Iowa City District 5 hopefuls link crime, housing issues

City Council candidate Mark McCallum didn't intend to run against Connie Champion, but he is.

The real estate agent said he was recruited to the council race by the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce and was repeatedly assured Champion, a three-term incumbent, was not running again.

Champion did, but McCallum is undeterred.

“Once I got in it, I decided to stay in it,” he said.

McCallum, 49, is challenging Champion, 69, for the District B seat she has held for 12 years. The election is Tuesday.

The district covers much of eastern Iowa City. That includes a chunk of the southeast quadrant, which has gotten a lot of attention lately for juvenile and adult crime problems.

Champion and McCallum each put solving those issues at the top of their to-do lists. And they both said part of the problem is the city allowing too much low-income housing in the area.

Such density leads to crime problems, they argue, and they want affordable homes to be scattered throughout town.

“I think neighborhoods should be mixed economically and socially,” said Champion, co-owner of Catherine's clothing store. “I think it's good for neighborhoods, it's good for kids.”

McCallum said the city should get rid of the public housing units it owns and stick to overseeing the federal Section 8 voucher program.

Earlier this fall, a divided City Council was on the verge of approving a juvenile curfew as a result of some of the problems in the southeast quadrant. But a majority of the council, including Champion, voted to delay action to give a new community group a chance to address the matter.

McCallum supports the curfew and opposes the delay. Champion still backs the curfew but wants to give the group time to try a different approach.

The current council is expected to vote later this year to impose a 2 percent franchise fee on natural gas and electric customers, with most of the money for more firefighters and police officers.

McCallum said he views the fee as a last resort. He supports starting with across-the-board cuts of 1 to 3 percent for all city departments except police and fire.

Champion, who is in favor of the fee, noted that the council made cuts earlier this year and, with another tight budget predicted, expected more next year.

Any eligible voter in the city can vote for a district candidate.