After four years as Mayor and two years as a city council member prior to that, Adam Schweers announced this fall that he would not be seeking another term in office. He said he has spent far more hours at this than most people realize, and when that much time is devoted to anything, there is a tendency to become emotionally attached. He said every success is a success but every failure becomes harder to swallow. He also said that some of his aggressive decisions may have complicated his position.
He added that even though he enjoyed every minute of it, he often-times felt he was not able to inspire some of the council members as much as he did some of the citizens. After hearing how important communication is during this election cycle, he is hoping that the new council framework will be able to improve on that. He initially became involved in local government because of the need for younger members of the community to step up and offer their knowledge and viewpoint, and he hoped to encourage other young professionals into being more active in their city and to spur more civic activity from the population as a whole.
Although he never really thought he would become involved in politics, he said his civic activities and business led him to ultimately grow into the political realm. And during his tenure, he has had the opportunity to participate in many events, activities and duties that have been meaningful to him and to Carroll. He said what he has enjoyed most, is meeting people both in the community and outside of it and the ways that they can work together for mutual improvements. Conversely, he said there was nothing about his position that he didn’t appreciate, but his accessibility and open-door policy did create challenges at times with balancing his work, family and political life. As he steps aside in just a few weeks, Schweers detailed what he hopes his legacy will be as he walks out of the council chambers for the last time as Mayor.
Dr. Eric Jensen will be sworn in as the new Mayor of Carroll at the regular council meeting Monday, Dec. 28. He will officially take over the reins from Schweers on Saturday, Jan. 2. We will hear more from Mayor Schweers about policies and projects that took place or were shelved over the years and his plans for the future in an upcoming broadcast. Full audio of Mayor Schweers’ answers to these questions can be found below.
Interview with Mayor Adam Schweers
- Why did you choose to run for Mayor four years ago?
- Was this something you always wanted to do?
- What was the reaction of your family, friends and peers when you announced your intentions to run?
- Did you have any idealizations of what the position would be like or the outcomes of your time as Mayor?
- Why is now the time for you to leave office?
- What has been the reaction of your family, friends and peers to your not running for city office again?
- What events, activities and/or duties as Mayor did you enjoy the most?
- What events, activities and/or duties as Mayor were the most challenging for you?
- When people look back on your time as Carroll’s Mayor, what would you like to have remembered as your legacy?
