After two mayoral terms, Dan Agnew says he won’t run for re-election

Mahira Faran

Dan Agnew has served as mayor of Grinnell for nearly eight years.

Dan Agnew, Grinnell’s longstanding mayor, will not seek re-election in the upcoming Poweshiek County City Election on Nov. 4, he told The S&B. This opens the city’s top elected spot for the first time in nearly eight years.

“After serving eight years, I have two great-grandchildren that my wife and I take care of four days a week, so that’s starting to impact on the amount of time I have to devote to city things,” said Agnew, 81. “It’s time to move on.”

So far, the race for mayor is shaping up to be between two well-established community members and local business owners, Sam Cox and Russ Crawford. Crawford, who could not be reached for comment, is a lifelong Grinnellian. Crawford acts as the chair for the Parks & Recreation Board for the city government.

Cox is the owner of Saint’s Rest Coffee House, a popular coffee shop in downtown Grinnell. She previously ran as the Democratic candidate of Poweshiek County for the Iowa Senate in 2022, after discovering there was only one candidate on the ballot.

“I didn’t think that anybody should run unopposed,” Cox said of her Senate run. “So I had to make sure there was another name on the ballot.”

Her candidacy for mayor of Grinnell, a nonpartisan election, is something she said she had been planning for a long time, but came into fruition after Agnew announced he would retire from the post. She said Agnew is a good friend of hers, which is why she previously refused to run against him.

“I really wanted to be more active in our community, in a community that I grew up in, and be more involved in what goes into making Grinnell,” said Cox, who described herself as an animal advocate, a patron of multiple charities and a champion of human rights.

“I really do want to do the best I can for as many people as possible, whether that’s making a decision for my small family of five, whether that is for making a decision for what’s best in my shop and for the people that come into my shop, or whether that’s for the community of Grinnell,” Cox added.

One of the main focuses of her run is efficiency, she said.

“In any plan, whether it’s city planning, on a state or national level, I think it’s always about, ‘how can we spend our money wisely?’”

Cox also said she believes in the benefits of a healthy relationship between the city of Grinnell and the College.

“Grinnell College isn’t just an economic supporter of the city of Grinnell,” said Cox. “All of the cultural things that the College brings to town, like all of the wonderful arts, music and the dance, we wouldn’t have access to.”

Mayor Agnew said the role of Grinnell mayor can be compared to a board chair in a corporation: the city manager is the CEO handling day-to-day operations, the council is the board, and the mayor signs legal documents and sets the agenda.

He added that it is also important that the mayor is present frequently at public events.

“It’s not you the individual, but it’s the title of the mayor coming to either speak or at least be there,” Agnew said.