Voter guide for city council seats in Johnson County on the November ballot

Residents of Corridor communities are gearing up to run for city council and school board as the Nov. 7 local election approaches.

Here’s what residents should know about the seats on the ballots in Johnson County, as well as how to run for office and how to vote.

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The Johnson County voter guide includes Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty and Tiffin. The Gazette will be speaking with candidates about their campaigns and priorities in future stories.

If there is a race in Johnson County that you don’t see mentioned but think The Gazette should be covering — or if you are running in one of the races mentioned — let us know by emailing local government reporter Izabela Zaluska at izabela.zaluska@thegazette.com.

Coralville

Mayor

Coralville Mayor Meghann Foster is running for a second two-year term as mayor.

“Two years is not a lot of time to get everything done, so I view it as a continuation of the work that we have started with this council,” said Foster, 47.

She added that she has loved being mayor and having the opportunity to help tell the city’s story.

“It's been a tremendous privilege, and I want to keep going.”

Foster made history when she was elected without opposition to her first term, becoming the first female mayor of Coralville. Prior to that, Foster was on the Coralville City Council for four years.

Foster, who has lived in Coralville for 22 years, was elected to the City Council starting in 2017. Foster has been teaching at the University of Iowa's School of Journalism and Mass Communication and will go back to teaching at the university full time in the fall. She was previously the community engagement coordinator for the Domestic Violence Intervention Program.

City Council

Council member Mitch Gross will not run for a fifth term, which will wrap up his 16 years on the Coralville City Council.

Gross, 47, said it was a difficult decision but one that made the most sense given his current role as principal of Iowa City West High School. Gross was named principal in 2020 and said he has realized how extensive the job is.

“Because of that and having served 16 years, I think it's time to step aside and let somebody else have an opportunity to contribute to the city,” said Gross, who has lived in Coralville since 2003.

Council member Keith Jones also will not be seeking re-election.

Jones, 74, filled the vacancy on the council created last year when council member Jill Dodds resigned. During the council appointment process, Jones said he will not be a candidate for the seat in the upcoming election, which was a question the council asked each candidate.

Jones, a retired banker who has lived in Coralville for 47 years, said he made that promise and is sticking to it.

“It's been a very enjoyable and rewarding experience, probably more so than I anticipated,” Jones said. “So, it is a little bittersweet that I'm going to give the seat up here in a couple of months, … but I did make that commitment.”

Jones said he is looking forward to spending more time with his family, especially his seven grandchildren. As candidates consider a run for council, Jones said it’s important to understand the city and listen to residents’ needs to ensure everyone is represented and heard.

Iowa City

Council At-Large

Council member Laura Bergus, 42, is running for re-election to one of two open at-large seats on the Iowa City Council.

Bergus, a lifelong resident of Iowa City, was first elected to the council in 2019 and is finishing her first term.

She is co-owner and managing partner at Hayek, Moreland, Smith & Bergus LLP. Before working in law, Bergus was a municipal employee for the cities of North Liberty and Iowa City.

“I've been just incredibly grateful for the amount of support that I've gotten thus far in the community, so it feels right to me,” Bergus said. “If the community will continue to have me, then I just want to keep doing this work.”

Iowa City resident Mandi Remington announced her candidacy for an at-large seat in May. Remington, 40, has lived in Iowa City for more than 20 years.

Remington is the founder and executive director of the Corridor Community Action Network and was one of seven finalists considered for filling a council vacancy earlier this year. Remington also is a member and former chair of the city’s Community Police Review Board, among other involvements.

“I've just come to a place where I've been doing a lot of the grassroots outside work, and I'm really just ready to do more from the inside,” Remington said. “I think that I bring a pretty unique combination of experience with that civic work within local government, within university government and real life experience with the struggles of being in Iowa City.”

Josh Moe, an architect and community advocate, is also running for one of the two at-large seats. Moe, 41, announced his candidacy in early July.

The work at OPN Architects has required collaborating with area municipalities and school districts, as well as seeing how these projects are important in planning for the city’s future. Moe said he is running because he loves Iowa City and because his architectural skill set is needed on the council.

Moe has lived in Iowa City for 12 years. He was one of seven finalists considered for filling a council vacancy earlier this year. Moe served as the chair of the Iowa City Area Business Partnership’s Community Leadership program for three terms, as well as on various nonprofit boards.

“The skills I’ve developed through my professional and nonprofit work, whether it’s consensus building or balancing a budget, will be a positive addition to the council,” Moe said in the release.

Council District A

Council member Pauline Taylor did not initially responded to requests for comment from The Gazette but announced on Aug. 22 she will run for re-election for District A.

Taylor was first elected to the city council in 2016 and is currently serving her second term on the Iowa City Council. Taylor has lived in Iowa City for 44 years.

Community organizer NJ Hanson has also announced his candidacy for the District A seat in May. Hanson did not respond to requests for comment.

During this year’s legislative session, Hanson worked as the legislative aide for Sen. Janice Weiner, who was previously on the Iowa City Council.

In a May news release, Hanson said he was motivated to run for council due to his experience at the state Capitol, as well as experience as a political and labor organizer in Iowa City.

Council District C

Council member John Thomas will not be running for re-election after his second term is up. Thomas, who has lived in Iowa City since 2009, began his first council term in 2016.

Thomas, 72, is a retired landscape architect. Before joining the council, he was on the planning and zoning commission for three and a half years.

He decided in April that he would not seek a third term and said it felt like “time to think about what’s next.”

“I've enjoyed it in many ways, but I just want to kind of experience life with a different focus,” Thomas said.

During his time on council, Thomas has been interested in land use, transportation, looking at Iowa City from a neighborhood scale and making the city more bike friendly, among other issues.

“If I were to continue on council, I would certainly be trying to promote the idea of neighborhoods as places which not only have a strong sense of place but also have a voice, and I think that's especially critical as we move into the future, which is so uncertain,” Thomas said. “But given that uncertainty, I think it's important for residents to feel they're part of a neighborhood, not only in a kind of experiential sense but in the governance sense.”

Something he would like the new council to focus on is affordable housing and implementing a process for residents to feel “genuine public engagement”

Council member Andrew Dunn did not respond before deadline but previously announced his plans to run for the District C seat. He is currently serving in an at-large seat.

Dunn, 24, was appointed to the Iowa City Council earlier this year to succeed Janice Weiner, who resigned after being elected state senator to represent District 45. Dunn recently ran in the Democratic primary to represent Iowa House District 90, but lost to Adam Zabner, who now holds the seat.

North Liberty

City Council

Council member Ashley Bermel, 40, said she has not come to a decision yet on whether to seek re-election.

Bermel is a real estate agent and involved with the Hawkeye chapter of 100+ Women Who Care. She was voted onto the North Liberty City Council last year when Chris Hoffman became mayor and resigned from his council seat in January 2022.

“As a city councilor, one of my main focuses will be on housing and future developments,” Bermel told The Gazette before she was elected. “Not only do we want to have options available for everyone, but quality options secure resident longevity and entice citizen collaboration.”

Council member Brent Smith, 44, also has not made a decision yet on whether to seek re-election. He is a battalion chief for another community’s local fire department and is part of the Liberty Lightning Baseball Club and 100+ Men Who Care.

Smith also joined the council through a special election to fill the vacancy created by Jennifer Goings' departure from the council.

“At this point, I am interested,” Smith said. “I’ve enjoyed my term. My seat is up and I will be looking at those options.”

Council member RaQuishia Harrington, 42, an associate director for a nonprofit working primarily with low-income and at-risk families, said she will not seek re-election.

“My job is requiring a lot more work and responsibility, and so it takes up a lot of my time,” Harrington said. “It’s only going to get more. We’re planning on expanding. It’ll probably be best for me to not try to stretch myself so thin doing both.”

Tiffin

Mayor

Mayor Steve Berner, 57, is running for his sixth two-year term as mayor.

“With the knowledge and experience I have, I can continue leading the town as I have for 10 years,” Berner said. “Huge accomplishments have been made in the past 10 years, but there is much more to do.”

Berner moved to Tiffin in 1997 and got involved with the city as a part of the Planning and Zoning Commission. He was on the panel for about 14 years and served as chairman for most of the time before being elected as mayor in 2012.

He has 22 years of experience as a firefighter and EMT in Tiffin, as well as 27 years of experience as a banker.

City Council

Council member Skylar Limkemann, 34, is running for re-election to a second term.

Limkemann won a special election in 2020 after Rodney Walls resigned. He is a senior attorney with Smith Mills Law in Cedar Rapids. Limkemann also is a volunteer fire captain and EMT for Tiffin.

“There are a number of projects that I'd like to see through if elected to a second term, including the recreation center, new fire station and water quality improvements,” Limkemann said.

Council member Chris Olney, 62, is running for a second term. Olney recently retired from the City of Iowa City, working as an administrative secretary in the City Clerk’s Office.

Olney, who has lived in Tiffin for seven years, said she has enjoyed her first term on the council and finding ways to balance the city’s wants and needs as it continues to grow.

Olney said she focuses on listening to residents to learn more about what they need and any concerns they might have.

“Right now, the council that we have is a really good team,” Olney said.

How to run for office

To run for office, prospective candidates must file an affidavit of candidacy and collect signatures on nomination petitions.

City elections are nonpartisan. In Johnson County, only Iowa City and University Heights are eligible for city primaries, if required.

The period to file affidavits of candidacy and nomination petitions in Iowa City and University Heights begins Aug. 14 and ends at 5 p.m. on Aug. 31.

The period to file affidavits of candidacy and nomination petitions in all other cities in Johnson County begins Aug. 28 and ends at 5 p.m. on Sept. 21.

In Johnson County, more information can be found on the auditor’s website at johnsoncountyiowa.gov/november-7-2023-city-and-school-election.

How to vote

The first day to request a mailed absentee ballot is Aug. 29.

Oct. 18 is the first day in-person early voting is allowed under state law. Early voting details will be shared by each county’s auditor’s office closer to the election.

The voter preregistration deadline is Oct. 23, which is also the deadline to request a mailed absentee ballot.

The last day of in-person early voting will be Nov. 6.

On Election Day, Nov. 7, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters must vote at their assigned polling place.

Comments: (319) 339-3155; izabela.zaluska@thegazette.com