Human Rights commissioner Jason Glass to seek Iowa City Council seat

May. 26, 2021 9:45 am, Updated: May. 26, 2021 5:13 pm

Jason Glass, candidate for Iowa City Council

IOWA CITY — The vice chair of Iowa City’s Human Rights Commission announced his plans to run for City Council.

Jason Glass, who has served on the commission since January 2020, announced his intentions to run Tuesday. A nearly seven-year Iowa City resident who has lived in Johnson County for 16 years, Glass also is a 20-year human resources professional, University of Iowa lecturer and member of the Iowa Army National Guard.

“I’m running because I love Iowa City,” Glass said in a news release. “I have a sense of wonder about this place and the palpable energy you feel being here. I believe it comes from residents that are passionate about our city and in being involved. We see it in musical and theatre performances, a demonstration on the Ped Mall reacting to current events or a political debate, and in new entrepreneurial ventures that pop up so often here.”

In his human resources career, Glass said he has recruited diverse employees to the area, helped those with barriers to employment and created safe and welcoming work spaces. He was the lead author of the Human Rights Commission’s June 2020 statement on Black Lives Matter.

“Iowa City is facing a critical time given the debates about law enforcement and race, health and financial impacts of the pandemic, and housing and food insecurity in a growing community,” he said in a statement. “I will leverage my experiences, rational approach to problem solving and record of success to find solutions to the challenges our city faces, alongside the people of Iowa City, both now and in the future.”

Glass also served for four years on the Iowa Human Rights Board and was president of the Professional & Technical Diversity Network.

Glass said he is interested in diving into issues big and small facing the city.

“Every item on a city council agenda deserves proper attention and each one is critically important to some portion of the community,” he said in a statement. “From wastewater treatment and road maintenance to equity issues and everything in between, I’m in.”

Glass joins Megan Alter, who announced last month she is seeking an at-large seat on the council. Two at-large seats are open in the Nov. 2 election. Those seats are held by Mayor Bruce Teague and Mayor Pro Tem Mazahir Salih. Council member Susan Mims, who represents District B, has also signaled she does not intend to seek re-election.