Election Reflection

The city elections in Iowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty reflected that (some) change is good. With changes in leadership, there is the hope that more regional cooperation will occur from emergency communications and mass transportation decisions are made to planning for more affordable workforce housing.

As Iowa City is in the process of selecting a new city manager, citizens had an opportunity yesterday to meet with recruiter Bob Beezat from PAR Group who is the firm that is screening candidates for the job. At the session I attended, there were a number of thematics addressed but a common thread was that the next city manager should be customer-focused, helpful to prioritize community needs so that resources can be best used, that will work to increase cooperation between the city and the University, and will improve the transparency and accountability of Iowa City governance.

With Matt Hayek and Mike Wright being seated both of whom live and/or work in the central business district, it can be expected that downtown will be a focus of this council. The council will lose a fount of information with both Dee Vanderhoef leaving the council (although I imagine her phone will be ringing) and the amiable Bob Elliott. However, based on the issues that this campaign focused on (and one's that Bob and Dee championed), it is expected that a fourth fire station will be funded and staffed, that the police department will increase its staff, that historic preservation districts will be strengthened. Also, as the business environment of Iowa City is favorable, economic development efforts will be redoubled. It is also expected that affordable housing will continue to be prioritized and that finding funding for low-income rental housing, as well as seed money for 50 to 80% of median income homes will need to be found.

With regard to bars in downtown Iowa City, there will be a greater pressure to police themselves better, as the Que Bar recently learned. The referendum, while not close, did reflect in polling precincts that there is a tale of two cities and that many residents believe that enforcing the legal drinking age is important. Time will tell as to how this will go.

Finally with a permanent Police Citizen Review Board being approved, the next issue will be who serves on it and how do they earn their keep. Some politicking no doubt will occur and, again, time will tell how it goes.

What will be most interesting will be the wrestling match between popular vote topping current mayor Ross Wilburn and mayor pro tem Regenia Bailey, who has made it clear she would like to be the next mayor. A change in leadership in the city council would likely push the agenda in a different direction. As the mayor is selected by the council, it is anybody's guess how this will go.

In Coralville, newcomer Mitch Gross will join a council that is knee-deep in experience and with a mayor who is deeply entrenched. It will be interesting to see if the ideas that Gross proposed during his campaign will gain traction.

Finally, in North Liberty, James Moody, who has been in the center of controversy over governance there leaves the council and three new members join with moderate Mayor Tom Salm continuing in that position. Given the rapid growth in North Liberty and the newly passed hotel/motel tax, some of the infrastructural problems can be addressed.