Radio station owner, personality running for Iowa City Council

IOWA CITY – A local radio station owner and on-air host is running for City Council in Iowa City.

Steve Soboroff, who is known as Captain Steve on KCJJ-AM 1630, filed nomination papers Monday to run for the open District A seat in this fall's City Council election.

Soboroff, 62, of 1201 Brookwood Dr., made a failed bid for a council seat in 2003, but said many of the issues he spoke about then are still problems.

Among those, he said, is the city treating college students “like they're the enemy," not adequately addressing what he sees as a crime problem in southeast Iowa City and not enforcing residency requirements on subsidized housing assistance. He's also opposed to red-light cameras, which the city is considering implementing.

“I don't think that some of the things that are going on are moving in the right direction,” Soboroff said. “And I'd like to give my opinion on that.”

His main reason for running, he said, was simply to give back to a community he said has treated him well.

Soboroff's job, which he estimated had him on air 30 hours a week, raises some issues involving the Federal Communications Commission's “equal-time rule.” That requires TV and radio broadcasters that give airtime to one candidate to provide the same opportunities for other candidates who ask for it. Newscasts and news interviews are exempt.

Earlier this month, a radio personality withdrew from the Fayetteville, N.C., City Council race because his opponent would not waive the right to equal air time, according to the Observer newspaper. TV stations dropped Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronald Reagan shows during their political campaigns.

Soboroff said he'd give any candidate who asks the opportunity to be on air, with the interviews conducted by someone other than him. He said he would not use the station to campaign, would pay for any campaign commercials himself and is not accepting any donations for his campaign.

“It's not going to be a vote-for-me thing,” he said of his on-air work.

He described his program as “basically an entertainment show,” although city-related issues are discussed frequently.

The only other declared candidate for District A at this time is Rick Dobyns, a University of Iowa family doctor.

Dobyns did not know Soboroff was a candidate until contacted by a reporter and said he needed more time to contemplate the implications, talk with his campaign team and learn the FCC rules. He said if Soboroff did not talk about campaign issues on air, he probably wouldn't consider it too big a deal.

“We all have our advantages and disadvantages,” Dobyns said.

Candidates have until 5 p.m. Sept. 1 to file.