Bruce Teague re-elected to Iowa City Council; Megan Alter wins other open seat

IOWA CITY — Voters on Tuesday re-elected Bruce Teague to the seven-member Iowa City Council along with two newcomers.

Teague, 45, the city’s mayor, received the most votes, followed by Megan Alter, 51, a senior manager at ACT.

Teague and Alter had a substantial lead over Jason Glass, 45, a University of Iowa lecturer in the College of Business and the third candidate for two at-large council seats.

“The people of Iowa City showed me that they really appreciate what I’ve done these past two years, specifically, but honestly the entire time I’ve been on council, and I am so full of gratitude for the support that I feel today,” Teague said.

Alter said she is excited the community “rallied around the message that I had.”

“I fully intend on bringing what I talked about during the campaign onto council, and I’m looking forward to that,” Alter said.

Mayor Pro Tem Mazahir Salih, an at-large council member, announced earlier this year she would not seek re-election.

Shawn Harmsen, 48, an educator and activist, ran unopposed in District B. He will succeed Susan Mims, who did not seek a fourth term.

Teague said there’s a lot to be done in the next term, and he is excited for the opportunity to be a part of these conversations. He said Alter and Harmsen will be “great addition” to the council.

The new council will play a key role in affordable housing initiatives, allocating pandemic relief funds and continuing the city’s efforts to restructure the police, among other efforts.

Alter said allocating and spending pandemic relief funds is a huge responsibility but an unprecedented opportunity.

“We can attack and address some issues in substantial ways instead of just small Band-Aid amounts really energizes me, and I’m looking forward to diving into that,” Alter said.

Iowa City resident Whitney Maxwell, who voted at Helen Lemme Elementary School, said she appreciated Teague’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, when he instituted a citywide face mask mandate.

Maxwell added Teague is a “great leader” who brought the community together during the pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement. Like Maxwell, voter Rick Spear said he appreciated Teague’s leadership in enacting a mask mandate in the city.

The newly elected council members will be sworn in before the end of the year and hold an organizational meeting at 8 a.m. Jan. 4.

It is at that meeting, City Clerk Kellie Fruehling said, that council members elect a mayor and mayor pro tem and make committee appointments.

Council members serve four-year terms. The positions this year paid $12,105.60, with the mayor paid $15,142.40. Salaries for 2022 have not yet been set.

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