantic City Council, whose leadership and vision makes his work possible. And John is proud to work alongside so many dedicated public servants who can ``breathe life back into a project'' when things are stuck, like Parks Director Bryant Rasmussen.
John's work is vital to bringing new federal funds to our communities, and that is why I'm honored to name John Lund as Iowan of the Week.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 23
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