Don Piercy Jr. Sworn In to Storm Lake City Council, Replacing McKinney

Don Piercy Jr. was sworn in Thursday afternoon during a special Storm Lake City Council meeting to fill a two-year seat described in one account as vacated by Kevin McKinney, and officials say Piercy was the top vote-getter in the Nov. 4 election. Municipal listings show Piercy’s current council term expires in December 2027.

Piercy told local outlets that infrastructure will be his top priority on the council, naming water and streets as urgent needs for Storm Lake. He also flagged oversight of King’s Pointe Resort and property cleanup as local concerns he expects to act on, and he has urged answers about the city’s tax-increment financing dispute with Buena Vista County, which one source says is headed to trial in Emmet County next May.

The new councilperson brings long local ties to City Hall. Piercy grew up in Newell, moved to Storm Lake 27 years ago, graduated from Buena Vista University, and spent more than four decades working in plumbing, heating and electrical trades. He previously served a four-year term on the Newell City Council in the 1990s.

Piercy has publicly voiced support for Auditor Rob Sand launching an investigation into what one report calls “TIFF distributions,” and he campaigned on infrastructure and property tax concerns. Those positions were highlighted alongside a local headline that read “Piercy aims to shake up City Hall” and a paywalled item noting his background as a plumber and HVAC technician seeking Kevin McKinney’s seat.

The broader council roster and term expirations are reflected on the city website and in local reporting. Mayor Meg McKeon’s term is listed through December 2029. Council members shown on municipal pages include Matt Ricklefs and Maria Ramos with terms expiring December 2027, and Maggie Martinez and Richard Riner with terms expiring December 2029. One syndicated account says Matt Ricklefs was unanimously appointed to fill the vacancy caused by Meg McKeon’s transition to mayor and that Ricklefs’ appointed two-year term ends in December 2027; Yahoo also reported Martinez, McKeon and Riner were sworn in on December 15.

Accounts contain conflicting details about which vacancy Piercy filled and the timing of related appointments. One source explicitly states Piercy filled the two-year seat vacated by Kevin McKinney, while another ties a separate appointment to McKeon’s move to mayor. The municipal roster lists Piercy’s seat as expiring December 2027; election-year detail for the Nov. 4 vote and official vote totals were not provided in the available reports and remain to be confirmed in city and county records.

Piercy’s stated priorities — water and street repairs, King’s Pointe oversight, property cleanup and scrutiny of tax-increment financing distributions — set a clear agenda he can take to future council meetings. City pages note council members are elected at-large to overlapping four-year terms and that mayoral and council transitions are handled at the council’s regular January meeting; the municipal site is the authoritative reference for official term expirations and meeting agendas.