Hunter
12/29/23
As the City Council readies to review the Iowa City charter, one member says how they’re voted in should change.
The Gazette reports Andrew Dunn wrote a guest opinion piece last month that said the system is, quote, “extremely confusing for voters and at worst, a systemic barrier to change and minority representation on the City Council.”
Currently, the council has seven members, of which four are elected “at large” and the rest representing specific geographic districts. District representatives must live in their district and are nominated in primaries by people who live in the district. But on Election Day, everyone can vote on all candidates.
Councilman Dunn is recommending three possible amendments to the City Charter.
One is to require the three district council members to be elected only by people who live in the district, and to keep the remaining at-large seats open to any voter. This, he said, would eliminate the current confusion of Council voting.
Another is to abolish at-large seats and set up seven districts, where each district representative would only be voted on by voters in their districts. Dunn says this would reduce the number of voters prospective candidates would have to contact, and cut down on mailer and yard sign expense.
The third is to abolish district seats and make the City Council’s seven members all at-large. That option could cluster the council members in one part of town and under-represent minority neighborhoods in the city.
When the council has their first meeting of the year next week, they will establish a Charter Commission, whose members will look over the current 19-page charter can recommend charter amendments to the Council. Once approved, applications for nine Charter Commission members will be accepted until February 13th and appointed to serve beginning April 1st for up to a year.