Iowa City candidate running to add younger voice to City Council

IOWA CITY – Josh Eklow hopes to bring to the Iowa City Council something it has traditionally lacked: A youthful perspective.

To do so, however, the 25-year-old will likely have to break another tradition: poor turnout among young people, particularly college students, in local elections. Iowa City is home to the 30,000-student University of Iowa.

“It's always seemed like they haven't had a voice on the council, even though they make up a large portion of Iowa City's population,” Eklow said Monday.

Eklow, of 618 E. Court St., said he'll seek one of the two at-large seats on the City Council up for election this fall. Mayor Matt Hayek also is running at large. At-large council member Mike Wright is not running for re-election.

Four of the council's seven seats are up for election. All of its current members are older than 40.

Eklow said he works part-time at downtown clothing store Ragstock and about 10 hours a week as the creative director and video specialist at Iowa City Senior Center Television.

He is classified as a temporary city employee. Permanent city employees cannot serve on the council if elected, City Clerk Marian Karr. Eklow said he has been looking for other employment opportunities and said he'll only volunteer at the Senior Center should he be elected and still employed there.

He graduated in May from the UI with a master's degree in intermedia art. He also has a bachelor's degree in cinema from the UI. He sits on the board of directors for Public Access Television in Iowa City.

Twentysomethings typically struggle in Iowa City elections. Two years ago, three UI students were handily defeated in their bids for seats on the City Council. Young people also failed to overturn Iowa City's 21-only bar law last fall.

Eklow, who supports the 21-only law, thinks many students feel like Iowa City is a temporary home for them and many don't realize they can vote here. He hopes his candidacy will change that.

“I'm not necessarily even too worried about winning,” he said. “A big part of my campaign is hopefully to highlight the fact that young people can and should get involved in local politics.”

He also wants to help create more cultural opportunities for young people in Iowa City. Other issues he'll campaign on are improving snow removal, renters' rights and opposing a suggested move of the farmers market into downtown.

He'll be joined on the campaign trail by someone close to his age, 22-year-old Dan Tallon, who is seeking the District C seat and was one of the students who ran in the 2009 election. Retired UI professor Jim Throgmorton also is a candidate in District C.

Rick Dobyns, a doctor at the UI, is running in District A.

Candidates can file the paperwork to run for council starting Aug. 15.