Vonderheide ready to pass the torch
“We get more compliments than we do criticisms as an entire team,” Jasper Mayor Dean Vonderheide said. “Our street department, our park department, arts department, electric department, every department. It is what our teams do, they care about the residents.”
The dedication of the city employees to the citizens of Jasper and the compliments he hears about their services are what he loves about being mayor of Jasper.
“Here’s a good example. I get a phone call from a lady who had a flat tire on St. Charles and a gas department employee was going by, stopped and changed her tire,” he said. “You know, that’s not part of the gas department’s roles or responsibilities, but it’s what we want the culture of the city to be.”
There’s more.
“A lady praised the trash pickup crew,” Vonderheide said.
After emptying all her bins, they brought them back up to her home from the curb because they knew she was elderly.
“It may not be the most efficient use of time and labor, but it’s pretty damn effective,” he added, pointing to the effect it has on improving the lives of Jasper’s residents.
There are complaints, too.
“There’s those others that call and complain about sticks being in the woods, you know,” Vonderheide said with a nod, lending credence to his having received that phone call.
It’s part of the job as the city’s chief operating officer. The public-facing, ribbon-cutting, announcement-making, balanced with the council wrangling, decision-making, critical opinion-taking side, the position has its ups and downs.
Through it all, he’s enjoyed serving as the mayor.
“I’ve not had a problem getting up in the morning to come to work for the last seven years,” he said. “I’ve loved every day–some days more than others.”
Though it’s taken its toll.
After an extended medical issue that left him basically blind in one eye last spring, countless lost nights of sleep and a recommendation from his doctor to remove some stress from his life, Vonderheide made a decision in early December that it might be time to step away.
He told his family about his decision on Christmas Day, and they were supportive of his choice to step down.
“They’ve been on me for a long time to get out because I was missing those birthdays and the other events, the games, whether it’s volleyball or soccer, I was missing those,” Vonderheide said.
The family had committed to supporting him as mayor when he stepped up after Mayor Terry Seitz resigned.
“Now, I want to commit my time to family,” he said. “I just felt like now was the right time. I need to get myself in order so I can be there for the family.”
In his announcement on Monday, Vonderheide mentioned that in 2019, he had planned on being done after only one term, but he isn’t one to leave projects on the table. Downtown revitalization was still underway, a new pool needed to be built, and numerous other projects were progressing in 2023. He’d faced his toughest challenge as a city leader during the pandemic, and as things moved forward, he committed to running for another term and was reelected.
Last year’s legislative changes to funding formulas for government entities punched Jasper hard. Across the city’s departments, budgets were cut by about 10 percent due to uncertainty about future funding. As CEO, he led efforts to reduce spending while maintaining services for the city’s residents and presenting a workable budget to the council.
“That’s all got to be changed,” Vonderheide said about Senate Enrolled Act 1.
SEA 1 was the state’s priority bill last session. A major property tax reform law that provided homeowners relief but significantly impacted local government revenue, shifting emphasis from property taxes to income taxes for future funding.
“There was a disconnect between our state legislators and local governments,” he said. “It has to be revised because it’s not workable at this point.”
It has halted the city’s progress on new projects and led to a redesign of the Regional Wellness Center and a move to phased implementation. This will allow the city to use the Food and Beverage Tax to pay for the construction bond rather than dipping into local option income taxes or tax increment funds.
The city has also secured nearly $15 million in private-sector commitments for the project. With the Tri-County YMCA partnership, Vonderheide sees it as a project that will help define the city future.
“When you get almost $15 million in commitments from the private sector to go toward a project, you better be doing something with that project,” Vonderheide said.
He expects the wellness center to be ready for bonding by his departure date, with groundbreaking anticipated in April or May. He plans to attend the groundbreaking ceremony regardless of his official status.
Detractors of the project aside, the center was considered a high-priority project in the city’s previous long-range plan, based on citizen input during public sessions.
In a way, the wellness center, like many projects completed during his tenure, has defined Vonderheide’s time as mayor.
“Any mayor that would have followed the plan that was laid out in the long range comprehensive plan would have been successful,” he said.
Vonderheide identified several major accomplishments during his tenure, including the completion of the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center and the downtown revitalization. He credits the downtown’s revival to the improvements necessitated by the century-old failing underground infrastructure.
“We wouldn’t have done anything if it wouldn’t have been for that old infrastructure that was failing underneath,” he said. “We had to do something. Just sticking our head in the sand and ignoring it wasn’t the answer anymore.”
Retailers reported record sales this year, and the downtown is more vibrant than ever, he added.
Other achievements he highlighted include the new pool, trail expansions, and sidewalk improvements on the north side of town. Vonderheide emphasized that each department led its own efforts, and he was “just fortunate enough to be here.”
He’s carried the ball down the field toward a defined goal, celebrating in the end zone on the backs of those who saw the vision and passed it along.
The plan worked for his time. He expects that whoever is chosen to finish his term will be part of completing the city’s next long-range plan. “That will be their playbook for the next five to ten years,” Vonderheide said.
He says his predecessor will be fine if they follow that plan.
Looking ahead, Vonderheide expressed concern about economic changes facing Dubois County. He noted that the industry has changed: some historical furniture manufacturing companies no longer operate; others, like Kimball and Masterbrand, no longer have headquarters here; while companies like Jasper Engines have diversified to continue growing.
“We can’t just look at those old industries to take care of us,” Vonderheide said. “We have to be looking at what new industries can we bring to the area.”
Not an industry with 1,000 employees, but multiple industries with 25, 50, and 100 employees. Feeder businesses that support work at Crane Naval Weapons Station as its role expands in national defense should be a priority, the mayor said. The quality of life the area offers is also attractive for the new employees Crane will attract.
“We need to hold on to the values, the hertage we have, but understand it’s going to take something different going forward,” Vonderheide said. “We are going to have to expand our willingness to embrace new technologies, other cultures and those changes as they come.”
It won’t be easy.
“But, from where I sit, my biggest fear is the future with the economic engine that drives Dubois County today,” he added.
The mayor has voiced his support for the Mid-States Corridor highway project as crucial to future economic development. “People aren’t going to invest here,” he said, pointing to two potential developments, each worth about $250 million, that have expressed interest contingent on the road’s construction. “Those wouldn’t be talking to us and won’t happen without a road.”
Vonderheide plans on remaining engaged in the community. He’s been blessed to live here since his family moved from Holland his freshman year of high school. A move that opened a path through academics and sports, eventually leading to the office he still holds today at 72.
After taking a break, he feels ready to take on other challenges, including another run for a government office in the future.
But for now, it’s time to let go.
“Over the years, I’ve learned that there will always be priorities and projects,” Vonderheide wrote in his resignation letter. “It would be easy to say, ‘the city needs me to finish these before I retire,’ but the truth is, it’s time to pass the torch.”
The resignation takes effect March 31, providing time for the Republican caucus to select a replacement to serve the remainder of the term, which expires in December 2027.
