SPIRIT LAKE — Charlene Phipps is a woman about town.

She’s a frequent guest at the Spirit Lake Senior Center and regularly attends Chamber of Commerce meetings. She serves on the City Council and the Community Coalition.

And come Jan. 13, Phipps will be the mayor of Spirit Lake.  

She admits running for mayor wasn’t on her radar before some members of the community began pushing her to do so. 

“I had just wanted to make a difference on City Council,” she said. “But I often heard from people, ‘we don’t get anything out of the city.’” 

Now that she’s elected, Phipps aims to change that.  

“Communication is really key to this,” she said. “I want there to be more of an open-door policy where people feel comfortable coming to me.” 

That open-door policy will start with the reopening of the public comment period during council meetings.  

The public comment period was closed in 2024.  

“There was, at that point in time, a lot of public discontent,” she explained, which often resulted in yelling or accusations being thrown at city officials.  

“It got quite intense,” she said.  

Phipps believes that reopening the public comment period is imperative to rebuilding communication between citizens and officials.  

“We have an obligation as elected officials to listen to the public,” she said. “The only way they can legitimately speak to us is in these meetings.” 

Another priority for Phipps is responsible growth, particularly regarding the city’s permanent sewer moratorium enacted in 2021.  

The city’s sewer system needs expansion, Phipps said, though estimates for an upgraded wastewater facility push the completion date to 2030 or later.  

“That means no growth,” she said. “It’s my belief that growth is important, but it needs to be managed and controlled.” 

Because county land surrounds the city of Spirit Lake, annexing land for growth is not feasible. But growth within city limits is critical to the city’s survival, Phipps explained.  

“We’re losing businesses in our downtown,” she added.  

Data show that, though the community's population has increased by 5.07% since the last census in 2020, long-term trends indicate Spirit Lake is shrinking overall at a rate of 0.48%.  

The population dipped significantly between 2019 and 2020, from 2,500 to 2,300, after trending upward since 2010. 

With this in mind, Phipps seeks to strike a balance between responsible growth and preserving all that makes Spirit Lake special.  

“Our people, the small-town community and our history tell a story about who we are,” she said.  

She intends to continue that story into a future where Spirit Lake thrives.

“I plan to represent all residents of Spirit Lake,” she said. “I will be there to listen.”