Iowa City District A: Rick Dobyns

Elections are, by their nature, a choice between two people. This fall in Iowa City the council candidates mimic most elections and give you two choices for each seat. Or in the case of our city give two groups - one 'progressive” according to their advocates and, I guess, the other group not. I prefer to not be in thought of as being in one or the other.

Four years ago when I was elected to the council I felt that it was my job to think clearly, read a lot, talk with others and ... inspire. What happened after reading and thinking and talking is that I became inspired ... by others. For me the word inspire truly means to inhale the spirit. The spirit of others is more wide ranging in Iowa City than just those who are 'progressive” and those who are, well, Chamber of Commerce types. The range of those who have inspired me here include people I normally would not have met had I not been looking to be inspired. The decisions I've made on council reflect our whole city, from those that lead to those that struggle. In my work as a practicing family physician at our university I will talk daily with those who are from the full range of humanity in our city. My thoughts and my decisions on behalf of Iowa City are inspired by all and not just by people who think like me. I am not a 'centrist” but rather as a non-partisan elected official I am allowed to think and roam freely. Not based on party platforms but on the spirit of all the people of Iowa City.

Let me provide a specific example. What policies has Iowa City created during my time on council that respond to the concerns of unequal treatment of people of color by our Iowa City police? Externally, the city receives research data on disproportionate minority contact from St. Ambrose University in Davenport - whose primary investigator is unaffiliated with city staff. Our Community Police Review Board is a strong evaluative authority over police behavior and we are the only city in Iowa to have such a commissioned group. I collaborated with fellow council member Jim Throgmorton to convince our full council to agree to fashion an ad hoc diversity committee two years ago. This committee brought city staff, police and our larger community together to create a staff created quarterly equity report. It is the basis for policies that create training for council members, city staff and our police. It created a climate for urgent policy change when needed - as was noted this summer when immediate policy changes on de-escalation techniques and recreation center supervision were put in place by our city manager. We train because we recognize that over-policing doesn't make the recipients of police scrutiny more likely to stay on track. It makes them more likely to feel like criminals. Confronting authority is not just a choice but also can occur because of systemic nudging by police. Our Iowa City Police are very aware of this and protect us by looking for promise in those they observe and realize that dignity enhancement is an important form of crime suppression. I have advocated for these skills to be part of training with the full support of our city manager and police chief. I think that these policies do not reflect the desires of just one group or another but come from an understanding of the collective spirit of all people in Iowa City.

' Rick Dobyns is a District A candidate for Iowa City Council. More information: dobynsforcouncil.org