Terry Moehnke wants to return to the Fort Dodge City Council.

After representing Ward 1 on the council for 10 years, he stepped down after his term ended at the end of 2023.

On Friday, he announced his candidacy for an at-large seat on the council in this year’s election.

“This is an exciting time for Fort Dodge and the region, and by working with the county supervisors, state elected officials, the Growth Alliance and experienced city staff, we will be able to build on our successes,” he said.

“We face several challenges, but there has been remarkable progress in housing, business redevelopment, infrastructure and public safety over the past decade,” he added. “As a result of years of work by the staff and previous councils, several exciting new projects are in the works and I look forward to working with the community to maintain and improve the community we live in.”

He is seeking one of two at-large seats on this year’s ballot. One of the at-large members, Councilwoman Lydia Schuur, announced earlier this week that she will not seek reelection

The other announced candidates for this year’s city election are Councilman Dave Flattery, who is running for mayor, and Todd McCubbin, who is running for the Ward 3 council seat.

Mayor Matt Bemrich has said he will not seek reelection.

Moehnke spearheaded the development of the Veterans Memorial Pak by Badger Lake, It was renamed the Terry Moehnke Veterans Memorial Park in his honor.

He also started the Backpack Buddies program and coordinated it for 14 years. It provided nutritious food for qualifying children to eat on the weekends, but it was stopped in 2024 when not enough donations were received to keep it going.

Moehnke is an optometrist. He has publicly said he would like to sell his practice so he can retire.

He was born in Rochester, Minnesota, and grew up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He is a Navy veteran.

Moehnke earned his optometry degree from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee. He also earned a master’s degree in clinical vision research from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.