South Sioux City

Greetings! My name is Rod Koch, Mayor of SSC since 2014. Prior to that I spent 6 years on the City Council and many other boards along the way.

I have lived in SSC since 1970, have 6 kids, 7 grand kids and am married to my wife Maria.

I attended the University of SD in Vermillion, getting degrees in Political Science and Public Administration. I was formerly the City Administrator of Graettinger, IA and currently work in the insurance industry.

I am a passionate Husker fan, in every sport, but especially football and volleyball, with men’s and women’s bb coming in a close third.

SSC is a progressive city and a state leading economic powerhouse in many categories. We welcome you to contact us with any questions or comments and would love to visit with you.

One of Lamont’s (Monty) first jobs was at Payless Cashway. Monty’s favorite thing about this job was that you weren’t doing the same things every day. He learned that things don’t always go right and how to overcome that and figure out a solution to correct it.

Lamont spend his days as a self-employed carpenter doing various jobs. When not being busy working he enjoys spending time with his family, watching sports and riding his motorcycle.

Ben and his wife Yahaira moved to South Sioux City eight years ago, they have five children.  Ben is the principal at Lewis and Clark Elementary.  His first job was washing cars at a local car dealership, which taught him the value of hard work and determination to move up in an organization.  With this job being his first paycheck, he learned how to handle money.

Besides being principal he is on the Siouxland Kindness Initiative, helps coordinate the Family Literacy Program, and volunteers at the YMCA.  In his off time, he enjoys spending time with family, golfing, running, and going on 4-wheeler rides.

Feeling that with his background in the education community, he can help lead this community from that perspective.  He always likes making a difference and being a positive change agent and being part of the City Council allows him to help all over the City.

The following is statement from Ben: “I love the diversity that we have here and the people.  It is a very inviting community with great people.  We have many things to be proud of here.”

Jim has lived most of his life in South Sioux City. He is married to Deb. Together they have one daughter and two grandchildren.  Jim taught in the Sioux City Public Schools and was part of the 185th Iowa Air Guard for 30 years. He is now retired except for his public service. He lived most of my life in South Sioux, living in Sioux City for several years; but missed the good life in our community and moved back here.

When asked for three words that best describe him Jim stated: good listener, sympathetic, friendly.  While working at Everetts Furniture for his first job delivering furniture his dad taught me the value of hard work and how to spend money wisely.

Jim states that he enjoys being home and tinkering around the house and enjoys being part of our city council and contributing to the good life in South Sioux City.  He is proud that South Sioux City is a smaller community but able to do great things for the people of our city. Feeling that we are an All-American City every year.

What qualities should a council member have?  A council member should be a good listener. It is important to assure community members that we pass information on to city administrators so that concerns are not dropped for lack of action. It is important to listen to both sides with an issue, and then make a decision based upon that info. It is important to value each community member and represent them to the best of your ability.  Jim also states that he believes that listening to others is extremely important. Jim tries to value the information shared with him. An open mind is very important stating that he is approachable without being critical of others’ ideas and concerns.

Jim decided to become a council member because he had a variety of experiences in his life and feels that it is very important to give back to our community. He has tried more than once to become part of our council, finally succeeding in winning a seat. Jim wants to add to the quality of life for our citizens.

Dan has been in the South Sioux City area all his life, leaving only for a six-year obligation with the U.S. Army.  Dan has two daughters, Harmony and Alana and one granddaughter Anaya.  He states that his time in the Army taught him about Administration in an airline company and U.S. Army as well as mechanical and electrical illustrator design for the Army.

Over the years, Dan has done construction, carpentry, blueprint and project management and has been a residential and commercial landlord.

Dan was first elected to the Council in 2008 and has served on the Public Works, Finance, SIMPCO, Selection and LEC committees over the years.

The following is statement from Dan: South Sioux City is a great place to raise a family, with great schools and Chamber of Commerce, with growing housing and businesses for jobs.  Being part of the Council, Dan feels like he has a hand in the future of South Sioux City from housing and business development, Police and Fire relationships and Park and Recreation growth.

My family and I moved to South Sioux City nine and half years ago. I have two stepdaughters and three children with my husband, Ben Schultz.

 
I grew up in Bellevue, Nebraska and also resided in Mexico for a couple years during highschool. I Graduated from Bryan High School in 2007. I went on to work for Ralston Public School as an interpreter, 
and attended College of Saint Mary but decided to get certified as a Medical Interpreter. I worked at Omaha Public School as a Bilingual Liaison and kept working for Ralston Public Schools part time as their Interpreter and Translator.

I had my first born eleven years ago.  Which is when I decided to stay home to raise her, our younger children that followed, and help other mommas by taking care of their littles by opening an in-home daycare. 

I am part of the South Sioux City Civil Service Community.

My family and I fell in love with South Sioux City and feel grateful to be part of such a diverse, solid, and tight-knit community.