By Robert Maharry, Times-Republican
Political newcomer Melisa Fonseca made history Tuesday, July 16th as the first Latina ever elected to the Marshalltown city council and, at age 27, one of the youngest to occupy a seat after she defeated engineer and businessman Mark Eaton in a 4th Ward special election to replace the late Al Hoop.
Fonseca, a REALTOR ® and Class of 2014 Marshalltown High School graduate who owns Alta Vista Real Estate, received 340 of the 604 votes cast (56.3 percent) according to unofficial results posted on the Marshall County Auditor/Recorder’s website. It’s been a whirlwind two months since she first submitted her nomination petition back in May, but as she spoke with the T-R on Tuesday night, Fonseca felt that all of her hard work, which included door knocking, volunteering at the Fourth of July celebration and several campaign events, paid off in the end.
“It was just getting out there, for sure, and I think that that really helped, especially starting it in Spanish and English from the get go with all of my things — flyers, invitations, videos, it was all in the two languages that I can speak. So I think that helped communicate it to more and more people,” she said. “I think that it definitely will show how much Marshalltown is headed to (becoming) a more inclusive, more representative type of community.”
She joked that even during her campaign, people often questioned her about what city government does and whether she’d be giving up real estate (she won’t), but her goal as a councilor is to invite all of them to the table.
“They are taxpayers. They are community members. All the diverse facets of our community, they are part of it, and I think that showing that representation for once in Marshalltown history was a necessary step. And it’s a very exciting step,” Fonseca said.
“I’m most excited about just, honestly, thanking everybody and also getting in there and getting to city hall. I’ve met some of the city staff, but I’m excited to get in there and introduce myself to everybody there and just have those one-on-one conversations… I want to thank everyone for their support and enthusiasm and good vibes. It’s just a really good moment, and I think the hard work paid off, for sure.”
She also praised Eaton for running a strong race and always treating her with respect throughout the campaign.
“I would like to thank my opponent, Mark Eaton, for being nice and cool, and whenever we were in the same room together, he was welcoming. And I appreciate having a really cool opponent. He ran a good race, and we are both Marshalltonians at heart,” she said. “It was the people’s decision, and I’m grateful for the experience I had during the campaign with him.”
Eaton, who previously ran for council seats in 2017 and 2021 and sought the Republican nomination for Marshall County Treasurer in 2022, thanked his supporters and the poll workers who made the election possible, and he said he hoped Fonseca would do “a good job for the community” in her new role.
Fonseca was sworn in the council meeting on Monday, July 22nd night, and she will serve out the remainder of Hoop’s term, which runs until Dec. 31, 2027.
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