City clerk and finance officer recognized for going above and beyond her duties
Source: Photo courtesy of Sue Ponder
When Jadi Brown learned she was receiving the Rhonda Wood Smith Award from the Iowa League of Cities, surprise was her first reaction. Even though the native of Des Moines’s south side had made her home in Prairie City a few short years ago, she had expected to see the award given to a city administrator, rather than a clerk.
“I was very surprised,” Brown said. “I got nominated by a couple different people. I found out later Sue Ponder was one of them.”
Brown, Prairie City’s city clerk and finance officer, received the award during the Iowa League of Cities Annual Conference & Exhibit in Bettendorf. The honor recognizes exemplary work by young city officials and those new to city government, with criteria including innovation, bold leadership, commitment and sacrifice.
For Brown, the recognition comes after a rapid transition into municipal government.
Brown earned bachelor’s degrees in finance and business administration from Grand View University and worked in accounting before joining the City of Prairie City in May 2025 as utility billing clerk. The timing was challenging as Prairie City was dealing with problems following a utility billing software upgrade, and Brown found herself helping sort through hundreds of issues. She developed spreadsheets to audit accounts, worked with the software company and helped uncover errors affecting both billing and accounting. Although she had not previously worked in municipal administration before, Brown quickly settled into her new role.
“I took it on and I think I found my niche,” Brown said. “I love government.”
Sue Ponder, Prairie City’s library director who served as interim city administrator during the transition, wrote Brown’s award nomination. Ponder said both women entered unfamiliar territory as staffing changes forced them to quickly learn new responsibilities.
“We both stepped into this at a time when neither of us knew what was going on and had to figure it out,” Ponder said.
Brown soon took responsibility for the city’s finances, working through complicated records, catching up invoices and reports and providing financial information to city leaders as they worked to right the ship in Prairie City. Despite those challenges, Brown said serving residents is ultimately what keeps her committed to the job.
“The residents, 100 percent,” Brown said. “Even if they’re yelling at me, I do everything for the residents.”
Sometimes that means responsibilities well outside a typical office job. Brown has helped during water main projects and water outages, dealt with loose animals and even assisted with animal control. During her first week on the job, she unexpectedly ended up caring for two raccoons after a tree was removed and their mother did not return. During a water main project, she also volunteered to assist members of the city’s public works department as they worked to install new hydrants across Prairie City. As Brown explained it, part of the appeal of her job is the variety she encounters on a daily basis.
“You don’t know what to expect,” Brown said.
Those unexpected duties can extend into evenings and weekends. As a single mother, Brown balances city responsibilities with raising her daughters, 2-year-old Dallas and 21-year-old Dakoda, a college student at Culver- Stockton College on a softball scholarship.
“They are my reason for everything,” Brown said. “I do it all for my babies.”
Ponder cited that commitment as one of the reasons Brown stood out, noting in her nomination that Brown has taken work home, sacrificed sleep to resolve financial issues and brought her younger daughter along when volunteering was necessary.
Brown, however, views those sacrifices as simply part of her responsibility.
“If I have to go out when there’s a water main break and work 12 hours, that’s just what you do,” she said. “I didn’t realize that’s not normal, that most city clerks don’t do that, but the Prairie City city clerk does.”
In the written nomination she submitted, Ponder wrote that Brown often goes above and beyond in her duties, including delivering bottled water to residents during water outages, and helping the public works staff place door hangers when needed. Even faced with a storm of criticism during residents as staff worked to sort out issues related to the billing system changeover, Ponder said Brown remained resolute and steadfast.
“Jadi [Brown] stood strong and weathered the storm that we went through,” Ponder wrote. “I am very proud of how she handled it as a new city employee.”
Although the award plaque bears her name, Brown said she sees the recognition as belonging to Prairie City as a whole after several difficult years.
“We’ve gone through some really rough patches the last few years, with the software upgrades and the current floods,” Brown said. “This feels like an award for getting us back on track.”