Curt Hite of Perry announced the launch of his write-in campaign for the second-ward seat on the Perry City Council after encouragement from his friend and fellow Perry Bible Church member Dr. Randy McCaulley, the second ward’s representative since 2010.
“Randy approached me in church and said he was going to step down and said he thought I’d be a good candidate,” Hite said. “I’m a man of faith, and God comes first. That would obviously be my guiding principle.”
The 1989 graduate of of Perry High School earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls and a master’s degree from Morningside University in Sioux City. He teaches special education to sixth and seventh graders in the Johnston Community School District.
Hite said holding elected office was “never a particular ambition of mine,” but the second ward is “a pretty significant chunk of Perry — right down the middle — and the area deserves to be represented.” No candidate will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot for the second ward, so Hite seeks write-in votes.
He said he would be “fair and objective” as a council member, and he is interested in issues of “responsible growth, opportunity and infrastructure.”
Hite lives on Perry’s east side and said he was pleased to see the recent growth in residential housing along 28th Street, with the Perrywood Apartments and the Magnolia Park planned unit development, and hopes to see some commercial development follow.
“Anything we can do to provide people with an opportunity and just be fair across the board is what I think we should do” as a city, he said.
Hite said he was willing to have his write-in candidacy publicized in ThePerryNews.com, “but any story on me should be focused on my faith in Jesus,” he said. He and his wife, Stacie Hite, have three children and four dogs and live at 1216 31st St. in Perry.
