Iowa City Council candidate forum next week

IOWA CITY – The local campaign season will kick off next week with an Iowa City Council candidate forum.

The student-run Daily Iowan newspaper will host the event at 6:30 p.m. July 20 at the Iowa Memorial Union's Illinois Room.

Six people have announced their intentions to run in this fall's election, although the filing period doesn't start until Aug. 15 and more candidates could still emerge.

Up for election are two at-large seats and districts A and C. Mayor Matt Hayek, an at-large member of the council, is the only incumbent running. The declared challengers are Mark McCallum and Josh Eklow (at large), Dan Tallon and Jim Throgmorton (District C) and Rick Dobyns (District A).

Tallon is deployed in Afghanistan with the Iowa Army National Guard and Hayek had not responded to the invitation as of noon Thursday, but the other four candidates plan to attend, Daily Iowan Editor Adam B. Sullivan said.

Community members who cannot attend the forum but want to submit questions can email Sullivan at Sullivan.AB@gmail.com.