Letter of Interest_Cindy KohlmannMarch 7, 2011
Dear Honorable Mayor and Dubuque City Council Members,
cit, I am submitting my letter of intent and professional resume to be considered as the Dubuque C� oul nc i l Office
Fourth Ward Representative.
�u �uql~se, IA
In the fall of 2007, I campaigned for the Fourth Ward seat along with four other candidates. Residents of
the ward went to the polls for a primary election and selected Dirk Voetberg and myself to run in the
November election. The results from the November election showed that 194 votes separated us, with
Councilman Voetberg emerging from that election as the winner. I am glad I went through the process
and have the experience of a campaign and meeting with many residents of the Fourth Ward. I know the
issues facing the city, have the dedication and desire to serve and understand the time commitment
involved in being a representative on the city council. I still believe strongly in many of the same issues I
campaigned on, including transportation, community safety and economic development.
I am not a stranger to working one -on -one with constituents, meeting with groups or working
independently. Meeting deadlines, prompt responses and problem solving have always been an important
part of my career. My governmental knowledge and experience is vast and includes work with and on the
federal, state and local levels. I managed the Dubuque office for Iowa First District Congressman Jim
Nussle. Work in that office included assistance and research on such city projects as The Mississippi
River Museum, funding for expansion of the Julien Dubuque Bridge and the Southwest Arterial. Often,
constituent casework also involved work with either city or state government. As a reporter and news
director at KDTH radio, for 10 of my 14 years at the radio station, I covered the Dubuque City Council
attending most meetings as well as writing many stories on city departments and processing other
information vital to keeping citizens in the community up -to -date on city issues. Currently I have a public
affairs talk show on KDTH where many city issues are discussed.
My public service work includes past and current work on many boards, committees and organizations.
Two of my most recent accomplishments that I am very proud of are the Dubuque Weatherization
Challenge and the Veterans Memorial Plaza. From the name to the concept, the Dubuque Weatherization
Challenge was my brain - child. It was my idea to bring together Operation New View along with utility
companies and volunteers for one great day of weatherizing homes for low income and elderly. There had
been an existing program where four to six homes a year were weatherized. My idea was to make that
project something much larger and involve the community. In the first year, close to 100 homes received
this assistance, free of charge, by the aid of 300 volunteers. The program continues today. I have served
as the secretary for the Veterans Memorial Plaza, being a part of plans for the plaza, grant writing, public
relations, and organizing the ribbon cutting ceremony. The memorial continues to grow, and we are very
thankful for the partnerships developed with the City of Dubuque for this project.
I believed in 2007 that I could be an asset to residents of not only the Fourth Ward, but to the entire
community. That feeling still exists today. In addition to my letter of intent, you'll also find my
professional resume. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
C'' . y Kohlmann
1495 Langworthy
RECEIVED
11 MAR -7 PM 3: 20
Cindy Kohlmann
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Communicator, manager and organizer with a proven oral and written communication
background. Demonstrated skills of managing an office and employees, working independently
and problem solving. Ability to successfully work under tight deadlines as well as plan and
execute long -term projects.
GOVERNMENTAL EXPERIENCE
Iowa Congressman Jim Nussle Dubuque, Iowa
District Representative (paid staff October 2000 - January 2007
■ Managed Dubuque congressional office
• Spoke on a variety of federal issues to groups /organizations
• Gathered information at meetings to send back to the congressman and appropriate
legislative staff
• Researched federal issues for congressman and constituents
• Local research (newspapers /radio /TV /internet) for congressman and constituents
• Wrote response letters to constituents who had local, state and federal concerns
• One -on -one work with constituents in- person and over the phone
• Worked with officials in federal agencies for casework (problems residents had with
federal agencies)
• Event planning for congressional visits which included site selection, meetings to be held,
residents to meet with, organizing the schedule, local research for the congressman for
event stops, and staffing the congressman during the events
• Work with the media regarding news stories, writing news releases, digital photography
and writing caption lines for pictures to be sent to daily newspapers
Iowa Senator Charles Grassley Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque County Campaign Chair (unpaid) January 2010 — November 2010
• Coordinated and organized Dubuque County campaign events
■ Spoke for Senator Grassley to groups /organizations
• Sought out events for the Senator or myself to attend
• Local research for events and issues related to the campaign
ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
KDTH Radio/Radio Dubuque Dubuque, Iowa
Talk Show Host /News Anchor September 2010 — Present
• Host of daily public affairs radio show
• Contact and schedule guests
• Research topics and collect information on current events
• Broadcast news for four radio stations on a fill -in basis
James Conrad Marketing Dubuque, Iowa
Vice President of Marketing February 2010 — Present
• Provide marketing services for clients
• Provided political candidate assistance (news release creation and dissemination,
fundraising, and campaign consulting)
• Solicitation of clients for Websites, media sales, marketing services
■ Creation and editing of collateral
Kohlmann /2
Kennedy Mall Dubuque, Iowa
Marketing Director February 2007- February 2010
• Managed Marketing for 60 shop retail facility
• Prepared yearly budget and marketing plan
• Wrote news releases for events and announcements
• Designed and executed collateral for in -mall usage (posters, handbills, door decals)
• Wrote and prepared in- house - newsletter for mall
• Performed updates to mall Website
• Event planning, including bridal /prom shows, seasonal events (Santa/Easter Bunny
arrivals and set design) model search, fashion shows, give - aways, three -day renovation
celebration, holiday shopping promotions, and non - profit group fundraising
• Set design for holidays and vacant store fronts
• Solicited and obtained sponsors and give -away items for promotions and events
• Digital photography of events
KDTH Radio
News Director
Other paid work experiences
• Owner of a delivery cookie business
• Published author
• Photographer (video and still)
SERVICE TO COMMUNITY
Organizations/Boards/Committees (past and present)
• Kiwanis (Division Lt. Governor, Club President, District Convention Co- Chair)
• Veterans Memorial Plaza (Secretary /Treasurer)
• Theresa Shelter (personnel committee)
• Dubuque Area Greyhound Support
• Dubuque Hospice
• Dubuque Chapter of the American Cancer Society
• Government Committee of the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce
• Graduate Assistant for Dale Carnegie public speaking course (three classes)
• Missions and Social Concerns Committee for church
EDUCATION
• Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa: Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications
Kohlmann /3
Dubuque, Iowa
December 1998 - October 2000
• Managed a staff of seven (three full time /four part-time employees)
• Assigned stories and prepared weekly schedule for a seven - day -a -week news operation
• Worked a morning news shift (gathering, writing and anchoring eight morning newscasts
and a 20 minute noon news)
• Hired and trained staff as needed in news gathering, writing, electronic voice editing, and
preparation of newscasts
• Prepared a yearly budget for news operation and made decisions on office and equipment
purchasing