Candidate Profiles

It's a fair question, but almost impossible to narrow down to three. So, I will try to speak to some broad categories, based on what I would want to see from a city council member even if I wasn't running for reelection.
1.) The city is embarked on a number of ongoing initiatives that help make citizens lives better every day, and those things need to be not only preserved, but constantly pushed forward. For example, we need to continue prioritizing fare-free bussing in our city budget, because that service alone makes it easier for Iowa Citians to move around, get to doctors appointments, get to work, go shopping, and just live in our community. Another example would be to make sure as we are always looking for new ideas for an issue like housing, we are continuing the steady long-term efforts to use all the tools in our toolbox, literally from A to Z (Affordable Housing Units subsidized by the city all the way to Zoning to promote affordable and all other kinds of housing in mixed neighborhoods). On these issues, as well as initiatives in public safety, human rights, local entrepreneurship, and community building, we need to keep building on the good work we have done as a city and with our community partners.
2.) We have to keep standing with the most vulnerable members of our community as the attacks come in from the state and federal levels, and recognize that as members of the city council we set an example for our residents and for our neighbors. We need to continue speaking out and showing up in support of those who are currently most targeted, such as our immigrant neighbors and our trans and LGBTQ+ neighbors. We also need to recognize in this moment that there are a whole lot of folks under attack, and as leaders of our community I think our priority has to be bringing all of us together in common cause. Also under attack right now (and this is a partial list) by the Trump and Reynolds administrations are women, educators, students, researchers, librarians, public schools, colleges and universities, physicians, nurses, other healthcare providers, people who don't want themselves or their loved ones to get a vaccine preventable disease, people who want clean air and clean water, people who care about climate change, unions, people struggling to make ends meet, people living on the streets, people on Medicare and Medicaid, people who need rental assistance, food assistance, mental health care, people who just simply believe in honesty, integrity, and kindness. We are all under attack. A top priority for me as a council member is being a person who believes in bringing all these different parts of the community together because whether we like it or not, we are all in this together. And together we will win out in the end.
3.) Whatever chaos comes our way, my final priority and promise to voters is that I will continue to approach each challenge, opportunity, and issue with care and concentration. I prioritize the work that comes before the decisions. Reading hundreds of pages of packets and reports, going to meetings, meeting with residents, tours and ride-alongs to watch the city in operation, staying informed about what is going on around Iowa City and how it will impact the people in our city are the hard work I think a council member should be willing to do. I have been that person. I will continue to be that person.

Fear.

When I knock doors, meet with residents, listen to public comments, go to rallies, go to organizing meetings, the individual concerns might change, but the common thread is fear. It is in my community, and in my home. Struggle isn’t new, but this sense of fear is. As the current state and federal government leaders tighten the screws on the rest of us, those longstanding concerns about housing, food, medicine, jobs, education, and so many others is being cranked up into a place of fear and dread.
Fear is a poison that robs hope, that robs us of our ability to think clearly, and that robs us of our future. If we give in to it.
As a council, we have a duty to NOT give in to fear and panic and hopelessnes, but to remain smart, steady, steadfast, and determined in our values and actions. We show up for our neighbors, and let them know they do not stand alone. Sometimes it will be our resolutions and policies, sometimes it will be our voices, sometimes it will be out in front and public, and sometimes it will be the work behind the scenes. But if we as a council stay focused , and stay determined, we will help fight the fear with hope. We will fight it with the love we show to our community and every person that is hurting.
Those have always been the strengths of Iowa City long before I or any of the other council members got here, and those will be the strengths long after we are gone.

The biggest thing our general fund budget invests in is people. That’s the biggest part of our budget across all departments, the people who work for the city.
Our city management team, including department heads, the city manager, and the finance department, have been working for years in anticipation of the gigantic hole the legislature was going to blow in our budget with their big landlord property tax break.
So far, we have avoided laying off workers, which is the last thing I want to see happen. But that has come at a cost. For example, as our community grows we have a growing need for an additional fire station, and our city has been making fiscally responsible plans for that for many years. But we have had to put that on the back burner. So make no mistake, when we talk about budget cuts, we are talking about people’s jobs and the many services that keep us safe and make Iowa City such an attractive community we are one of the few in the state that is still growing.
Our first goal is to maintain the vital city jobs – and they are all vital – that keep our community what it is, and at the same time maintain all the community initiatives and partnerships with local nonprofits that help the most vulnerable people and most pressing issues in our community.
But if Des Moines forces us into a budget cut situation – and make no mistake, with a growing and vibrant community like Iowa City our budget issues are being manufactured for us by the Republicans who control our state government – the first thing I will look to is a process of careful consideration of the impact of each cut, and how they can be done in an equitable fashion. I wouldn’t trust anyone who said they had it figured out for sure before such a process. I don’t believe you enter into an honest and serious decision making process by declaring ahead of time what your decision will be.

The city council already plays a big role in addressing this nationwide issue on a local level, as I mentioned earlier, from A-to-Z. And we need to recognize that work we do as a city, the work we do with our community partners, and keep pushing on all fronts. And we need to do it in a way that sets it up for long-term sustainability and success.
The city is doing just that, using resources to create long term plans to move the city into being more and more of a developer of affordable housing stock. We already do some of that, sometimes with our non-profit partners, but we want to do more. It’s a big undertaking, and complicated, and completely within our abilities to figure out and implement. But we have to do it so it will last, which is what the planning process is for.
But that’s just one part of what we do and need to keep doing.
For example, we have and help manage a variety of direct assistance programs, such as the housing voucher program. We partner with and support a number of shelter services, including traditional shelters, low barrier shelters, and shelters for the victims of domestic abuse.
We are also entering a new phase of looking at how we take the good ideas of form-based codes, which aim to create diverse, livable, walkable mixed neighborhoods, and streamline them enough to spur development this city and its residents need.
In short, we are helping a lot of people and we need to make sure that continues to happen. And we need to keep doing more. And one of the many tools we need to do that will be the local option sales tax.

Yes.
Historically I have not been a big fan of LOST because of its inherently regressive nature. I don’t remember for sure, but I probably voted against it ten years ago. But times have changed and the reality is a LOST done right can have benefits which outweigh the downsides, and mitigate those impacts.
Under current state law, 50% has to go for property tax relief, and 50% a local community can decide how to spend. Here in Iowa City, the language we are sending to voters is essentially this: 50% for property tax relief (required by law), 25% for affordable housing, 15% for community partnerships (arts, culture, social services, etc), and 10% for public infrastructure (trails, parks, facilities, etc.). And if the voters approve it, those percentages stay locked in, and the ways the money is set to help the folks who are most vulnerable can’t be changed by future councils.
In our various meetings we learned that LOST would bring in an estimated 8-10 million dollars in income for Iowa City. That is significant, but of course won’t solve every problem. But it will make a heck of a positive impact.

We already do a number of collaborative efforts with other governmental and non-governmental entities, and they are very important. From an organization of local government that deals with major multi-jurisdictional transportation projects to our numerous partnerships with local non-profits which deal with housing, food, healthcare, counseling, and other services, to our partnership with the school district on things like baseball, softball, and swimming facilities, our collaboration is a win-win for all involved.
One of the things I would love to see happen is a regional public transportation system that would offer fare-free rides not just in Iowa City, but linking up Coralville, North Liberty, and maybe other communities like Tiffin. It will take all involved being willing to cooperate, and likely some changes in state law regarding population thresholds for regional transportation authorities, but it’s important for others to know we have Iowa City council members who support this idea.

Councilors in Iowa City are part-time, and we don’t have regular offices or office hours. And so contact is by phone or by email, or by speaking at a meeting. I have always met with any resident who has reached out, as soon as we can schedule such a meeting. I also make it a point to be out and about in the community, representing the city at events, and spending time at festivals and other gatherings. I also take my turn in the community listening posts the entire council does from time to time.

I believe in maintaining a professional, collaborative, and hopefully collegial relationship with all of my fellow councilors, regardless of positions on issues we vote upon. I am always available to my fellow councilors by phone, and always happy to set up a time to meet for coffee or just to chat one-on-one.

Following the county’s decision, this is now a moot point.

I believe in maintaining a professional, collaborative, and hopefully collegial relationship with all of my fellow councilors, regardless of positions on issues we vote upon. I am always available to my fellow councilors by phone, and always happy to set up a time to meet for coffee or just to chat one-on-one.

Economic development is of concern to the city because what that really means is the jobs people need to be able to afford to have a roof over their heads, food on the table, medical care, saving for the future, and also all of the fun things that make life more than just survival. And because good jobs makes our residents’ lives better, of course we have a role to play.
When determining what kind of role, from various incentives to zoning changes and infrastructure, the important criteria to weigh includes the number of jobs, the pay and benefits, history of the company with the city (if any), location, and other impacts. When I weigh these things out, I’m interested in the opportunities which are real opportunities for the people who live and work in Iowa City.