Throgmorton elected as new Iowa City Mayor

IOWA CITY - Jim Throgmorton, the veteran council member in the group of candidates who shook up the Iowa City Council election last year, has been named the city's newest mayor.

Kingsley Botchway, who has served on the council for two years, was elected mayor pro tem.

Monday's election of the council's two senior positions marked the first official votes for the new council. With the Nov. 3 election - which effectively shifted the council's majority opinion - only two months in the past, glimpses of disagreement could be seen between existing council members Terry Dickens and Susan Mims and the other five council members.

Acknowledging some of those disagreements among new and established members of the council, Throgmorton said that can be expected, but said the council will need to remain respectful toward each other and serve the city and its residents.

'We will be working together for the next two years,” he said before the votes. 'Working together, we can lead the way for the region and the state as a whole and I look forward to it.”

But first came electing mayor and mayor pro tem, which took more than 40 minutes to come to a conclusion.

An initial slate nomination from Dickens - to elect Throgmorton as mayor and Mims, who has been on the council for six years, as pro tem - failed to pass, with only Dickens and Mims in support.

The following nomination for only Throgmorton as mayor passed 6-1, with Mims voting in opposition.

At that point the writing was on the wall, said Mims, who questioned if the decision was best for the city.

'I think it's clear given the vote on the slate earlier that the decision for mayor pro tem has already been decided,” she said. 'Is this council going to elect the person with the most qualifications or is this going to be a very political decision?”

For mayor pro tem, new council member Rockne Cole nominated Botchway and Dickens nominated Mims.

Mims, who has served as pro tem for four years, touted her experience as a key qualification.

'I think when you look at this position, it also has to do with a person's experience and skill set,” she said. 'I think I come to these meetings very well prepared.”

Botchway said he hopes to bring a new perspective to the position, particularly on diversity, equity and social justice issues.

'This isn't to say anyone or anybody has done anything wrong, this is simply to say we need to do something different,” he said. 'We need a shift in perspective.

Dickens and Mims questioned whether Botchway's position as Director of Equity and Staffing with the Iowa City Community School District would create a conflict of interest, as mayor and mayor pro tem often communicate with school district brass.

'I do not see how, as a high level employee of the school district, how you as mayor pro tem can be involved in those meetings,” Mims said.

Botchway said he was not aware of any conflict of interest and City Attorney Eleanor Dilkes said any concern such would have to be looked at when the time comes.

Ultimately, Botchway was elected mayor pro tem 5-2, with Dickens and Mims opposed.

The city's three-member Economic Development Committee that meets to discuss requests for financial assistance for development projects and once consisted of Mims, former Mayor Matt Hayek, and former council member Michelle Payne, will now include Throgmorton, Cole and Mims.

Despite the disagreements, the council acknowledged that after Monday's votes that the council would need to move on with normal functions.

'What we have to do here is get beyond the election, the election happened in November, let's move on. We have a chance to start here with a clean slate,” Cole said.

The council meets again Tuesday for its first formal meeting.