After long-term Coralville Mayor Jim Fausett announced he would not seek re-election last week, a second Coralville resident has stepped up to the plate to run for the position.

Matt Adam, an area attorney and community leader, announced his candidacy for mayor in a press release Tuesday.

Mayor Pro-Tem John Lundell will join Adam in the mayoral run. Lundell announced his candidacy for the position on Aug. 28, a day after Fausett’s announcement.

“I am proud to live here, have my law practice here, and be involved in making this community as vibrant as possible,” Adam said in a press release. “As your new mayor, I will lead us toward our shared vision of having a community that is safe, welcoming, and enriches the lives of all those who work, live, and visit here.”    

Adam told The Daily Iowan he was interested in running for candidacy for a couple of years but the time was not right.

When asked what he expects from Adam if he wins the mayoral candidacy, Fausett said he did not know Adam well enough to comment.

“The only thing I know is that [Adam] was one of attorneys that represented a group that sued the city, and other than that, I cannot comment,” Fausett said.

Adam has been a resident of Coralville since 2007. He is a partner with Simmons Perrine Moyer & Bergman PLC, and he also has served as an adjunct lecturer teaching Legal Aspects of Entrepreneurship for eight years in the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business.

He is also involved in the Chamber of Commerce, serves on the Board of Directors for the Iowa City Golf Association, and is a member of the Iowa Bar Association, the Johnson County Bar Association, and Linn County Bar Association.

According to a press release, Adam hopes to bring a fresh perspective, renewed leadership, enhanced transparency in government, and a vision of greater financial certainty.

Coralville has to cut its outstanding debt obligations of nearly $279 million, according to a report released in June. The city would also have to sell a number of city-owned properties, including the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, Brown Deer Golf Club, Backpocket Brewery, and the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts.

When Coralville finance director Tony Roetlin was asked whether he had any goals for the city and the mayor to work together, he denied to comment.

However, Adam said in a press release that he is confident that “with the right leadership in the mayor’s office and on the City Council, we can strike a balance that ensures Coralville will see continued growth without overburdening our taxpayers or losing sight of providing city services and recreational areas that we can all be proud of.”