Running for Peru Mayor in the 2024 general election is City Council member Katy Propst-Novak. Propst-Novak, who grew up attending Peru Elementary, then Auburn Middle and High Schools, says “I’ve always loved Peru. I left for 20 years and since coming back a little over a year ago, I’ve been thinking about ways the city could be improved.”
When current Mayor Dave Pease chose not to try for another term, there was a general worry about who might step into his position, Propst-Novak explained. Having been appointed to the City Council through a special election in December, she wasn’t completely sure if putting her name out there was what she wanted, as her position on the City Council was her first time being in an elected office. However, after speaking with various community members, Propst-Novak came to realize she had a lot of support, and, in the spirit of “Tieing the town that she loves in with government,” she decided to put her name in the race.
“I think government action should be based on the ‘Seven Generation Rule,’” she said, “that, whatever is decided for a community, should be decided on what effect it might have on the next seven generations of people living in the community.” And Propst-Novak hopes to be a part of that change. With experience in collaborating with other communities for mutually beneficial outcomes, she believes that government should be informative and transparent, and that it should strive to bring the community together and be participatory, not just a deciding body. “I want to build a foundation, a culture.”
