Mike Wright Announces Bid for At-Large Seat

A fourth candidate for an at-large seat has announced his intentions to run in Iowa City.

Neighborhood activist Mike Wright (website) announced that he is running to fill a vacant at-large seat on the Iowa City City Council. Wright, 49, decided to run because he believes strong neighborhoods and a vital downtown are key to Iowa City’s future and quality of life. He notes, “This city has a great quality of life, and if we have vibrant neighborhoods throughout Iowa City, particularly those at the City’s core, it can really
help Iowa City to thrive and grow.”

Wright is committed to providing affordable and low-income housing throughout the city,
and is a dedicated advocate of historic preservation. “These goals should not and cannot be exclusive. I think Iowa City is ready to make significant progress in both these areas. In fact, we must do so,” he said.

An involved resident if Iowa City, Wright is a member of the Iowa City Board of Adjustment, where he helped find consensus in difficult decisions such as granting
Shelter House an exception to build their new facility. He is Chair of the Northside Neighborhood Association, where he recently spearheaded opposition to an expensive and unnecessary reworking of the Dubuque and Church St. intersection. Mike also serves on the Neighborhood Council of Iowa City. When living in the Longfellow neighborhood he
chaired the Longfellow Neighborhood Association, where he twice coordinated the popular
Longfellow Garden Walk. Wright has worked with the Stepping Up alcohol awareness program
as well as several student/neighborhood outreach campaigns. He is a member of Friends of
Historic Preservation, the Audubon Society, and the Human Rights Campaign.

Professionally, Mike heads a large department at the University of Iowa Library System
and is experienced in working with substantial budgets as well as in looking at
innovations which encourage efficient workflows. He was elected to the Executive Board
of the Iowa Library Association in 2006 and also chairs the Association’s Intellectual
Freedom Committee.

A native of Michigan, he is a graduate of Central Michigan University and the University
of Minnesota. Having chosen to live in Iowa City in 1999, Wright resides in the
near-Northside with his partner of seven years, Michael Knock, and a menagerie of cats
and dogs. A confirmed pedestrian and bicyclist, Mike also likes to jog, canoe, garden,
and work on the endless projects involved in rehabbing a 100+ year-old house.

Wright's team includes Duncan Stewart as his manager and Holly Hart as treasurer.

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