Historical Slide Show

Our celebration on October 13th featured a slide show of "then and now" photos of West Des Moines. Here are a few of the historical photos included there. Many attendees got a kick out of glimpsing into West Des Moines' past.

Historical Photos

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WDM 115 Year Celebration

Thanks to all who attended our celebration of West Des Moines last Monday, October 13, at City Hall. We had a festive reception with wine provided by the WDM Chamber, cheese, dessert, and good company! Mayor Gaer and Chamber President Greg France took the opportunity to make some great comments about how far we've come in our 115 years of existence, and I highlighted some of our achievements during the last decade. I have had a tremendous ten years in West Des Moines so far, and the West Des Moines residents, members of the business community, West Des Moines boards and commissions members, and city staff who attended the reception reminded me why. Great people and great opportunities!

View photos from the event here.

BusinessWeek Ranking

If you’ve read or heard about West Des Moines’ newest ranking, this time in BusinessWeek, you may be wondering what kind of financial shape the City as a whole is in. BusinessWeek ranked West Des Moines 4th on a list of cities most likely to be hardest hit by the nation’s financial crisis. West Des Moines issued an open response to the article, which was based on a simple methodology that ranked cities in terms of the percentage of residents employed by the financial services sector. No analysis was given as to the type of financial company or strength of company included in the cities. We issues an open response to the BusinessWeek ranking explaining why we are not as susceptible to issues as they suggest. You can read it on the news section of the city website.

An Unexpected Honor

Officer Chris Morgan and Chief O'Donnell with two Kavanagh House representatives.

In August, my office was contacted by the Hospice of Central Iowa's Kavanagh House regarding a West Des Moines police officer. Kavanagh House provides 24-hour care to individuals with life-limiting illnesses. In July, staff there contacted the West Des Moines police department for assistance with a patient. After our officer responded, staff were so impressed with his assistance they called and asked to have a brief presentation in his honor.

Although we receive many compliments regarding our employees, including police officers, it is less common for a business or organization to take time out of their day to come and thank the employee formally in person, in front of their peers and supervisors. That is exactly what staff from the Kavanagh House did for Officer Chris Morgan, who in their words was able to calm their agitated patient "while ensuring the individual's dignity and safety" that day in July. In thanks for de-escalating the situation and taking a cooperative approach to the ordeal, staff came to the Law Enforcement Center personally to present Officer Morgan with a certificate.

Although Officer Morgan was "just doing his job," this kind of recognition positively reinforces the best in our officers. Police Chief O'Donnell and I were very impressed that the Kavanagh House team went the extra mile to thank our officer and our city.