City Administrator John Call will live out his retirement in Luverne where he’ll enjoy the amenities he’s helped with during the past 17 years.
“One of my goals in retirement is to wear out the Loop trail with my bicycle or my feet,” Call said.
“That’s another great part of retiring here. We can take advantage of the projects we’ve worked to bring here.”
From Iowa to Minnesota
Call grew up in Spirit Lake, Iowa, and earned a political science and economics degree at Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa, and a master’s in public administration from USD in Vermillion.
“When I interned in the city manager’s office in Storm Lake, I liked the idea of working with city leaders and building relationships,” Call said.
“I saw projects they were working on, like storm sewers and water towers and buying a fire truck. They were basically community building, and I thought that was pretty cool.”
He said it’s what he appreciated about 35 years in city administration.
“It wasn’t just a job working in an office,” Call said. “I liked working with people on projects and learning about them. We were doing important things to make a difference in people’s communities.”
Mending fences
Call was city manager in the Iowa towns of Pocahontas, Eagle Grove (where he met and married his wife, Brenda), Fort Madison and Storm Lake, spending roughly five years in each city before coming to Luverne in 2005.
“Storm Lake was a town of about 12,000 people at the time, and I kinda thought Luverne was a nice little town and it would be a nice, slower work pace,” Call said.
“I was pleasantly surprised that they didn’t let me rest between projects.”
For one thing, Luverne was recovering from a previous administrator (Greg LaFond) who had threatened city-county cooperation on law enforcement, library, rec center and more.
“I remember Mayor Andy Steensma — what a nice man and God bless him,” Call said.
“One of his priorities for me was mending fences with the county. The good thing was that Kyle (Oldre), county administrator, also wanted a good relationship with the city, and we made a fresh start.”
Call also navigated an airport runway expansion in 2008 that closed a township road and acquired land through eminent domain.
Today the airport is among Luverne’s important economic tools, attracting air traffic from many regions of the country.
“They needed somebody with a certain personality who would work with people and build relationships,” Call said,reflecting on those early days.
“I guess that’s something I was successful at and I’m very proud of.”
Building trust, industry and infrastructure
In addition to the Loop and the airport work, Call said he’s proud of housing developments, industrial park improvements, the new pool and fitness center, the Lewis and Clark water connection.
“Lewis and Clark secured a water source for the next 50 to 100 years,” Call said.
“We don’t have to depend on a shallow wellfield, and we can have economic development without having to be worried about water.”
He said his Saturday morning routine is to drive around town checking on projects and improvements.
In recent years, that’s included new roads and infrastructure and new industry like PMP, Lineage Logistiscs and the National Guard Armory near I-90.
“I remember when that was the Marty Mayes property, and it was a cornfield,” Call said.
‘We all do better when we all do better’
And he also enjoys tallying the city’s tax increment financing districts like the former Sharkee’s lot which now houses 54 apartment units valued at $8 million.
“The new taxes on those apartments will pay off the improvements the city made in that area,” Call said. “And then once the improvements are paid off, the money goes into the tax rolls.”
On a smaller scale, he appreciates the city’s efforts to keep up residential neighborhoods and redevelop properties for better uses.
“We always feel proud when people say that the first thing that strikes them about Luverne is that it’s a really clean community,” Call said. “I think what they’re basically saying is there are no ramshackle parts of town.”
He said that’s due to the City Council’s mission to redevelop blighted lots.
“There is a certain amount of property in every community that reaches the end of its life,” Call said. “And if you can reach an agreement with sellers, where they end up with a little cash in their pockets to do something else … It’s a benefit to everybody.”
The improvements, whether residential or commercial, generate additional tax revenue to benefit all involved.
“I’m really glad we’re retiring here in this town, and I can drive by some of these neighborhoods and remember what they looked like before we completed projects,” Call said.
“To quote Paul Wellstone, ‘We all do better when we all do better,’ and we’ve all been better for all those projects.”
‘Like a good marriage
… It was meant to be’
He said he’s grateful for city leaders and staff he’s worked with over the years.
“We’ve always been blessed here in this community with elected officials who are in it for the right reasons, the betterment of everyone,” Call said.
“I’m retiring with a lot of friends in the community.”
Call has been the longest-serving city administrator in Luverne’s history, and he’s worked in Luverne longer than he has in any other city in his 35-year career.
The reason for that, he said, is simple: “It’s like a good marriage,” he said about his work with council and department heads. “It worked out. It was meant to be.”
During Call’s final City Council meeting earlier this month, Luverne Mayor Pat Baustian thanked him for his leadership.
“He’s been one of the most involved city administrators that I’ve ever worked with,” Baustian said.
“Many, many other city administrators look up to Mr. Call. … You’ve given them guidance and mentorship. As mayor, I’ve been very proud to work with you on the city council.”
In retirement, Call said he and Brenda look forward to traveling and spending time with their nephews and nieces. He will also continue as a mentor in Rock County’s Big Buddies program.
“My wife and I fell in love with Luverne and Rock County. Now that I’m retired, I really want to be here because of our friends here, our church, Big Buddies and also because I can see and enjoy the progress we’ve made,” he said.
“I can’t imagine anywhere else I’d like to be. It really has been good.”
Call said it’s a good time for anyone to be living in Luverne.
“I think the future’s bright with the things we have going on here,” he said, adding that he’s confident in Luverne’s new administrator, Jill Wolf.
“I feel the community is going to continue to prosper, and that makes me happy.”