“Every neighborhood matters. Not just the shiny ones.” Mayor Quentin Hart on Waterloo, IA
Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart was recently featured on The Good Government Show, a national podcast highlighting innovative public leaders, where he shared how his administration has transformed Waterloo into a model of responsive, inclusive, and forward-thinking government. In a candid and wide-ranging interview, Mayor Hart touched on everything from police reform and affordable housing to downtown revitalization, community mental health, and infrastructure upgrades.
“Good government is being responsive to the needs of people—and building community today for the cities of tomorrow,” Hart said, reflecting on nearly a decade in office. That vision has helped Waterloo attract over $300 million in new construction permits last year, revitalize its downtown through strategic public-private partnerships, and achieve a 20% drop in violent crime, aided by a fully staffed and community-engaged police force. “We’ve changed the way we police. We’ve built trust. And we’ve brought in mental health professionals to respond alongside our officers.”
Hart also described how Waterloo’s housing strategy—including infill incentives, sustainable construction programs with Hawkeye Community College, and a nationally recognized partnership with Habitat for Humanity—has helped reinvest in neighborhoods too often left behind. “We didn’t just build out the Beverly Hills of our community,” he said. “We invested in the neighborhoods that needed help most.”
One of the standout moments from the interview was Hart’s story of transforming a bridge into a symbol of civic pride. Inspired by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the city lit up the iconic 4th Street pedestrian bridge with red, white, and blue lights nightly in honor of veterans—an effort that has since sparked a series of downtown enhancements along what’s now called Veterans Way. “You can’t be afraid to try something new,” Hart said. “Cities thrive when we invest in quality of life.”
Recently inducted into the Iowa League of Cities Hall of Fame, Hart credits much of the city’s progress to partnership, perseverance, and a refusal to do things “just because that’s the way it’s always been done.” Whether it’s tackling homelessness through a new task force or rebuilding the city’s aging sewer system with $70 million in upgrades, Mayor Hart’s Waterloo is proving that good government still works—and it works best when it listens.