HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-01-10 TranscriptionPage 1
Council Present: Alter, Bergus, Harmsen, Taylor, Teague, Thomas
Staff Present: From, Jones, Kilburg, Goers, Fruehling, Platz, Havel, Sovers, Durst
USG: Zeimet
1. Call to Order
Teague: It is 4:00 PM and I'm going to call this special formal meeting for the City of Iowa City
to order for January 10th, 2023. Roll call, please? [Roll Call]
Goers: And Mr. Mayor, if I can ask for just a moment's pause until the Clerk is able to return.
Thomas: I'm here too.
Goers: I am so sorry. Did I not say Thomas, I'm sorry.
Thomas: You did, but I didn't have a chance to.
Goers: Sorry about that.
2. Council Vacancy
Teague: Alright. We're going to wait for our city clerk to come in the building. Yes. Welcome to
everyone. Happy to see everyone here today. We can begin. The fust item is— that we're
going to be talking about is the council vacancy which is item number 2. This is a
resolution appointing the seven finalists. Well, one of the seven finalists to serve the
unexpired term of council member Janice Weiner, can I get a motion, please?
So moved, Harmsen.
Second, Taylor.
Teague: Alright. Just wanted to give a quick review of how we got here today. On November
9th, we received the resignation of Janice Weiner, our former colleague, who was elected
to the Iowa senate seat number 45. November 15th, the council voted to do an
appointment and, um, an appointment versus an election. While we did know a petition
could still come forth either 14 days before and after that decision or 14 days after the
appointment. We decided to go with an appointment. Applications went live on the city
website on November 21st, 2022, and it ended January 3rd, 2023. On December 7th, this
past Saturday, the council was very pleased to see 21 individuals interested in serving
their community and I think I speak for this council when we say one, we're surprised,
we're pleased and we were very impressed with all of the applicants and what they had to
offer and put us in a hard position where we went from 21 down to seven applicants that
we made finalists to come before us today and so that is where we are on December 10th,
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this Tuesday, where those seven finalists will come before us today. What we did was we
put everybody's name in a basket and we drew to find out who would go fust and so I
will state the order in which the applicants will come before us or the finalist will come
before us. First, will be Andrew Dunn, then Joshua Moe, followed by Na Li, Sean
McRoberts, Mary Mascher, Amanda Remington, and then Elizabeth Miglin. That is what
I will do the order and we're going to start with Andrew Dunn. Welcome at this time.
Actually, before you start, I want to make sure that I give all the applicants some
information. You'll have up to 10 minutes and there's a timer here that will show the 10
minutes. Welcome.
Dunn: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you to the rest of the council for selecting me as one of the
finalists. I want to reiterate for the rest of the room, I guess my name is Andrew Dunn
and I am deeply appreciative of being selected as a finalist for this open seat. We are
collectively very fortunate to have had many incredible and passionate applicants. I'd fust
like to offer a brief outline of my remarks. I'll fust begin by addressing the four core topic
areas of concern, detailed and Mayor takes invitation to speak today, starting with
personal core values and how they'll guide my public service as a city councilor. I will
then touch on my experience and demonstrate critical skills in working collaboratively in
a group dynamic, followed by a brief overview of my broader schedule and ability to
dedicate hours every week to the all aspects of council functions. I will then share my
thoughts on the council's recently adopted strategic plan and share a personal pitch. First,
one of the things that I am most proud of our community about is our willingness to,
when the rubber hits the road, put our money where our mouth is. Iowa city is a proudly
progressive community. I am a proud, pragmatic progressive. But rather than leave that
as a buzzword, I'd like to detail what that means to me and what it should mean to you
and the rest of our community. As a pragmatic progressive, I am someone who
understands the realities of the situation on the ground and who work tirelessly to get our
community the best possible outcome on a given issue. The best outcome, however, is
not one that is prescribed by any one person or type of thinking or ideology or anything
like that. A world is not so black and white and our community's wealth of diversity goes
far beyond color, creed, class, ethnicity, or immigration status. Bedrock to my pragmatic
progressivism and in my opinion, to our democracy, is the idea that one must be fust and
foremost open-minded and willing to listen to a broad array of solutions and ideas. A
pragmatic progressive is someone who in working to build or as former Mayor Jim
Throgmorton would say, co -craft the just city, understands the need for the community,
that the needs of the community are best met when we ensure the safety and prosperity of
our lowest common denominator of our marginalized communities, of our poor our
working families and our elders. To achieve these goals, I believe that collaborative
leadership and partnership, are the best way to go. When leaders work together to achieve
common goals and abstain from searching for limelight and recognition, we can achieve
good common sense solutions rooted in diverse community experiences. This community
centered approach reliance on consistent feedback from constituents is my load star. I
don't care to be in front of a camera or in the news. I could care less or couldn't care less
perhaps. I want to make sure that kids down my street by Mercer park can afford to have
a family and a home someday with food on the table in the future. I've spent the last
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decade, or I guess rather, with regard to experience in the group dynamic, I've spent the
last decade working to improve my community and realize these aforementioned goals.
In 2008, my family lost our home and my parents lost their jobs. I've seen struggle and
I've lived in a lot of hardship that many people in our community are still facing after the
COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2008, I've dedicated a lot of my time to advocating for
working families like my own. I applied for this opening Iowa City Council seat for the
same reason I ran for state house in 2022 because the government should work for us. I
started as a volunteer for Barack Obama in 2012, then served on three legislative
Advisory Councils for youth families and criminal juvenile justice reform. Within five
years, I was elected to local democratic leadership and by 2018, I joined the gun violence
prevention movement and began leading the major state-wide non-profit March for our
lives, Iowa and after working the 2020 general election, when we found out control of the
US Senate, a working family majority was going to be on the line. I went down to Atlanta
Georgia to help elect Raphael Warnock and John Yose£ More recently I left a position
with the American Civil Liberties Union, where I worked every day to raise money for
their efforts to end voter suppression nationwide and last Monday I started my third, or
actually I should say, yesterday. Yesterday I started my fourth session in the Iowa State
Senate, serving Senator Claire Celsi. I've worked through three budgeting cycles in the
state government and while budgets between state and local governments are
significantly different, anyone going into this situation is going to have about the same
experience. Nobody behind me or who is going to be speaking after me has any
experience doing a city budget. But I'm confident that my experience with non -profits,
my experience with state government gives me enough experience to hit the ground
running, familiarity with the concepts and will allow me to really start immediately. I
also know how to ask the right questions in this regard, and understand that when it
comes to our greatest priorities of our community, there has to be balance. We can't rob
Peter to pay Paul. I know that the only way to do that, to secure that balance, to secure
our priorities in the future, is to put in the hours and do the work. My work has garnered
major successes in the past. A de facto ban on gay conversion therapy for minors in the
state. The closing of the synthetic marijuana loophole that killed dozens of kids across
our country, and at multiple across our state, and I also was able to help secure more
funding for large public schools to the extension of the saved tax for education. I couldn't
do these alone. Teams and teamwork are critical to success at every step and every
moment. Regarding scheduling and time commitments. Very sexy, I know. I am certain
that I will be able to meet the time commitments required for the smooth functioning of
all formal and informal duties of a councilor. My weekly time obligations are as follows.
Monday through Thursday I work remotely on call as a Legislative aide in the Iowa
Senate. The bulk of the work in a given day for that position is generally completed
before 10:00 A.M. My full-time position is with a scientific manufacturing company in
the area where I have a generous amount of paid time off and only work Friday through
Sunday. I have ample time during the average workweek to read council packets and
interact with community constituents and other stakeholders. As detailed in my
application, I also plan to hold regularly scheduled office hours, perhaps once or twice a
month, so constituents can meet with me privately to discuss issues of their concerns. I
keep myself busy, but I assure you the workload would be nothing compared to the 12-16
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hour days I did while running for state house and running two consecutive other State
House campaigns, following my failure in the primary. Regarding the strategic plan, it is
clear that our community faces a multitude of challenges, economic challenges, social
challenges, environmental challenges, and more. The strategic plan does a great job of
laying out our values and plans to address and deal with these concerns. I'm particularly
pleased with the city's plans to expand public transportation options, make our
community safer and more friendly to pedestrians, and expand opportunities and equity
for communities of color to advance economically while balancing community growth
and maintenance of community culture and civil society. Broadly, I am supportive, but
the plan is just that, a plan. The job of whomever you appoint today will be to work with
others on the council to make sure that this plan is implemented to the best of our ability,
to make changes when needed and to ensure above all else that our values shine through
in every action and thought. Finally, I'd like to discuss the broader implications of my
personal appointment. The median age of an Iowa City resident is 26 years old. That
means at present, over half of our community does not have demographic representation
on the council with shared life experiences. In a time when rent is near or at an all-time
high in our community, we don't have a renter on the council to share their voice and
concerns. I am. The turnout in this last midterm election shows us clearly that more work
needs to be done to cultivate and instill democratic values and participation in the youth
of our community. I've always believed that relatability and accessibility are critical to
addressing those issues. That's why being a young person on the council, if appointed, I'd
like to work to establish a city youth advisory body that empowers students from diverse
backgrounds and schools to engage in the political process at every level. It's a known
fact that democracy in our nation is under threat and as those on the very front lines of it,
I believe you and hopefully me, have an obligation to get as many people involved in
trusting the institutions as possible. I've worked extensively with youth advisory bodies in
the past, and I'm more than willing to take the lead on this after the budgeting process
concludes. I thank you all very much for your time and hope things turn out well for me.
But, in any case, I know that we're in good hands. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. We're going to invite Joshua Moe at this time. Welcome.
Moe: Hello, Mayor Teague.
Teague: Hello.
Moe: Mayor Pro Tem Alter and Councilors Harmsen, Taylor, Thomas, and Bergus. My name
is Joshua Moe and I thank you very much for selecting me as a finalist to fill Janice
Weiner's now vacant city council seat. I love Iowa City and I'm very proud to be here. I'm
here today because I want to serve the citizens of Iowa City and I believe I'm the person
who can collaborate with you to make this great city even better. That's it. It's that simple.
I don't have an agenda for a political career and I don't have a single issue that I want to
promote. I simply love Iowa City and I want to help. I want to start by acknowledging
that I'm asking the six of you to pick me and I'm not asking 74,000 Iowa citizens to vote
for me, that's a huge burden that you're placing on yourselves. This selection process goes
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poorly, that's on you. But I respect the decision that you made because special elections
are costly, time-consuming, and typically yield very low voter turnout. Your choice to a
point versus calling an election was wise, was prudent, and it was economical. Voters
will still have an opportunity to select a councilor for the seat in 10 months, and they will
have 14 days after this appointment to call or petition for an election. I also want to thank
you for making time for me. In the run-up to this appointment, I had the opportunity to
reach out to all of you and speak with most of you. I found that you were not only
accessible, but generous with your time, kind, and thoughtful. You encouraged me to
apply for this position, you encouraged me to run for future elections, and you all
provided insights on how this job impacts your personal lives and your careers. I
discovered that being a good councilor takes a lot of time. Thank you for being accessible
and thank you for your service. Finally, I want to acknowledge the work that the city staff
does to execute your will. Over the years, I've collaborated with the city manager's office,
parks and recreation, the senior center, neighborhood and development services, and
public works and developed a good relationship with the city and staff, both past and
present. I'm pleased to see an exceptionally well-prepared fiscal year 2024 budget, 23/25
financial plan, and 23/27 capital improvement plan. Those thank yous represent my core
values. I aim to be prudent and decisive, I aim to be accessible to the public, and aim to
be well-planned and forward -thinking, all grounded in gratitude and optimism. Building
consensus, thinking creatively, and developing long-term vision is the core of my work as
an architect. In your letter inviting us to speak today, you asked for experienced
demonstrated skills working collaboratively in a group dynamic. I offer a recent
experience to professional experience where I was the Lead Architect responsible for
Marine Independent School district's 36 million dollar bond vote to improve their
facilities. I worked with the school leadership team, the Board of Education, staff,
students, the community, and we developed the plan that match their needs. We
developed dozens of plans and costing models. At each step, we stressed the value of
agile planning, of iteration, and consensus building. All of this was done in a transparent
and open format and we use new technologies to invite everyone to the table. The result
was not my plan, but the community's plan, and because that plan belonged to so many
people, in March of 2021, that bond passed at an 84.6 percent, yes. That's unheard of.
When developing plans for the senior center or managing parks and rec's master plan,
that's what we have to do. We have to build overwhelming support by engagement, and
agile planning, and transparency. Before applying for this position, I reached out to you
and had the opportunity to ask you about your personal time commitment to prepare for
and attend City Council meetings, represent the city council at city events and community
functions, and communicate with residents and stakeholders. I was impressed with your
efforts and moved by the quantity of time given. I will admit this might be my Achilles
heel to being a councilor. I have a demanding career and I already know that I would
miss the February 7th city council meeting. However, I've learned as a Senior Project
Manager that if you want to get something done, ask a busy person. Our city charter, city
manager form of government, and the remuneration just serve presumes that our city
council is not a full-time job. I think the citizens of Iowa City, when they choose our
form of government and the income provided to our councilors intended for busy,
engaged citizens to serve. If selected, I will continue to work and we'll, like many of you,
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balance my career and this very important responsibility. Even though I have a full plate,
I've reviewed the 772 -page information packet for tonight's 6:00 PM meeting. I studied
the proposed 727 -page budget and read the newest strategic plan. It's the alignment and
sometimes misalignments between the strategic plan and the budget, or I think I can
provide the most value to city council and the citizens of Iowa City. First, we must
provide the citizens of Iowa City with the core services that they expect, water and sewer,
police and fire, transportation, infrastructure, and parks and recreation. That's the
foundation of city government and regardless of what our state legislature chooses to do,
I promised the citizens of Iowa City that I would start there. However, that's not enough.
Iowa citizens expect more and I think the strategic plan helps guide us on those other
goals. To fight climate change and achieve our strategic value to decarbonize, we have to
lead by example, the lowest hanging fruit is to electrify city -owned buildings and power
buildings with clean energy. Many city -owned buildings have gas-fired rooftop units, and
gas-fired boilers and gas -hot water heaters. We need a plan and clear policy to replace
this equipment when the time is right. The private sector we can do more too, we can
work harder to confirm that new buildings actually need energy code and encourage
electrification, perhaps by aligning our franchise fees for gas bills and electric bills with
our strategic values to fight climate change in decarbonize. Reducing operational carbon,
specifically reducing energy consumption is only part of the climate change puzzle. We
must also address embodied energy, the carbonyl used to build stuff, and the best way to
do that is to rehabilitate old buildings, infill to create more density and leverage existing
infrastructure and target vacancy and under -utilization. Those easily achievable,
attainable goals address climate action and don't break the bank for its residents. In
addition to climate action, those climate -saving opportunities address another goal,
specifically addressing equity and social justice through affordable housing. I want to use
my construction knowledge in planning experience to promote compact, authentic,
vibrant communities and affordable housing throughout the city, we must quickly and
carefully develop safe, affordable, diverse, and desirable housing. The city cannot
develop housing at the necessary rate or volume, so we need to work with developers to
find performers that worked for them financially and meet our strategic goals. To cheese
this, neighborhood and development services need more human resources. As I choose
report and the proposed budget clearly articulates that there's a critical bottleneck and the
ability to review proposed works due to complexity, lack of flexibility, and the number of
reviews in the department. This bottleneck is exaggerating our affordable housing crisis.
Over the years, I've seen persistent reductions in neighborhood and development services
and its predecessor departments. The department cannot react and review, let alone plan
proactively. This is a self-inflicted wound that can be remedied immediately. Changes to
the comprehensive plan and the zoning code and action item within the strategic plan also
are needed if we want to increase and improve affordable housing options. Because our
community wants us to address affordable housing, I think these changes are worth
pursuing, but they will certainly take more time and substantial community input.
However, we need to start now if we're serious about addressing the affordable housing
crisis. There are so many more issues to address and not enough time for specifics.
However, I want to acknowledge this council must in the very near future, find a way to
help the Truth and Reconciliation Commission move forward, decide how to divvy up
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direct aid to agencies, collaborate with Iowa City Community School District on
childcare and what to do about public pools in Iowa City. Even items on the agenda
tonight, like fee and lieu payments for affordable housing, and do those promote the goals
in our strategic plan? I think my skills can help advance those conversations. It's a
privilege to stand here and be considered for this position. When I read the applications
and biographies of the other finalists, I quickly realized that Iowa City will be well -
served by any of us. The reality is that one of us will join the city council, but six of us
will not. If I'm not selected, I promise to you that I'll be a productive participant in
moving Iowa City forward. But if I am selected, I know that my professional experience,
my unique skills, and my temperament could serve the betterment of Iowa City. Thank
you for your time.
Teague: Thank you. We're going to invite Na Li at this time. Welcome.
Li: Thank you, Mayor Teague. Good evening all the councilors and other friends come here. My
name is Na Li. You can call me Nina. I am an immigrant, minority, a wife, and a mom. I
got my fust master degree in China and came to the United States in 2010 to teach at
Lakes International Academy in Minnesota. At the completion of my contract, I enrolled
at the University of Iowa and received my second master degree in teaching Chinese as a
Foreign Language. During this time, I worked, studied while raising my daughter.
Currently as the adjunct professor at the University of Iowa, I teach part-time and work
part-time as a leading administrator. There are four topics we need to talk about. As for
the fust topic, personal core values; I am efficient, competent, honest. I consider myself
responsible, dependable. In one word, I am trustworthy. In public eyes, I will treat
everybody fairly and for the good of the people. I believe in a motto which was said by
Bertrand Russell, the British mathematician. This is my lifetime motto. He says, make
your interests gradually wider and more impersonal until bit by bit, the loss of the ego
recede and your life becomes increasingly emerged in the universal life. That means
you'll need to remove your self -interests for the public service. I believe people are
created equal. We need to do whatever we can to merge into the sea of the community
and help the community in general. It is easy to look at the state of the world today and
feel pessimistic, overwhelmed, even powerless. Especially after 2022, the social unrest
brought on by the killing of George Floyd and the COVID-19 virus resulted in the surge
of Asian hate crimes. But I have tremendous confidence and faith in the city's ability to
overcome what seemed like insurmountable obstacles. Great progress often comes in
times of adversity. We all share in the responsibility to leave Iowa City better than we
found it. The Asian community is the fastest growing and the second largest minority
group in the city. However, we are not well -represented. As a member of Asian
community, it would be an honor for me to participate in the decision-making process.
The second question is, the role of the city council is to provide services and make
decisions on behalf of the residents of Iowa City and local government. I believe my
experience makes me qualified to serve on this council. As president of Iowa City Area
Chinese Association, I took lead in organizing 11 events in the past year. The highlights
of the events are in April 2021, I was a speaker at a rally to stop Asian hate. Following
the rally, Bruce Teague, the mayor of Iowa City, has signed the proclamation of AAPI
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Day Against Bullying, which is May 18th. On that day a dance party celebrating AAPI
Day Against Bullying was organized by us in the Pedestrian Mall in support of the city's
decision to fight against the human bullying. In September 2021, I was one of the
organizers of the Music of Love concert for charity. Asia student musicians from West
High School and Northwest Junior High School performed at the concert raising over
$2,000. The funds were donated to the services for teenagers, 12-18 years old in the
United Action for Youth. It's a local non-profit charity organization. It is a place for the
youth to have a voice and give back creatively to their community. This event made to
the future generation of the Chinese community aware of the importance of helping other
people of different ethnic groups and aided in bridging the gap. In January 2022, on
behalf of the Iowa City Area Chinese Association, I applied and was awarded a $3,000
grant from the Human Rights Commission of the city. This award will allow the ICACA
to host and celebrate a Lunar New Year celebration at the Englert Theatre on January
22th, 2023, which is in two week. Its the second Sunday from now. I noticed that the city
has sent a notice of our gala today. Thank you very much. Everybody sitting here are
invited for the Lunar New Year Gala event. You can find that information at Englert
Theatre website and the city news website. In April 2022, I organized an evenly of
performing arts featuring traditional song and dance in honor of Asian culture heritage
and the holiday spirit. The event was celebrated greater than 200 attendees and included
notable guests as a mayor of both Coralville and Iowa City. It seems that I don't have too
much time, so let's me jump to what I do not only for the Chinese community, but also
work with other community. I believe that we're on the same boat, should work with each
other. For this reason, I joined the election campaign team of Mayor Teague and helped
him resume his second term. Financially, I've contributed to Cadenza Music Charity Club
and West High School who we raised money for Ukraine. I'm also a regular contributor
to the UI Preschool School of Music and the International Crane Foundation in
Wisconsin, a Wildlife Center featuring 15 pieces of cranes. I'm passionate about being a
member of city council and will be available to fulfill my role. My current work hours are
flexible. Last question about the FY 2023 to '28 strategic plan. I like the strategy of
developing Iowa City into a community to continue launching new business and
expanding existing business. Iowa City has proven itself to be a world-class health care
facility, and UNESCO literature city. I'd like to build on that by creating a world-class
city of the arts. To reach this goal, we can start a multicultural center in the hearts of
Downtown Iowa City, or multicultural village along the Iowa River as a tourism icon, we
can reuse the available properties. Iowa is known as the corn state. I would like to create
a corn center like, Wilson's apple orchard for kids to teach them how to understand corn
planting, picnicking, and making corn dishes. I will work with school district to start a
gifted and talented program, have people start business in ACT, SAT training, foreign
language co -learning with the native speaker students, math olympics, NASA kids, so
and so and work with Regina High School to enroll more international students by
starting boarding business for them. This will increase the enrollment of University of
Iowa international students and the quality of those students. It can also help with our
tourism. [NOISE]
Teague: Thank you. At this time, we're going to call forth Sean McRoberts. Welcome.
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McRoberts: Thank you. I'm Sean McRoberts. My pronouns are they, them. I'm grateful for this
opportunity to be with you, to speak with you, Mayor Teague and council members. I'm
also especially grateful for all of the applicants for this open position and those who have
spoken this evening and who will speak after me. I have no concern over the quality of
leadership that we will have here in our city, whether I'm selected or not. I'm grateful for
everyone who's involved in this process, for the way this process has been created and
crafted and is being carried out. I appreciate too the prompts that were given for this
evening's time and will frame my comments around my core values. Those values which
guide my life and which will guide my work as a member of the city council. My core
values include integrity, equity, and interdependence. As I live into my value of integrity
I seek to speak and act consistently so that there is resonance between my words and my
actions and all that I say and do is in accordance with who I am as a human. I seek to take
responsibility for my words and actions so that anything that I do and say I can be
accountable for, both for the intent and for the impact of my actions. I strive to remain
humble and teachable so that I can adapt to new situations, and so that I can be an
effective part of my community. I find this important personally for my personal growth
and relationships with others. I believe that being humble and teachable is also a vital
aspect of our community leadership and the life of our city council. As I live into my
value of integrity, I seek to demonstrate respect, to demonstrate respect to all who I
encounter, and to employ practices of listening and the cultivation of trust. As Adrian
Marie Brown writes, if you trust the people, they will become trustworthy. I seek to live
into ways of cultivating that trust through relationship, through seeking to see those that I
am with, to see their best interests and to see them at their best, so that I might expect the
best of them as well as we build community together. I value equity and will prioritize
equity and justice work in my work for the city. That means being intentional about the
place of privilege in my life and the actions of the city. I need to be intentional about my
own privilege that which I carry and aware of the dynamics of power and privilege within
leadership bodies such as the Council. It's particularly important to be aware of this when
holding a position of power because our actions can impact others negatively, even
without our intent. Being intentional about my privilege, I prioritize listening and amplify
voices that are often ignored. I'm willing to take space to tell the truth when necessary,
especially in order to seek justice and to address harm that has been done. I'm invested in
creating access and an accessible city council. I'm committed to going where the people
are so that we can cultivate the trust and relationship with our city leadership that will
lead to a strong, close-knit community. My work hours are flexible and will allow me to
represent the city at various events. I see myself participating in events organized by
entities and groups outside of the city leadership so that the city can be present where
people are, particularly seeking out folks who experienced barriers in engaging with the
city. Especially those who have work shifts over top of city activities and meetings or
who experience language barriers. I value interdependence. As my colleague at the
Wesley Center, Reverend Ann Albedo often says, we need each other. It's true in an
existential universal sense, it's true when collaborating on a shared work, and it's true in a
particular way of those of us who make a life in the city together. We need each other. I
see the city as a collective endeavor, shared resources being directed toward the common
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good. All of our decisions as city leaders must be guided by that goal, advancing that
common good. Especially being mindful of the times and settings when we and our
neighbors are vulnerable or our well-being precarious. In terms of collaborative work, it
is my preferred mode of operation. I've often shared leadership as part of a team, it's
where I think I thrive in working alongside of others toward a common purpose.
Recently, I've had opportunity to do so in the racial audit of the Methodist Federation for
Social Action. It's been an endeavor almost three years on. In that work, I have lead
among a gifted and diverse team with my co -moderator, Pat Stuart. I found in doing this
work the importance of framing the task at hand, and then stepping back to allow others
who have appropriate gifts to each task to step forward. I find that in that dance of
forward and back of stepping in and out, that we are each able to bring our perspectives
and gifts to the greater work that is at hand. I find that I'm most effective in encouraging,
amplifying the others who I work alongside for the shared work toward our final goal. In
terms of the city's strategic plan, I feel generally positive about the good work that has
been done and that was adopted last month. I think that a five-year plan approach is wise
and promotes continuity that we can build on as a community. I find that the values and
impact areas align fairly well with my hopes for the city. The challenge, as I see it, will
be how to navigate the conflicts that will arise as priorities come into conflict. It will be
essential in those moments to turn toward our values. The values named in the strategic
plan of racial equity, social justice, and human rights, of climate action and partnerships
and engagement. As I approach this work, I will commit to prioritizing especially racial
equity, social justice, and human rights. For if we hold onto these values and remain true
to our commitments, we will guide the city toward our envisioned future. A city in which
all people can thrive, in which we live with confidence and hope. I look forward to
joining you in leading this work. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. We're going to invite up Mary Mascher at this time. [NOISE] Welcome.
Mascher: Thank you. Good afternoon. Thank you again for honoring me by being one of the
seven finalist. This group here is very qualified and I don't envy your decision-making.
Obviously you've got good people to choose from and they are people who are passionate
about this community and I consider myself one of them. I wanted to start by telling you
that I got my first start in government by being on the parks and rec commission for the
City of Iowa City. It was truly an honor to do that and be appointed by a council. I credit
them for helping us get the first girls softball league started in Iowa City and also those
diamonds that are so beautiful on the South side of town. You asked about our core
values and I will tell you that my love is for my family, my friends, my community, and
then for public service. I'll start by saying, I won't go into the family and friends. They
know who I am and they've been around me a long time and know how passionate I am.
In terms of community, I was a city school teacher for 33 years and I credit again, a lot of
the leadership skills that I developed over that time as being president of the Iowa City
Education Association and then our chief negotiator when we were bargaining with the
school district. I also then in public service, obviously I've been 28 years and the Iowa
legislature and during that time I've had a great deal of experience working with a variety
of individuals. Let me just put it that way. People who have very different backgrounds,
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very different priorities, very different maybe religious beliefs as well and so trying to
find common ground was one of the things, the goals that I achieved in terms of working
with others who were oftentimes difficult to find that common ground with. I pride
myself in being able to do that. Currently I am involved with Habitat for Humanity and
next year the women's build will be in my honor. I am extremely excited about helping
with building a new home in the community for individuals who are in need. 5224GOOD
is another organization I'm a part of. Altrusa, I'll be their co -president next year. Open
Heartland, I volunteer there on a regular basis. I'm also involved with our retired teachers
of Johnson County and a group called the Foundation for the Trades which are looking
to, again, increase dollars available to our high school students so we can get them into
the trades and help them develop the skills they need to have successful jobs. Working
collaboratively, I know many of our elected officials in this community. I've worked with
those others on city councils. I've also been a part of obviously working with the school
board and believe that their efforts right now with the local option sales tax for childcare
is certainly a priority for me as well and something that I would love to work on. I can
tell you that obviously there are lots of different views that come to you as council
members and listening and hearing those views and being able to make decisions based
on the input you get from the community and from staff is really critical and that's
something that I think I have a skill in doing as well. Hard work, not afraid of that. Long
hours, I'm used to that. It is not unusual for us in the legislature to work late into the night
and obviously I was here on Saturday to listen to part of the budget discussion. I told
Geoff I didn't want to print out the 700 pages, I thought I'd save a tree that way. But I
have been reading over the budget recommendations that you've been making and again,
I want to congratulate you on a budget that reflects the values of this community. In
terms of the strategic plan. I look at the strategic plan as your vision and the budget as
your way of implementing that vision and your budget is really amazing in light of the
fact that you are very responsible about the taxpayer dollars. But you also recognize the
needs within the community. The efforts that you've made with the police department in
terms of those social workers and people who are helping people who may have mental
illness in our community. Your work with the Access Center in Johnson County and
again, keeping people out of jails and in those diversion programs out of our hospitals,
those are all commendable. I know those were collaborative efforts not only with this
council but with the community as a whole and with the Johnson County Board of
Supervisors as well. We need to again, give you accolades for that but also celebrate the
fact that we recognize those needs within our community and are willing to take action
when we need to. I was also going to give a shout out to the Better Together 2030 group
because their goals are very similar to yours. Again, look at how you collaborate with
other entities in terms of furthering the priorities and values in this community. Racial
equity, social justice, human rights, your affordable housing initiatives demonstrate that.
You are looking for ways to help individuals get into a home and be able to keep it and
maintain that home. You've got that in your values, you've got that in your budget as well
and it reflects well on all of you. Public safety, I've talked about again, what we've been
able to do at a local level to again, identify what we can do to incorporate more of our
policing so that people see them as individuals who are part of our community and people
that they can trust and be friends with as well. I also wanted just to mention your climate
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action. The solar that you've put on buildings, what you've been doing with electric buses.
You are leaders in the state and you need to recognize that other communities are not
doing that right now. Your partnerships again with the communities, neighborhood
associations. I'm part of the South side neighborhood association, very proud of that and
again, the diversity markets, those kinds of things again are collaborative efforts and I
hope we can continue those. I'm proud of the fact that we're UNESCO City of literature,
great city for the arts, small city for the arts. We should be proud of those accolades as
well. Again, just to summarize, I love this community and I'm going to stay as active as I
can as long as I can and I'm able to and regardless of your decision tonight, that won't
change for me. I will attend meetings and attend events because I love this community
and I love to be around the people who are a part of it. Again, thank you for your
consideration tonight. I appreciate you more than you will ever know. Again, good luck
with your decision.
Teague: Thank you. We're going to invite Amanda Remington. Welcome.
Remington: Hi. I want to start by thanking Janice Weiner for her service. I'm certain that her
eyes and ears in the Congress will be a benefit to this council. I also want to thank all of
you for the opportunity to explain why I'm qualified for and want the responsibility of
being a city councilor. As a member of multiple civic and university boards and
committees, and Iowa City climate ambassador and the founder director of Corridor
Community Action Network (CLAN), I demonstrate Iowa City Strategic values in my
daily life because they are my own core values. In fact, CCAN's mission statement
encompasses those same values of social justice, racial equity and human rights, climate
action and partnerships and engagement. The work that I've done there, the connections
that I've made and the lessons that I've learned can aid this council as we advance those
same values while we work to realize the future visions outlined in that strategic plan.
Those future visions are personal to me because they precisely describe the type of
community that I have already been working to build. The kind that I know can change
lives. Five years ago, I was immersed in local services as a community member in need,
utilizing DVIP, protective childcare services, Community Food Bank while I navigated
drastic and scary changes in my world. Now I'm passionate about using the networking
and community -building skills that come naturally to me to improve quality of life and
make that navigation easier for others and I'm really excited about the opportunity to
continue to do that as a city councilor. I have supplemented my natural skills by taking
advantage of educational opportunities in areas such as city planning, organizational
efficiency and effectiveness, budgeting, diversity, equity and inclusion, leadership and
communication. I also readily learn from others and in addition to getting to speak with
most of you, I've had recent opportunities to talk with Geoff, former Mayor Pro Tem
Mazahir, Ross Willbum, Jon Green, and Eleanor Levin and I learned valuable lessons in
each one of those conversations. I particularly appreciated what everybody had to say
about the budget, which is an especially big concern when we're facing the challenges we
are, such as the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxable value. As a
community organizer, evaluating which efforts will provide the most impact for members
of our community has been a daily consideration of mine for years. I was really happy to
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see so many of you mention affordable housing because you're absolutely right. As a
renter, I can contest that it is one of the most critical issues that is facing our community.
In addition to passing the proposed affordable housing and eviction prevention funding,
we do need to look at grants and other potential sources of revenue. Because that is an
area in which the need continually outpaces the means and I would also like to see us
spend more than $30,000 supporting the winter shelter. As we consider what adjustments
we need to make, where we can save and where we need to invest city dollars, another
project that's going to be important for us to implement this year is the Recreation Center
renovation that's detailed in the capital improvement plan. Those renovations will bring
the center into closer compliance with current ADA standards. We also need to talk about
what would it take to bring it into complete compliance and the ADA elevator
improvements that are scheduled for 2025 should be moved up. Housing and accessibility
are critical issues of equity that allow for and encourage an engaged and participating
community. I'm really excited about the possibility of being able to work on those issues
as a part of this team. I've demonstrated my ability to do that and proven that I possess
the critical skills necessary to work collaboratively in a group dynamic through my work
with CCAN and the previously mentioned boards and committees. My role in CCAN I'm
constantly collaborating with community members and other local organizations to see
how we can provide the most complete and unified services for people in our community.
In my time as chair of the Iowa City community police review board, I guided us through
the most complex and longest investigation in the board's history. As chair of the
University of Iowa Safety and Security Committee. I have worked with the re -imagining
Campus Safety Committee and the dean of students to determine where the two
committees missions overlap, where they differ, and how we can be of support to each
other without stepping on toes or duplicating efforts. Both of those committees, as well as
the Council for the Status of Women on which I also serve are university -wide, which
provides a lot of opportunity for inter -organizational collaboration between the academic
and healthcare sides of the university. This work requires me to constantly use and
strengthen my collaborative skills in areas such as negotiation, flexibility, patience and
communication. I'm absolutely committed to using those skills to put in the hours weekly
to attend and thoroughly prepare for city council meetings, joint entity meetings, other
board meetings as I know that liaison duties are also part of this job and doing the full
preparation and the late-night hours that are required for that and associated research, all
of that. I'm also prepared to spend the time in the community at community events
representing the city, events that I would probably be participating in any way to be quite
honest and with communicating with stakeholders and residents. The cross-section of
support that I've been so honored to receive from this community has shown that I can
put in the time to establishing and maintaining those types of relationships across the city.
It also shows that people know me. I grew up here. I'm raising my children here. I have
worked in the service industry here. I have owned and run a childcare business here and I
have worked in this community for years alongside organizations such as the Center for
Worker Justice, the domestic violence intervention program, the Johnson County League
of Women Voters, Community Transportation Committee, and so many others. In that
time, I have shown that I'm willing to work hard for the people of the city, even when it is
difficult, uncertain, and unpaid. I would like to continue to do that in the most effective
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ways possible. My 15 -year-old has said that one of the coolest things about me is that
they've never known me to give up. I know that the job of a city councilor is difficult and
unpredictable. I know that you get challenges and curve balls thrown at you at random.
But I also know how to roll with the punches and veer to the next solution. I'm action -
oriented and I possess skills, connections, and a unique set of experiences that this
council needs. I share the city's values and its priorities and I'm here because I want to do
everything that I can to make it the best that it can be for my children, my neighbors, my
colleagues, and everyone. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. We will have our last individual come at this time. Elizabeth Miglin,
Welcome.
Miglin: Hi Council. Formally, I would like to reintroduce myself to you all as Elizabeth Miglin,
but you can call me Ellie. I'm honored to have made it this far in the nomination process
and I'm humbled to be in a room of changemakers. As you may know, I'm a third year
student at the University of Iowa studying international relations and earning writing
certificate in poetry. What you may not know, however, is why I've entered my name in
candidacy for this nomination. When I entered my freshman year in 2020, it was surreal
to find such a large town seem at once so small. Visions of college life were no longer so
clear as I met many of my friends, teachers and mentors rather awkwardly online, only
able to recognize them by their eyes when we would meet in person. It was with the same
feeling of detachment that I initially approached my political interests. Throughout my
time at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, I had become exhausted with
the all -consuming feeling of polarization. It was hard to watch as grown adults make poor
attempts at talking civilly with family or simply with friends. This had me at a tipping
point so in college, I decided to follow my hope and explore how other countries deal
with much greater degrees of conflict with which we've been lucky to not experience
here. This began my research into foreign aid for national development, civil conflicts
and their attempts at peace and to now recycling practices and lower-income nations.
However, as the Former Diplomat Richard Haas says, "Foreign policy begins at home." It
was no sooner that I began to become oriented in Iowa City, did my global interests
appear to connect back around. I noticed hints at this connection as a freshman in high
school when I co -wrote and lobbied for mental health literacy funding in public schools
with the Iowa Youth Council. However, the bill became stuck in committee due in part
because the priorities in state education were predicated on federal support, which did not
see this of great importance. This interdependence appeared once again in my senior year
of high school as I spent part of my time as the Policy Director for the Iowa Youth
Climate Strike. Leading a team of ten and my peers, we created 18 Iowa specific
legislative suggestions which we use to guide rallies and events. As we chatted for
change, it became obvious how much of the work begins on a grassroots level, on a local
level. Between my French and micro economic classes, in my freshman year of college, I
decided to join Iowa's student government and became quickly interested in the city
liaison team. Their work to connect the student body to public services which support a
thriving community to make political actions seem hopeful again. I recognize that
considering the varied experience in my fellow candidates, selecting me for this open seat
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on city council would be an unusual decision, but I also think it would be a positive and
progressive choice. While attending the bi-weekly city council meetings for the past year -
and -a -half. I am proud to have briefed the Council on the concerns of ameliorate issues
and ameliorate issues conveyed by the university student population. To the best of my
knowledge, I've developed personal working relationships with council and have
collaborated with each current member on multiple initiatives. There are partnerships, I
increasingly understood the structure of city government and its authority as it relates to
commerce, housing, and attracting new business. During this time, my Co -Liaison and
Anna Van Heukelom, council, and I developed and funded 1,500 magnets with housing
related resources, which were then distributed to Iowa City residents. This new approach
has had lasting impacts and you can still find them glittered around town. However,
during our research with students, we realize these concerns can be addressed both by the
city and the university. Thus, this previous summer, the new city liaison, Keaton Zeimet,
and I worked to revitalize the lease gap housing program, which offered an affordable
option for over 30 students in need through the Iowa Memorial Union, as well as 100 free
parking spots at Hancher Auditorium. Alongside our work towards affordable housing,
our efforts have resulted in two generations of renters guides, which surveyed around 600
and 700 students respectively, and help make any new renter make informed rental
choices. As a third -generation is being developed, now, Iowa State University and the
University of Northern Iowa plan to conduct similar surveys. We developed a sexual
assault awareness campaign in order to give voice to victims of violence off -campus. We
promoted sustainable transportation with the bicyclists of Iowa City and multiple
sustainable open house events. We provided email templates for students in Iowa City
residents who wished for the Police Department to provide more information about an
incident of police brutality. We then worked with the Police Department and public
safety to improve off -campus lighting conditions. We pass legislation in the University
Senate rejecting carbon capture projects. The bill was then sent to the Iowa utilities board
and many American representatives. In May I was honored to be one of six from
university to attend the association of Big 10 students Conference in Washington DC.
There we spoke to Iowa's federal representatives and senators about college affordability,
food, housing, security, and gender discrimination. I represent a large portion of our
community that is currently underrepresented on the council. Our student population,
which accounts for over 30k individuals in a community of approximately 75,000,
concerns of younger generations are necessary for informing housing, environmental, and
economic policies for Iowa City. If nominated, I hope to host meetings between the new
city liaison team and landlords, city staff regarding alcohol harm reduction, and
collaborate with council on sustainability initiatives including amending ways university
policy can be altered to support these city goals. Other areas of my concern include
citywide accessible mental health services, late night and Sunday bus routing, and access
to basic needs. I believe that these are community problems that require community
solutions. With multiple years of working between the City University in greater Iowa
City population, I would like to contribute to solutions wherever possible for a
community I love. The work is long, hard, and often unforgiving yet I have not felt more
empowered and invigorated to continue the work we have already begun together. It
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would be an honor to be able to continue working with the council to address these cross
city and University problems. Thank you for your time, Council.
Teague: Thank you. I wanted to say again, thanks to all of the finalists that have come before us.
There's a lot for this Council to consider. Before we move forward, I wanted to speak to
my fellow councilors right now, to just let you know what the process will look like
moving forward. We will take a seven -minute break, that'll be Number 1, and during that
time, I'm going to request that none of us speak with one another on any aspect of the
finalist. That's what allow you time to just regroup and get your thoughts together for the
next phase, which I'm about to explain. When we return, I am going to ask for
nominations for finalists that you would like to see appointed. If applicant's name has
been stated, you don't you can just remain silent until we go around and get some votes.
This is really informal vote and it's a little confusing so I'm going to try to explain it and
the best way that I know how. We may do it a couple of rounds of this. First, I'm going to
ask for nominations, and if there is a person that you would like to nominate, you can just
state out their name and if their name has already been mentioned, you can wait and I'll
close nominations, and then I'll go around and see of, let's say we have three names or
four names I'll see who supports them. Because we have to get to a majority of four,
we're going to keep doing that round until we get to four. Now, I don't want you to feel
like you have to change your position or like, you can't select another finalist each round.
At the end of the day, once we get to four, is when we'll pause, and I'll make some
statements at that point. Council will have opportunity to share some comments, and then
our City Attorney, Eric will do the final votes, and that will be the official votes. When
we take our seven minute break if this is confusing to anyone, this process, that will be
the only allowable conversation that I will entertain by the councilors, this process. We're
going to take seven minutes and we will be back. Thank you. [7MIN BREAK]
Teague: We're going to get started with this next phase, which once again, Council, I'm going to
entertain nominations, and if the individual that you are nominating for appointment is
selected, you can wait until all the nominations are stated, and then we will go through
and get on official votes for now. At some point, we do have to get to four and then there
will be opportunities for people to change their votes, but we'll start with taking
nominations at this time.
Taylor: I'd like to nominate Mary Mascher.
Thomas: I'd like to nominate Andrew Dunn.
Bergus: I'll nominate Mandi Remington.
Teague: I'll nominate Na Li. Any other nominations?
Alter: I'd like to nominate Ellie Miglin?
Teague: Any other nominations?
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Harmsen: I'd like to nominate Sean McRoberts.
Teague: Alright, So everyone has made nominations. Would anyone like to change their
nomination at this point? We have not reached a census of four and we're going to go
one more time. Entertain a nominations at this time.
Teague: I will nominate Na Li.
Bergus: I'll nominate Mandi Remington.
Taylor: Nominate Mary Mascher.
Thomas: I'll nominate Andrew Dunn.
Teague: Any other nominations at this time? Close nominations. We have four nominations so
far, and I'm just going to go, I'll start from my right to my left. Please state who of the
nominated so far, you would appoint. The four that have been stated as Na Li, Mandi
Amanda Remington, Mary Mascher, and Andrew Dunn. Harmsen?
Harmsen: Dunn.
Teague: Taylor?
Taylor: Mascher.
Teague: Teague? Na Li.
Teague: Alter?
Alter: Andrew Dunn.
Teague: Thomas?
Thomas: Andrew Dunn.
Teague: And, um, Bergus?
Bergus: Mandi Remington.
Teague: Would anyone like to change their nomination at this time? We will go another round.
Accept the nominations at this time.
Harmsen: I'll nominate Andrew.
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Bergus: Nominate Amanda Remington.
Taylor: Nominate Mary Mascher.
Teague: Any other nominations? Close the nominations. I'll start with. Have I been knowing the
same order? Harmsen?
Harmsen: Dunn.
Teague:
Taylor?
Taylor:
Mascher.
Teague:
Teague? Dunn.
Teague:
Alter?
Alter: Dunn.
Teague:
Thomas?
Thomas:
Dunn.
Teague:
Bergus?
Bergus:
Remington.
Teague: We have reached four councilors for Andrew Dunn. I think at this point maybe because
the majority will support Dunn, I think I'll just stop for council comments at this time,
and then after which I will ask councilors if they want to change their nominations. Does
that sound okay to people? Council discussion.
Harmsen: I think I'll jump off. If I could, just wanted to again express the thanks to all 21 of the
applicants, and especially to the seven that made it here tonight as finalists. Obviously
with one position to fill and 21 applicants, there were going to be 20 disappointed people
in our community tonight with one spot to fill and seven potential people, six
disappointed people. But what I really hope is that for everybody, that this doesn't mark
the end of your interests in civic participation and even looking at a spot on this council
but just the beginning. I think that we are so lucky. I've had the privilege of being able to
read a lot of the emails and supportive of a variety of different candidates, and I've said
the exact same thing to all of those people I've had a chance to respond to. This has been
an embarrassment of riches. The quality of people who have stepped forward, many of
whom I've gotten a chance to maybe meet for the fust time through this process. Some
who I've known before. We're just incredibly lucky as a community to have people
willing to step forward and do this job. I would say that the seven people that were up
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here tonight, I would have enjoyed working with every single one of those people, and I
can say that without hesitation, not just enjoyed for myself, but also enjoyed seeing the
work that they would do for this community. I just wanted to make that point.
Bergus: I'll just echo what my colleague, Councilor Harmsen said. This is a very difficult
moment and very grateful to everyone who put their name forward and took the time and
put themselves out there. What I'm sure is a incredibly difficult situation to be in your
seats right now, but I think that the City of Iowa City will be well -served, and I hope that
all of you continue to engage at any level that you are willing to serve our community
because it's very clear that you care deeply and we would benefit tremendously from you
continuing your engagement.
Taylor: I echo what Councilor Bergus said and I really appreciate it seeing each of you in person
this evening and appreciate the fact that you came and were able to speak 10 minutes isn't
a very long time to be able to tell all your values, but certainly learn more about each and
every one of you than the original application. Didn't learn a lot from that, except we
were able to, each of us narrow down the same seven. I appreciate that and also
encourage each of you to continue your civic engagement and thank you.
Thomas: I might just say that I've served on council now for seven years, and this was probably
one of the hardest decisions I've had to make. I'm not voting on an ordinance. I'm voting
on an individual who's expressed a desire to serve on the council. At the same time, I was
just very impressed with all of you going back to the 21 applicants. I think what makes
this decision a little bit easier is I know that you will continue to do your work and
contribute to the benefit of Iowa City. That's why you are one of my fight. All of you
were on my list in terms of finalists. I wanted to honor and reinforce the fact that you're
doing significant work and contributing to our community and building community.
Again, thank you for your decision to put yourself in the arena and please continue to do
the good work.
Alter: My fellow councilors have said so much of what I've been thinking already, but this has
been an incredible honor for us to be able to do this, the humongous responsibility, and a
great opportunity too, in some ways, so I'm a little bit different in what's going to come.
First of all, I am happy to talk to any of you offline, out of the public eye, this has been
incredibly. It has to have been the most excruciating experience of having basically a
public job interview, and to do it in a public forum is intense, and so thank you for your
courage as well. I just want to give you very broadly a sense of where my thinking was
because I know that the number one thing I've been in that she's why. What were you
thinking? Just very briefly, I want to say all of you are strong and multifaceted in your
particular approach and your perspective, and we would be so well guided to have any
one of you on council. Where I came down to starting to think about things was simply to
bring our experience and our understanding of a council to date in terms of how best can
we bring someone on simplistically to fill gaps. To bring something to council that is not
already here. How can our council make us more well-rounded and to bring more
experiences that are not currently represented on there? That was one of the questions
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that was helping guide me. I don't know if that helps in the short or the long term, but
also I just wanted to say thank you again for your courage among everything else for
doing this. If anybody, you know how to reach me and I would be happy to to have a
coffee or something if you want to talk. I just wanted to echo also what John said, this is
just the beginning.
Teague: Thanks to all of the finalist here. Again, my colleagues said it well and their
appreciation for all of you, this has been a very hard decision. Especially when I literally
know all of the finalists with the respect to maybe just learning a couple of you through
this process a little more. But overall, I have to say that our community would have been
at a very advantaged with really any of your skills that you would have brought. This
council, we put ourselves in a very hard decision-making our position. I wanted to say
some thank yous. Thank you to all of the candidates that had applied, all of the 21 that
had applied, thanks to, of course, the seven that was promoted before us. I want to
acknowledge our staff and all of their hard work and helping with some conversations to
help guide us in this about the process. I want to acknowledge the community members
that I spoke to that had thoughts about how this process should look and how it should
go, and I particularly want to thank this council. All of you helped guide this process so
that it would be the fairest, most transparent, and I know that it's been a difficult position
that we chose to take, so thanks to each and every last one of you. At this time, I'm going
to ask if anyone wanted to change their last position for nominations.
Teague: Going once, going twice, and I'm going to close that part. Then we are now going to go
with the official voting process for this council. Now, we need to amend.
Goers: Right, Mr. Mayor, there are two votes council will need. Of course, you've been provided
in your packet a blank resolution to get it on your agenda, but of course, not knowing
who the council would ultimately pick. The fust vote we would need is a motion to
amend that resolution to include the name of Andrew Dunn that would be followed by a
voice vote, and then it would be followed by a motion, and second for the resolution now
amended, and that would be a roll call vote.
Teague: Say that last part again.
Goers: Certainly. After assuming the council votes to amend the resolution to include the name
of Andrew Dunn, then we would need a motion and second for the resolution now
amended to include the name of Andrew Dunn.
Teague: Got it.
Goers: That would be a roll call vote.
Teague: Thank you. Can I get a motion to amend the resolution to include the name of Andrew
Dunn, please.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
special formal meeting of January 10, 2023.
Page 21
Alter: So moved, Alter.
Thomas: Second Thomas.
Teague: Moved by Alter, seconded by Thomas. All in favor say aye. [Voice Vote] Aye. Any
oppose? Motion passes 6 - 0. I'll entertain a motion to approve the resolution as amended
with Andrew Dunn's name. Can I get a motion, please?
Thomas: So Moved.
Teague: Or actually, I still need a motion,
Goers: yes.
Teague: Can I get a motion, please?
Thomas: So moved Thomas.
Harmsen: Second Harmsen.
Teague: Moved by Thomas, seconded by Harmsen. Roll -call, please. [Roll Call] Motion passes
6-0. Could I get a motion to accept correspondence?
Alter: Move to Alter.
Bergus: Second Bergus.
Teague: All in favor say aye. [Voice Vote] Aye. Any oppose? Motion passes 6 - 0. I want to talk
about next steps before we adjourn as far as the appointment. When do we?
Goers: Well, we need to swear in Mr. Dunn, that can be done now, it would probably be best
before we adjourn or at the beginning. Well, it had to be either now before we adjourn, I
would recommend that or at the beginning of the informal work session to begin.
Teague: Yes. I guess the question is, are you ready to be swom in?
[OVERLAPPING]
Teague: Great. We're going to invite our city clerk, Kellie Fruehling up, as well as Andrew Dunn
to be sworn in as the next city councilor.
(Andrew Dunn recites oath of office) [APPLAUSE].
Teague: Welcome aboard. After he signs that, we'll invite him to take a seat up here with us, and
you'll get your fust official vote. Can I get a motion to adjourn?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
special formal meeting of January 10, 2023.
Page 22
Dunn: So moved.
Harmsen: Second.
Teague: Moved by Dunn, second by Harmsen, and all in favor say aye. [Voice vote] Aye. Any
oppose? Motion passes 6-0, we are adjourned. [MUSIC]
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
special formal meeting of January 10, 2023.