It’s 2025.

But before we forget there was a 2024, let’s give a shout out to some of the people who led this community forward so that we could get to this year in good shape.

Sheriff Doug Timmons. Timmons retired at the end of 2024, handing the wheel over to his successor Alex Pruismann. Timmons, a local guy whose father was a Webster City police officer, never strayed from his home county in his heart. In fact, if you talked to him about the job, when he was still on the job, he was laser-focused on doing the best he could for the people of Hamilton County. I don’t know about you, but I think we could all take a lesson in dedication from Timmons.

Supervisor Dan Campidilli. The quiet one. But also the really tall one. Campidilli steadfastly represented his corner of Hamilton County with the kind of dedication you want from a public servant. In his retirement, he will be a different kind of servant: a grandpa.

Supervisor Jerry Kloberdanz. Not the quiet one. In fact, Kloberdanz was a very vocal advocate for a lot of things that got done in 2024 and the years preceding it. The Webster Theater? Before it almost burned in the November 2023 fire next door, you could find him popping the popcorn as a HERO volunteer. He’s still with HERO — the Help Entertain and Restore Organization — as it moves forward in its second restoration of the downtown Webster City movie house. Want to know how to serve a community? Spend some time with Kloberdanz.

Some of you may not know that Kloberdanz grew up just down the street from Wilson Brewer Park. So part of his heart is there. The Wilson Brewer Park agreement with the City of Webster City? Kloberdanz was right there, ushering it forward as best he could, working as a supervisor and a volunteer. Though he lost his seat on the board in the November election, this town hasn’t seen the last of him. Because public servants tend to move forward — with or without a title.

Karyl Bonjour. Here’s the scenario: You’re on a board. The time comes to select a secretary. You know, the person who has to take notes and write up the minutes. In that moment, as your fellow board members cast their glances around the table, you suddenly drop a pencil and duck down to retrieve it. And stay there.

Yeah, it’s like that.

Well, Bonjour never ducked. And we’re all the luckier for it. For 14 and a half years she rode herd on the City Council of Webster City.

Who better deserves our gratitude?

So we go forward this year without them, building on what they accomplished.

Let me now segue to a social media post I shared a few days ago. It was in response to Jack Dorsey’s old, short documentary bemoaning what happened to Webster City when Electrolux pulled out and went to Juarez.

People who grew up here, but who have not been here for a very long time, tend to expect to see the very worst of what time can do to our small community, and Dorsey’s documentary fed that expectation.

Here’s my response:

“Webster City is in surprisingly good shape, despite that overblown film. Yes, I saw it. Fun fact: The old white house where the film crew captured a guy mowing the lawn was purchased by my brother and is being restored. There’s a certain painful ignorance to the film, in my opinion as a journalist.

“The Webster Theater was damaged by smoke and water due to a fire in the building next door (in 2023), which most of you may recall was Bettis Appliance for many years. The structure (the former Bettis store) was gutted and saved by LIFT WC, the local nonprofit that is restoring The Elks. Major kudos to that group. The Elks is going to be spectacular.

“Last summer, Webster City joined the Ames Economic Alliance, which is working to regionally lift the economy. Another fun fact: In some ways Ames needs Webster City more than Webster City needs Ames, at least in the railroad department. Webster City still has two active railroads that cross here. Stay tuned for more about that.

“Cold dose of reality: Electrolux created an environment that had disposable income that could be spent on illicit drugs. The struggle to correct that is ongoing.

“Back to the Webster Theater: There is a silver lining in the damage in that some structural problems that would have become worse were discovered in the new restoration. The building will have a longer life because of that.

“A friend from D.C. was just here; he said downtown Webster City looked better than downtown D.C. Hope that wasn’t just the Modelo talking.

“Keep the faith folks. Webster City has a future.”

Over Christmas, a California visitor commented on the bustling activity that characterizes downtown Webster City and its collective efforts to move into 2025 with the right attitude.

We all know that behind that attitude is people: the Timmons, Campidillis, Kloberdanzs and Bonjours.

And a whole bunch of people whose names aren’t mentioned here.

2025?

The word of this year? Gratitude.

Jane Curtis is interim editor of the Daily Freeman-Journal. She is a 2024 Iowa Newspaper Association Master Columnist.