MUSCATINE, Iowa —Marketing Muscatine, improving public safety and planning for job succession are key issues for Muscatine’s candidates for city council and mayor.

About 25 people, including candidates’ family members, attended an informal gathering Saturday afternoon at the Port City Underground to meet the candidates.

Allen Harvey, Scott Natvig and Devin Pettit are all running for the At Large seat on Muscatine’s City Council. Incumbent Bob Howard is not seeking re-election.

Harvey, 62, told the crowd his top priorities are fiscal responsibility, increasing funding for the police and fire departments, and improving the streets.

“Police and fire protection are very near and dear to my heart,” he said. “One of the first things I think of when I think of serving the public is public safety.

Many of Muscatine’s roads are asphalt over brick and replacing the brick foundation is one of Harvey’s primary goals.

“Those are not suitable streets for modern traffic,” he said.

Harvey, who is retired from Grain Processing Corp., has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Iowa State University and a master’s of business administration from St. Ambrose. He serves on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, and has served on the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment and Comprehensive Plan Steering Commission.

Natvig, 60, said he wants to improve Muscatine’s economy, maintain the city’s fiscal responsibility and strengthen public safety.

He is in favor of reinstating the police department’s street crimes unit.

“This is your chance as citizens to make a difference,” he said.

Natvig, who works for Grain Processing Corp., has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Iowa State University and a master’s of business administration from University of Iowa.

Natvig was a trustee at Muscatine General Hospital and is a life member of the Unity Hospital Auxiliary. He is past president of the Rotary Club and has been a member of the Leadership Muscatine Steering Committee for 21 years. He has served on the Muscatine Art Center Board of Trustees and has been the director of the Muscatine Chamber of Commerce.

“Muscatine is just a great, great community to raise a family,” he said.

Pettit, 41, told the audience his top priorities are expanding the curbside recycling program and succession planning.

Many of the city departments have only one person running them, Pettit said.

“If something were to happen to him, suddenly all that knowledge would just — boom — be gone,” he said.

Pettit also favors increasing the salary for supervisors.

“I’m very scared that one of these days, if we keep putting it off, there’s going to be some people leave and we’re going to be stuck,” he said.

Pettit, a certified reflexologist, has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Iowa. He is a past chairman of the Muscatine Historic Preservation Commission.

Mark LeRette is running unopposed for the Ward Two seat currently occupied by Marie Press. Press is not seeking re-election.

LeRette, who moved to Muscatine in 2005, said promoting Muscatine is his primary agenda.

“Nobody knows we’re here,” he said. “We do not have a legitimate marketing organization for Muscatine.”

Dawnese Openshaw, who organized Saturday’s forum, said she is running for mayor because she wants to “make things happen” for Muscatine.

“Muscatine is the best-kept secret along the Mississippi,” she said. “We need to change that.”

Openshaw is running against incumbent Dick O’Brien, who is seeking his eighth term as Muscatine’s mayor, and Kim Otto.

Muscatine High School’s declining graduation rate and the increasing gang activity are some of Openshaw’s top concerns. She would also like to see Muscatine actively recruit new light, industrial businesses.

Community member James Palagi brought his 13-year-old daughter, Kat, to the forum. Palagi said he has lived in Muscatine for three years and thinks it is important to be an informed voter.

“If this is going to be home, I want to see what people are going to do with my home,” he said.

O’Brien, Otto, and Bob Bynum Jr., who is running unopposed for re-election in Ward Four, did not attend the forum.

Otto has been hospitalized recently.

O’Brien said this morning that he had a previous engagement and would have been unable to attend.