Mayoral candidates share visions for Des Moines' future; discuss policing, homelessness

Three mayoral hopefuls shared their vision for Des Moines' future Tuesday night in the first forum of the campaign and answered questions about issues such as policing, homelessness and the council's communication with the community.

At-large Council Member Connie Boesen, cosmetologist and activist Denver Foote and Council Member Josh Mandelbaum gathered at the Iowa Unity Coalition office in northeast Des Moines to woo voters and address some of the city's biggest challenges. The coalition, which hosted the forum, is a political action committee that works to build political power within diverse and underrepresented communities across the state, and the Indo American PAC.

Mayor Frank Cownie was not present. Chairperson Mitch Henry said the coalition invited only candidates who have both publicly announced a campaign and filed a statement of organization. Cownie has not said whether he will seek reelection, but filed a statement of organization for a mayoral campaign earlier this year. Candidates can begin filing nomination papers to the Des Moines city clerk on Aug. 28, with a deadline of 5 p.m. Sept. 21. The election is Tuesday, Nov. 7.

On Thursday, the coalition endorsed Mandelbaum for mayor based on coalition members' votes following the debate.

"We believe Mr. Mandelbaum has shown a strong commitment to eliminating inequities for the diverse communities in Des Moines," according to a release from the coalition. "He has been a voice for progressive policies that help working people. We support his vision for a better Des Moines by ensuring everyone has full access to city resources and services."

About 100 people attended the 90-minute forum, where the candidates were offered 90-second opening and closing remarks. A committee board member, as well as panelists, peppered the candidates with questions. Here are the candidates and a sample of the questions that were asked:

Which candidates participated, and why are they running?

Boesen told the Des Moines Register she brings a "wealth of experience" and a new vision of what the city should be. She said she would tackle the city's more "critical needs," including livability issues, public safety, education, economic vitality and neighborhood redevelopment.

Mandelbaum, who represents the city's downtown core, told the Register his motivation to run for the seat came from his hope to build a better future for his children. He said the top issues he would tackle as mayor include climate, city growth, affordable housing and public safety.

Foote, who uses they/them pronouns, is running to make the city "a place for everyone." They said they want to cut the police department budget, decriminalize marijuana, disband the department's special enforcement team and eliminate unmarked police cars.

Policing: Improving culture, adding a citizens review board

Panelist Dana James noted that Des Moines Police Department officers have been accused of biased traffic stops and have refused to cooperate with community activists. James asked what concrete steps the candidates would take as mayor to improve the Des Moines Police Department's culture. James also asked if the candidates would support a citizens review board.

Boesen advocated for a "fair community." She pointed to existing efforts such as the city's passage of a racial profiling ban and its contract with 21st Century, a consultant hired to review the department's policies. Boesen also called for support of officers to ensure they have the best training to do their jobs effectively. As far as a citizens review board, Boesen said the city is working on the "best mechanism" to put the board in place.

Foote called for a "freeze" in the Des Moines Police Department's budget and pointed to disparities between the amount allocated to the police department — 40% of the budget — compared to other departments such as the Civil and Human Rights Commission, which makes up about 0.5%. Foote said they were in support of a review board, adding that police reviews should occur consistently. Foote advocated for eliminating undercover police and said officers need more de-escalation training.

Mandelbaum said while police officers, firefighters and first responders should be supported, public safety needs to be approached "differently," pointing to solutions like "de-escalation culture" and taking another look at the department's use-of-force policies. Mandelbaum said data should be used to inform policy to ban racial profiling, adding the city has begun collecting data on each call. He said he supports implementing a community review board similar to one used in Cedar Rapids and using it to the extent allowed by current laws.

Accessibility: Improving communication with community members

Panelist Maria Alonso asked the candidates how they would eliminate the disparity in the dissemination of information to non-English speakers.

Mandelbaum said the city does a "mediocre" job of translating information into Spanish, and said the city needs to work on translating its website and newsletters into multiple languages to make information accessible to all community members. Language interpreting services should be available for community members who want to interact with city staff, he said.

Boesen agreed the city needs to translate all city communications into different languages and added the city should work with schools and universities to continue providing English classes to immigrants and refugees.

Foote called accessibility in Des Moines "inadequate at best" and cited the lack of accessibility at council meetings, asking why they are not hybrid, which would allow community members to take part online as well as in person. They also took issue with agendas being presented only in English and not being translated into different languages, "so people do not know what's going on with our current City Council." In addition, Foote called for creating more city jobs and having more staff members in the field communicating with residents regarding their needs for safety, accessibility, transit and housing.

Homelessness: Creating more affordable housing

Panelist Naomi Lawson, who pointed to a growing number of homeless people in the community, asked how the city can make living spaces more affordable across the city.

Foote said the city needs to hold developers accountable. Foote pointed to their experience in working with mutual aid and hearing stories from homeless individuals camping in the city. They advocated for creating more "nonjudgmental" housing centers, where people can get connected to jobs and transit, as well as expanding the percentage of affordable housing in the city.

Mandelbaum said the city needs to focus on eliminating existing barriers for people experiencing homelessness and create housing of "all price points." He said he was proud of the city's collaboration with Drake University on an unsheltered study, which asked people experiencing homelessness what their barriers were in accessing shelters in the city. The study found a need for women's and family shelters. He also pointed out his support of the Monarch Apartments project, a former hotel that will be converted into permanent supportive housing. We "need to get that project completed and then replicate that," he said.

Boesen also said barriers for people seeking shelter should be reduced and the Monarch project should be replicated. She added that the city should do more case management, by talking to people experiencing homelessness and understanding what their needs are. She lauded Primary Health Care, which provides medical and dental services regardless of ability to pay, and other outreach efforts, and said more resources should be available to address medical needs. The best way to help people, she added, is to get them into permanent supportive housing.

More: Who is running for Des Moines City Council, mayor? A look at the 2023 election candidates

What seats are open in Des Moines?

Three additional seats on the Des Moines City Council are up for election this year, including an at-large member and representatives for Ward 2 in the city's northeast side and Ward 4 in the southeast side.

It will be the first year new ward maps, approved late in 2021, go into effect.

Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.

Editor's note: This article was updated to reflect the Iowa Unity Coalition's endorsement, to clarify that Mayor Frank Cownie was not invited to the forum and why, and to revise the attendance figure.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines mayoral candidates share their visions for city's future