PARTICIPANTS
Max Weaver
We met Max in the fall of 2001 in Mason City, Iowa, where he was running for City Council. He'd entered the race late-- people in town were very upset about the New Iowans program which his opponent, Lori Henry, was the spokesperson for. The contest between them was turning into a bit of a referendum on New Iowans.
Max is a bit of a gadfly, with a strong anti-authoritarian streak, but he has been on the City Council before. In 2001, he was hoping Mason City would give him a second chance.
While it didn't work out for Max that time, he won a City Council seat in the next election and has been reelected ever since. As an At Large Councilperson he keeps a lively debate going, whether it's about globalization or the major renovations going on downtown. When we visited him and his family recently he showed us the amazing garden he'd built, full of his found-object art, which attracts visitors to Mason City from all parts.
