Bob Elliott and Dee Vanderhoef's terms on the Iowa City Council are about to expire. Bob served for one term and Dee for three. Both of these councilors were dedicated to serving the citizen's of Iowa City and should be praised for their service.
Bob, perhaps the next council will build the 4th fire station that you tirelessly lobbied to achieve. I appreciated the respectful manner and energy that you put forth in serving on the council. We didn't agree on all things, but as you were apt to say, "we can disagree without being disagreeable."
Dee, the city council will miss your incredible mind for detail and the studious effort that you put into the tough decisions. Like Bob, I didn't always agree with your decisions, but I honor your service and your efforts for parks and trails. Your legacy is apparent.
Replacing them on the council are Matt Hayek and Mike Wright. With the changing of the guard is a change of ideology which should have a positive impact in selecting the next city manager and addressing affordable housing in a practicable way.
Good luck to Mike and Matt and the other members of the city council. It will an experience you will not forget, right Bob and Dee?
Showing posts with label Dee VanderHoef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dee VanderHoef. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 11
Tuesday, October 30
On the Homefront: Who Wins the Horserace?
As the Iowa City Council race winds down, the question is how will the 21 ordinance vote impact the outcome of the at-large race. If history is any indication, it may not have the impact that some think.
In 2005, Amy Correia who was a pro-public power supporter was elected. I was also a public power supporter, and was not. In fairness, Amy also received the second highest amount of votes in the primary, while I came in fourth. In the general election, Amy received the most votes, and I stayed in 4th place.
Fast forward to this race, Matt Hayek received the most votes in the primary (by far) and Mike Wright and Terry Smith were about 200 votes apart for second and third. Dee Vanderhoef, the incumbent came in 4th place.
Given that Brandon Ross was eliminated and had 660 votes, it is likely that his primary votes will most likely go to Wright, as the only true progressive left in the race. Vanderhoef, Smith, and Hayek will likely fight three ways for two votes, which leaves one of them the odd person out--and at this point, it looks like it may be Vanderhoef.
The big unknown is how many students who are voting against the 21 ordinance are also voting for council candidates. The footage I saw from KCRG last week indicated that it is equally likely that a student voted only for the 21 as a student who voted for the 21 and at least one candidate. If half of the students who voted early voted for only the 21 issue at a satellite, that would mean that 1500 or so had also voted for a candidate. If the students only voted for candidates who did not support the 21, that would mean that Smith and Hayek would have at least a 1500 vote lead before polling on Tuesday.
What nobody is talking about is how many "yes" to 21-only voters will turn out to vote before or on Tuesday. If the number of "yes" voters mirrors the "no" voters in terms of selecting candidates based on their support of the 21 ordinance, it is anybody's guess how the race will turnout because more "yes" voters are likely to vote for candidates and the referendum items.
Not that you asked, but my crystal ball predicts with high voter turnout (30% or more):
1) Matt Hayek--by a metric mile
2) Mike Wright--by a tip of an eyelash
over
3) Terry Smith
4) Dee Vanderhoef
In any case, the crystal ball, while cloudy today, will be, well "crystal" clear somewhere around 8:30 Tuesday night. Good luck to all the candidates and your campaign teams--the hard slog is now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The last forum?
John Deeth blogged Gary Sander's "No Baloney" City Council Forum
My as-it-happened take on the forum is here:http://jdeeth.blogspot.com/2007/10/no-baloney-4-candidates.html
In 2005, Amy Correia who was a pro-public power supporter was elected. I was also a public power supporter, and was not. In fairness, Amy also received the second highest amount of votes in the primary, while I came in fourth. In the general election, Amy received the most votes, and I stayed in 4th place.
Fast forward to this race, Matt Hayek received the most votes in the primary (by far) and Mike Wright and Terry Smith were about 200 votes apart for second and third. Dee Vanderhoef, the incumbent came in 4th place.
Given that Brandon Ross was eliminated and had 660 votes, it is likely that his primary votes will most likely go to Wright, as the only true progressive left in the race. Vanderhoef, Smith, and Hayek will likely fight three ways for two votes, which leaves one of them the odd person out--and at this point, it looks like it may be Vanderhoef.
The big unknown is how many students who are voting against the 21 ordinance are also voting for council candidates. The footage I saw from KCRG last week indicated that it is equally likely that a student voted only for the 21 as a student who voted for the 21 and at least one candidate. If half of the students who voted early voted for only the 21 issue at a satellite, that would mean that 1500 or so had also voted for a candidate. If the students only voted for candidates who did not support the 21, that would mean that Smith and Hayek would have at least a 1500 vote lead before polling on Tuesday.
What nobody is talking about is how many "yes" to 21-only voters will turn out to vote before or on Tuesday. If the number of "yes" voters mirrors the "no" voters in terms of selecting candidates based on their support of the 21 ordinance, it is anybody's guess how the race will turnout because more "yes" voters are likely to vote for candidates and the referendum items.
Not that you asked, but my crystal ball predicts with high voter turnout (30% or more):
1) Matt Hayek--by a metric mile
2) Mike Wright--by a tip of an eyelash
over
3) Terry Smith
4) Dee Vanderhoef
In any case, the crystal ball, while cloudy today, will be, well "crystal" clear somewhere around 8:30 Tuesday night. Good luck to all the candidates and your campaign teams--the hard slog is now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The last forum?
John Deeth blogged Gary Sander's "No Baloney" City Council Forum
My as-it-happened take on the forum is here:http://jdeeth.blogspot.com/2007/10/no-baloney-4-candidates.html
Wednesday, October 10
Iowa City Primary Results : What Do They Mean?
Last night the tea leaves were read and Matt Hayek, Mike Wright, Terry Smith, and (barely) Dee Vanderhoef came through a voter-light Iowa City Council primary where an abysmal 7.7% of eligible voters (3,181 of 41,169 registered) turned out.
From the Press-Citizen
and Gazette
First the trends:
- Matt Hayek, with 70% of the vote is a force to be reckoned with. He was the hands down favorite in 22 of 25 precincts. With a centrist message, strong name recognition factor, and well-oiled campaign organization, it would be very surprising if he
wasn't elected next month.
- Mike Wright and Terry Smith's campaigns are going to have their work cut out. While it is clear that Hayek is "the force" -- Wright and Smith are on opposite ends of the spectrum, albeit both support more police officers and building and staffing a new firehouse. Past trends would favor Smith whose war chest (and potential "volunteer" corp) is likely to be higher than Wright's, but with the uncertainty of who will turn out to vote on November 6th and the Hayek Express moving fast and taking votes equally from the other candidates, Wright with focused effort could edge Smith out. Smith did well on the Southeast side of Iowa City, while Wright found his support among the more densely populated central district neighborhoods.
- Dee Vanderhoef is in serious trouble for her re-election bid. As the incumbent, Vanderhoef going into the primary had an edge over her challengers--she doesn't any more.
What Not to Conclude:
- The general election will yield the same conclusion: While it is very unlikely that the Hayek Express will be derailed, with two referendum items, one of which (the 21-only referendum) may highly impact the type of voter that turns out, it is anyone's guess who will be number two.
- Dee Vanderhoef is cooked: Mike O'Donnell in 2005 was in a similar situation and came in second. Vanderhoef, not known as a hard campaigner, will have to do more to earn the chance for another run on council.
- Brandon Ross is out of touch with voters. He got out of the gate later than the front-runners and almost made it through the primary with very limited campaign support and funds. He has a future, but will need to organize his efforts much better.
From the Press-Citizen
and Gazette
First the trends:
- Matt Hayek, with 70% of the vote is a force to be reckoned with. He was the hands down favorite in 22 of 25 precincts. With a centrist message, strong name recognition factor, and well-oiled campaign organization, it would be very surprising if he
wasn't elected next month.
- Mike Wright and Terry Smith's campaigns are going to have their work cut out. While it is clear that Hayek is "the force" -- Wright and Smith are on opposite ends of the spectrum, albeit both support more police officers and building and staffing a new firehouse. Past trends would favor Smith whose war chest (and potential "volunteer" corp) is likely to be higher than Wright's, but with the uncertainty of who will turn out to vote on November 6th and the Hayek Express moving fast and taking votes equally from the other candidates, Wright with focused effort could edge Smith out. Smith did well on the Southeast side of Iowa City, while Wright found his support among the more densely populated central district neighborhoods.
- Dee Vanderhoef is in serious trouble for her re-election bid. As the incumbent, Vanderhoef going into the primary had an edge over her challengers--she doesn't any more.
What Not to Conclude:
- The general election will yield the same conclusion: While it is very unlikely that the Hayek Express will be derailed, with two referendum items, one of which (the 21-only referendum) may highly impact the type of voter that turns out, it is anyone's guess who will be number two.
- Dee Vanderhoef is cooked: Mike O'Donnell in 2005 was in a similar situation and came in second. Vanderhoef, not known as a hard campaigner, will have to do more to earn the chance for another run on council.
- Brandon Ross is out of touch with voters. He got out of the gate later than the front-runners and almost made it through the primary with very limited campaign support and funds. He has a future, but will need to organize his efforts much better.
Wednesday, October 3
Press Citizen Makes Endorsements for City Council
The Press-Citizen's Editorial Board said "we don't think voters can go wrong by choosing from three of the five candidates Tuesday": Matt Hayek, Michael Wright and Terry Smith.
Actually, they chose Matt Hayek unanimously and offered a "tie" between one of my choices, Mike Wright, and Terry Smith. Support for incumbent Dee Vanderhoef and my other choice, Brandon Ross? Not so much. Fortunately for all the candidates, as I have learned first-hand, endorsements do not equal votes--so go out and vote. You can do so at Johnson County Administrative building today if you choose.
Actually, they chose Matt Hayek unanimously and offered a "tie" between one of my choices, Mike Wright, and Terry Smith. Support for incumbent Dee Vanderhoef and my other choice, Brandon Ross? Not so much. Fortunately for all the candidates, as I have learned first-hand, endorsements do not equal votes--so go out and vote. You can do so at Johnson County Administrative building today if you choose.
Wednesday, September 26
Iowa City Council: Who I Am Endorsing
With the Iowa City Council primary two weeks away (Tuesday October 9th), it is becoming clearer to me about the differences between the at-large candidates in the pool. Since it is no secret that I am a Populist and a Progressive, some of what I say will reflect this perspective. The forum that was held Sunday by the organization I am chair of, FAIR! and Democracy for America and Sierra Club addressed many questions that I and others have (and sadly, many questions are left to be answered). The candidate pie can be sliced a number of ways, but here are three factors I use to gauge candidates:
1) Innovation v. Conservation: When a city has finite resources, how will the candidate favor spreading them furthest?
2) We (the People) Market v. Free Market: To accomplish the goals, will the candidate favor public or private sector solutions?
3) Forest v. Trees: In thinking about prioritizing needs of the community, is the candidate present problem focused or "big picture" focused.
For me, the ideal candidate would lean more to the conservation side, trying to reuse resources in a way to get more mileage from them. Innovation would stem from using public and private resources to creating efficiencies or new services. Also, the ideal candidate would use both private and public sector solutions, wielding the public policy stick firmly for goals like human services and affordable housing. Finally, I favor candidates that think of current problems through the big picture lens; placing band-aids on gaping wounds is not the way to go. Prioritizing needs (with public input) should be the first step that any city council should make.
Lastly, and this is a disclaimer, where a candidate seems to hang their hat, should matter. Not only where in the community they live, but also with whom they affiliate.
Based on these criteria (and each with a disclaimer), the candidates that stand out for me are:
Mike Wright, Brandon Ross:
Challenger Mike Wright, a first time candidate, comes from a neighborhood leadership perspective (He was the neighborhhood leader in Longfellow and now in the Northside Neighborhood), is serving on the Board of Adjustments (which is where zoning decisions go when there are exceptions to existing rules), and has been a long-time supporter of historic preservation. He is not flashy, but he is is thoughtful, articulate, and public-service oriented. He supports public processes and balances private and public needs well in his philosophy. Disclaimer: In fairness, I have known Mike a while because of our participation in the Neighborhood Council and have donated to his campaign and advised him.
Challenger Brandon Ross comes from a more progressive perspective than Mike and is more idealistic in his beliefs about sustainable community. However, as I look at the current council, I see Brandon as a good fit, because he would bring a different community-oriented perspective and is articulate and respectful in conveying his ideas. He would be one of three council candidates who does not live or work directly downtown, so he is more sensitive to other community needs, He has run twice before (once at-large, once in district B) so it is not possible to dismiss him as a "not serious" candidate, though his manner is admittedly more casual. He is principled in his approach and straight forward in speaking. Disclaimer: In fairness, I also have known him for a while. Brandon supported my candidacy and I did play on the Preemptive Strikes softball team with him this summer. I have offered advice to him.
Why Not Hayek, Smith, or Vanderhoef
Challenger Matt Hayek, a first time candidate, is a principled candidate. I appreciate Matt as a good listener and thoughtful about how he would represent the community. Where I hesitate to support him fully is on policy matters, as he is more middle of the road on important issues like affordable housing and downtown development. Matt has shown great community leadership, both with the Englert Theater and with the Housing and Community Development Commission, under which he headed the taskforce that looked at scattered site housing. Matt is more of a pragmatist than a progressive, but does believe in social justice, as he represents some non-profit organizations in the community. Disclaimer: In fairness, Matt and I are Unitarian Universalists, so I know him inside and outside the political realm and he is a highly likeable guy. I also offered him advice.
Challenger Terry Smith, a first time candidate, is involved and intelligent. I respect him as he has been with Mid-American Energy for 27 years and worked himself up the chain of command. He has been on both the Telecommunications and Planning and Zoning Commissions and is invested in the community with Junior Achievement, Goodwill Industries and other organizations. Unfortunately, for better or worse, Terry is connected to the development community in a way that is hard for him not to reflect their values over other community members. With Mike O'Donnell on the council acting as a voice of the Chamber of Commerce, Terry does not offer a different voice. With the need to meld public policy with private interests, Terry is unlikely to be dispassionate about how the council decides issues. Disclaimer: In fairness, I have not had a pure social interaction with Terry, although I did visit with him and his union foreman at Mid-American when I ran in 2005 and had a great conversation with him then.
Incumbent Dee Vanderhoef has been one of my favorite council members for one reason, she is a excellent source of information about issues in front of the council. On a personal level, I admire and respect her in part for being one of the few council members who asked good questions about the development that became the Plaza Towers. She does her homework and has a mind for detail, that is for sure. With regard to vision and ability to get her point across to other members of the council, I believe she has had a lack of success. Generally, I see her as supporting the status quo, but on issues like parks and recreation, she is more progressive. She has served the community well in her twelve years, but a more cooperative and effective voice is needed. Disclaimer: In fairness, I called on Dee when I ran for the council and have found her to be quite helpful in talking about issues.
1) Innovation v. Conservation: When a city has finite resources, how will the candidate favor spreading them furthest?
2) We (the People) Market v. Free Market: To accomplish the goals, will the candidate favor public or private sector solutions?
3) Forest v. Trees: In thinking about prioritizing needs of the community, is the candidate present problem focused or "big picture" focused.
For me, the ideal candidate would lean more to the conservation side, trying to reuse resources in a way to get more mileage from them. Innovation would stem from using public and private resources to creating efficiencies or new services. Also, the ideal candidate would use both private and public sector solutions, wielding the public policy stick firmly for goals like human services and affordable housing. Finally, I favor candidates that think of current problems through the big picture lens; placing band-aids on gaping wounds is not the way to go. Prioritizing needs (with public input) should be the first step that any city council should make.
Lastly, and this is a disclaimer, where a candidate seems to hang their hat, should matter. Not only where in the community they live, but also with whom they affiliate.
Based on these criteria (and each with a disclaimer), the candidates that stand out for me are:
Mike Wright, Brandon Ross:
Challenger Mike Wright, a first time candidate, comes from a neighborhood leadership perspective (He was the neighborhhood leader in Longfellow and now in the Northside Neighborhood), is serving on the Board of Adjustments (which is where zoning decisions go when there are exceptions to existing rules), and has been a long-time supporter of historic preservation. He is not flashy, but he is is thoughtful, articulate, and public-service oriented. He supports public processes and balances private and public needs well in his philosophy. Disclaimer: In fairness, I have known Mike a while because of our participation in the Neighborhood Council and have donated to his campaign and advised him.
Challenger Brandon Ross comes from a more progressive perspective than Mike and is more idealistic in his beliefs about sustainable community. However, as I look at the current council, I see Brandon as a good fit, because he would bring a different community-oriented perspective and is articulate and respectful in conveying his ideas. He would be one of three council candidates who does not live or work directly downtown, so he is more sensitive to other community needs, He has run twice before (once at-large, once in district B) so it is not possible to dismiss him as a "not serious" candidate, though his manner is admittedly more casual. He is principled in his approach and straight forward in speaking. Disclaimer: In fairness, I also have known him for a while. Brandon supported my candidacy and I did play on the Preemptive Strikes softball team with him this summer. I have offered advice to him.
Why Not Hayek, Smith, or Vanderhoef
Challenger Matt Hayek, a first time candidate, is a principled candidate. I appreciate Matt as a good listener and thoughtful about how he would represent the community. Where I hesitate to support him fully is on policy matters, as he is more middle of the road on important issues like affordable housing and downtown development. Matt has shown great community leadership, both with the Englert Theater and with the Housing and Community Development Commission, under which he headed the taskforce that looked at scattered site housing. Matt is more of a pragmatist than a progressive, but does believe in social justice, as he represents some non-profit organizations in the community. Disclaimer: In fairness, Matt and I are Unitarian Universalists, so I know him inside and outside the political realm and he is a highly likeable guy. I also offered him advice.
Challenger Terry Smith, a first time candidate, is involved and intelligent. I respect him as he has been with Mid-American Energy for 27 years and worked himself up the chain of command. He has been on both the Telecommunications and Planning and Zoning Commissions and is invested in the community with Junior Achievement, Goodwill Industries and other organizations. Unfortunately, for better or worse, Terry is connected to the development community in a way that is hard for him not to reflect their values over other community members. With Mike O'Donnell on the council acting as a voice of the Chamber of Commerce, Terry does not offer a different voice. With the need to meld public policy with private interests, Terry is unlikely to be dispassionate about how the council decides issues. Disclaimer: In fairness, I have not had a pure social interaction with Terry, although I did visit with him and his union foreman at Mid-American when I ran in 2005 and had a great conversation with him then.
Incumbent Dee Vanderhoef has been one of my favorite council members for one reason, she is a excellent source of information about issues in front of the council. On a personal level, I admire and respect her in part for being one of the few council members who asked good questions about the development that became the Plaza Towers. She does her homework and has a mind for detail, that is for sure. With regard to vision and ability to get her point across to other members of the council, I believe she has had a lack of success. Generally, I see her as supporting the status quo, but on issues like parks and recreation, she is more progressive. She has served the community well in her twelve years, but a more cooperative and effective voice is needed. Disclaimer: In fairness, I called on Dee when I ran for the council and have found her to be quite helpful in talking about issues.
Silent Running: Primary Season Iowa City
Generally, readers of my blog get a Whitman's Sampler of issues: locally, statewide, and nationally. Today, it is all about Iowa City.
Folks who live in Iowa City do not generally get terribly worked up over the city council primaries--and this is too bad. For instance, in 2005, there was an 8.5% turnout for the primary (compared with the general election, for which 29% turned out).
In this primary, the only contested race is for two at-large seats on the city council. Of the five candidates (Matt Hayek, Brandon Ross, Terry Smith, Dee Vanderhoef and Mike Wright), four will move ahead based on the primary outcome and appear on the November 6th ballot. At that point, the four remaining at-large candidates, uncontested District seats A and C candidates Reginia Bailey and Ross Wilburn, and Public Measures C and D which address bar admission age and amending the Home charter to change the responsibilities of the Police Citizens Review Board will be voted on.
On October 9th, all registered city voters may vote for two of the five candidates in the at large race. In the November 6 election, all Iowa City voters may vote in the at large and in the District A and C contests.
Early Voting
Early voting for the October 9 Iowa City Primary is now available at the Auditor's Office, 913 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, weekdays 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Satellite voting sites:
Iowa City Public Library
123 S. Linn St., Iowa City, IA
Saturday, October 6, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday, October 7, noon - 5 p.m.
Monday, October 8, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
200 Hawkins Dr., Iowa City, IA, First Floor, Fountain Lobby (inside the old main entrance with the circle drive).
Monday, October 8, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Folks who live in Iowa City do not generally get terribly worked up over the city council primaries--and this is too bad. For instance, in 2005, there was an 8.5% turnout for the primary (compared with the general election, for which 29% turned out).
In this primary, the only contested race is for two at-large seats on the city council. Of the five candidates (Matt Hayek, Brandon Ross, Terry Smith, Dee Vanderhoef and Mike Wright), four will move ahead based on the primary outcome and appear on the November 6th ballot. At that point, the four remaining at-large candidates, uncontested District seats A and C candidates Reginia Bailey and Ross Wilburn, and Public Measures C and D which address bar admission age and amending the Home charter to change the responsibilities of the Police Citizens Review Board will be voted on.
On October 9th, all registered city voters may vote for two of the five candidates in the at large race. In the November 6 election, all Iowa City voters may vote in the at large and in the District A and C contests.
Early Voting
Early voting for the October 9 Iowa City Primary is now available at the Auditor's Office, 913 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, weekdays 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Satellite voting sites:
Iowa City Public Library
123 S. Linn St., Iowa City, IA
Saturday, October 6, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday, October 7, noon - 5 p.m.
Monday, October 8, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
200 Hawkins Dr., Iowa City, IA, First Floor, Fountain Lobby (inside the old main entrance with the circle drive).
Monday, October 8, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Thursday, May 3
Iowa City Council Connections Forum - No Surprises
I was ringside at Iowa City's Connections City Council Kickoff Forum moderated by Carlton Blackburn held last evening at the spectacular urban renewed Hotel Vetro. As expected, three incumbents and one uncontested at-large candidate appeared. Seasoned veterans Mayor Ross Wilburn, Mayor Pro-Tem Regenia Bailey, and three-term council member Dee VanderHoef took the podium with relative political neophyte and hero of the keep electricity a private utility coalition, Terry Smith. Each waxed philosophical (Dee waxing a bit more than the others) about such issues as:- Opening statements with praise for the GLBT community (we love them, some of our best friends are GLBT...)
- TIF (Tax Incremental Financing = good, with judicious use)
- Affordable Housing (policy wonk VanderHoef enjoyed this one and mesmerized folks with thorough explanations about deed trusts--not)
- The 21 Ordinance ("we'll do what the people decide" was the popular favorite, though Wilburn and VanderHoef said they personally support the ordinance.)
- Health of Downtown ("mixed" answers, extolling the virtues of the "mix" and awaiting the results of a study about how to mix things better. Given the swanky digs we were in, I thought at least one would have gone with "shaken, not stirred". In a shocker, the word "vibrancy" was only used once by Bailey)
- The strangest question was about Wilburn and his former spouse and current councilor Amy Correia's relationship and whether it affected Wilburn's judgment. He gave a great Joe Biden-esque answer-- "no".
Other than a young African-American Obama local organizer being mistaken for the "hired help" at the cash bar, there was no hint of excitement. I left at 8:30.
Amenities: Great pastries and beverages--poor sound engineering
Forum Grade: C -
Winner: The pastries. No candidate hit it out of the park.
Non-winners: Dee VanderHoef - shorter answers are okay, save your policy details for the League of Cities (Moderator Carlton Blackburn - its your show, its okay to cut off a ten minute answer). Mayor Wilburn, for a guy who likes remind citizens that he doesn't address issues (like the anti-war resolution in 2002)that aren't local in nature, its probably not a good idea to sport the Obama button at a city council forum.
Rumor mill: Two other shadow candidates are theoretically hovering out there--if you are one of them, please get in the race, these folks deserve good, clean opposition. Where is Gary Sanders when you need him?
Press-Citizen said
The Gazette said
The Daily Iowan said
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