Iowa City council: Bergus bests Taylor, Salih returns, Moe and Dunn secure seats

The Iowa City City Council begins a new era thanks to a pair of newcomers prevailing in Tuesday's election, while a few familiar names are now in different seats.

Current councilors Laura Bergus and Andrew Dunn retained their spots on the council, moving from At-Large positions to council districts A and C, respectively.

Mazahir Salih, a former council member, and Josh Moe were selected as the top two candidates in a three-person race for two vacated At-Large seats, beating out council hopeful Mandi Remington.

Results are unofficial and will be finalized by a county canvass over the next few weeks.

Here is how each race shook out:

Bergus defeats fellow councilor Taylor

The city's council District A race featured a showdown between a pair of current city councilors and long-time Iowa City residents. Laura Bergus, an Iowa City native and attorney, narrowly edged Pauline Taylor, a two-term council veteran who has lived in Iowa City for nearly 50 years.

Bergus garnered 66% of the vote, while Taylor earned just 33% of the citywide total. For Bergus, that is roughly the same percentage point difference as in the Oct. 10 District A primary.

She said the victory validated the community's stance on her policies and her record on the council.

"It tells me that I'm on the right track," Bergus said. "I will continue to stand with my integrity. I will continue to ask to be held accountable by the community. I will continue to be independent in my decisions and actions. I tell my colleagues, I don't horse trade. I'll support you and your ideas if it's something I believe is best for Iowa City, but it's never a quid pro quo."

Bergus, 42, is an attorney and mediator in the Iowa City area who has spent the last four years in the At-Large seat. She earns a second term and an opportunity to push forward with efforts in collaboration with the county and other local municipalities, a priority that she told the Press-Citizen would address all future issues, from climate change to social isolation.

One of Bergus' policy issues was in the spotlight ahead of the election. Mayor Bruce Teague released an endorsement of councilor Taylor, citing Bergus' stance on Iowa City police, referencing a 2021 op-ed piece by Bergus in The Gazette.

"I think it was a choice I don't understand," Bergus told the Press-Citizen. "Of course, him endorsing any candidate is absolutely his prerogative. What was strange to me was the way in which he went about it, in talking about me and in my opinion, mischaracterizing my policy stances."

Bergus has already accepted their differences and believes they will continue to work together on several pressing issues facing Iowa City communities, like housing affordability.

Taylor and Bergus battled last month in a city primary election, both squeezing past Tim Borchardt to earn a spot on the Nov. 7 ballot. Bergus came out on top in that election, earning 58% of the vote in a low-turnout primary limited to residents of District A.

Salih and Moe secure At-Large seats

Mazahir Salih made her return to the Iowa City council, with the familiar name topping the charts in the At-Large race with 37% of the vote. Josh Moe nabbed 36% of the vote, narrowly beating out Mandi Remington for a spot on the council.

Salih, 50, spent four years on the council and was Iowa City's mayor pro tempore but opted not to run for reelection in 2021 as she focused on her role as executive director of the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa.

Salih was nervous on Election night, starting her campaign late in the election cycle, but said Tuesday's results were "amazing."

"I am really thankful for the voters [and] I heard a lot of people who while I was doing my campaign, they said, 'We are glad to see you back,'" Salih said. "That by itself was a positive thing for me."

She returns to the council alongside three large proponents of her top priority, affordable housing, hoping to build on the council's recent efforts to expand housing access in the area.

She has long been an advocate and voice for Iowa City's underprivileged communities in the area. Salih was believed to be the country's first Sudanese-American official elected to public office in 2017.

Moe, 41, is an architect with years of experience working with local governmental organizations, K-12 schools and higher education institutions. His campaign focused on four key priorities, including reinvesting in the city's community spaces, continuing efforts to increase housing affordability in the area, acting faster to mitigate the effects of climate change and continuing to foster a community that allows for the creation of desirable jobs.

"For a long time, I've wanted to serve and wanted to be in public service," Moe said. "So I feel like I've been sort of building up to this over the course of many, many years and I'm pretty proud that I get to do this and take the responsibility seriously."

Moe has also been a long-time local humanitarian, volunteering time with Habitat for Humanity, United Way and other local organizations dedicated to helping serve the community.

Remington only pulled in 27% of the vote.

Dunn prevails in District C

Councilor Andrew Dunn ran unopposed in District C for the spot vacated by two-term councilor John Thomas, a long-time commission member who announced he would not run for reelection in April.

Dunn earned 7,009 votes in the uncontested race.

Dunn, 25, was appointed by the council in January to fill the spot vacated by Janice Weiner, who won election to the Iowa Senate. He is hoping to continue focusing on being a representative and advocate for working people and their families on the council.

Dunn said he was excited to continue prioritizing the needs of working families, including keeping the costs of living, food, fuel, utilities and transportation down. He also felt he provides the council with a unique perspective on affordable housing as its only renter and he cannot wait to continue to work to address the everyday problems of residents of Iowa City.

"It really is probably the biggest honor of my life," Dunn said of his initial appointment and now reelection to the council. "I put a lot of value in the public trust and trust in my judgment. It really, for me, is an obligation."

His top priorities include reducing the cost of living for residents, continuing efforts to increase the affordability and sustainability of local transportation and increasing availability of quality jobs in Iowa City.

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: See who prevailed in the Iowa City City Council races