Meet the four candidates running for Des Moines mayor in the 2023 election
Four candidates are vying for Des Moines mayor, including Connie Boesen, Denver Foote, Josh Mandelbaum and Chris W. Von Arx.
Longtime Mayor Frank Cownie has decided not to run for reelection.
The Des Moines Register asked each candidate to respond to questions on why they're running for mayor and the issues facing the city of Des Moines. Their answers may be lightly edited for clarity or length.
The election is Nov. 7.
More: How to vote in Iowa's 2023 city and school elections, including early voting and absentee ballots
Connie Boesen
AGE: 72
GREW UP: Des Moines
CURRENT HOME: Des Moines
EDUCATION: East High School, Grand View University, and Des Moines Area Community College
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Des Moines School Board, 2003-2017; Des Moines City Council at-large, 2018-present
Denver Foote
AGE: 27
GREW UP: Clear Lake, Iowa
CURRENT HOME: Drake neighborhood, Des Moines
EDUCATION: High school diploma and cosmetology license
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: This is my first time running for any political office. I have, however, worked as a community organizer for years. I was involved with the Bernie Sanders campaign and worked alongside the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement movement politics team during the last City Council elections. I am trained in grassroots organizing through People's Action.
Josh Mandelbaum
AGE: 44
GREW UP: Des Moines
CURRENT HOME: Des Moines
EDUCATION: Roosevelt High School, Brown University, University of Iowa College of Law
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Des Moines City Council Ward 3, 2018 to present; policy advisor to Gov. Tom Vilsack and Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson, 2003-2006; Environmental Law and Policy Center, 2012 to present, staff/senior attorney; vice chair of DART Commission, 2019 to present; chair of Homeless Coordinating Council, 2021 to present; Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Committee, 2018 to 2020, 2022 to present; Greater Des Moines Partnership Board, 2020 present; Downtown Board, 2020 to present; Metro Waste Authority Board, 2018-2019; Greater Des Moines Jewish Federation Board, 2017 to present.
Chris W. Von Arx
AGE: 28
GREW UP: Caledonia, Minnesota
CURRENT HOME: Des Moines
EDUCATION: Caledonia High School
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: N/A
Why are you running?
Connie Boesen: I care deeply about our city and I know we have a lot to be proud of here in Des Moines. I’m running for mayor because I know there are challenges ahead of us that demand an experienced leader who can bring our community together. We need to improve community safety, make sure our neighborhoods are affordable and livable, fight for high-quality public schools, and protect the rights and freedoms of everyone in Des Moines. I believe I’m the best candidate to do that, just as I have on the City Council and School Board.
Denver Foote: I am running for mayor because I feel a huge urgency to protect our most underserved communities, not just in this city but in this state. As many folks' bodily autonomy gets stripped across this state we need to be aggressive in protecting them locally. Also, my lived experiences as a person of color, someone who is non binary, from a working poor family, a renter and Medicaid recipient, I understand personally what these communities are experiencing.
Josh Mandelbaum: I have a strong connection to Des Moines. I grew up in this community and attended the same public schools that my children now attend. I’m running to create a community that works better for everyone and provides opportunity to everyone. Des Moines has to lead in demonstrating how we create a place where everyone is included and accepted. We are at a moment of generational change that requires a different kind of leadership for Des Moines than we have needed in the past, and that is why I am running for mayor.
Chris W. Von Arx: Out of responsibility in thinking that I'm the only electable candidate that will lower property taxes, solve the homeless crisis, and that will end the teaching of gender studies and sexual education to young children in schools.
More: Who is running for mayor, Des Moines City Council seats? A look at the 2023 election candidates
What is the biggest issue facing your community and how would you address it?
Connie Boesen: Des Moines is at an important moment where we need to make sure our growth and progress brings everyone along, regardless of where you live or who you are. Addressing this challenge takes responsible economic development, including investments in small businesses and working with larger employers to bring more jobs to Des Moines that can support families and economic growth. It also means investing in affordable housing, proven solutions to address public safety and mental health challenges, and giving every neighborhood tools to succeed.
Denver Foote: I believe the biggest issue in this city is that our much-needed community services are unable to keep up with the growing demand of housing, food, transit and care. The city commissions and boards that are in place currently do not receive the funding they need. I believe Des Moines can be a safe haven, but we also need to fund it. Currently, the Des Moines Police Department makes up almost 40% of the budget. We must reallocate funds from the DMPD's bloated budget into much-needed systems of care. Through this we can re-envision public safety.
Josh Mandelbaum: Housing is the greatest challenge facing our city because it is connected to so many core issues. Housing is fundamental to creating a community that provides opportunity because if someone cannot find housing that meets their needs at a price they can afford than so much else is out of reach. Housing is critical to our ability to grow as a community, create strong vibrant neighborhoods and strengthen our downtown as it emerges from the pandemic. We need to build more housing of all types, at all price points with a particular focus on workforce and affordable housing.
Chris W. Von Arx: Homelessness, rising crime rates and the exorbitant costs of living.
How would you work with community leaders, developers and stakeholders to improve access to affordable housing in Des Moines?
Connie Boesen: I’ve been proud to work on this issue on the City Council because it’s critical to the future of our city. We need to work with developers to incentivize lower rents, while still increasing housing capacity in the city. But we also need to find innovative solutions by continuing to partner with Home Inc., Habitat for Humanity, Polk County Housing Trust Fund and other organizations that are helping meet the demand for affordable housing. Programs like ION (Improving Our Neighborhoods) are also helping maintain older homes, keeping them in good condition for more safe and affordable housing options.
Denver Foote: We must work with community leaders and activists to organize a tenants union. Kansas City has an extremely strong union and we can look into their steps of making it possible. As someone who is a renter, I understand how hard it is to access affordable housing. Des Moines must hold landlords and developers accountable by investing in commissions and boards that are directly helping community members who are victims of predatory landlordship, also by enforcing more city inspections.
Josh Mandelbaum: There are two key steps to improving access to affordable housing. One, we need to work with the community and stakeholders to identify policy changes (e.g. lot size, design requirements, zoning barriers) to facilitate affordable housing. For example, our zoning ordinance should facilitate density and affordability in our downtown and along transit corridors and create opportunities for missing middle housing options (townhomes, ADUs, duplexes). Two, we need to work with developers to incorporate an affordability component on any new project with city incentives so that affordable housing is integrated throughout our community and not isolated.
Chris W. Von Arx: I would condone their business, by not imposing needless regulations and tax raises, I would maybe encourage some to run for City Council.
More: Who is running for Des Moines School Board? A look at the 2023 candidates
How do you envision the future of public safety in the city and would you support a citizens' review board that would provide some oversight to the Des Moines Police Department?
Connie Boesen: We need to make sure everyone in Des Moines feels safe, respected, and a part of this community. I support investing in public safety programs that are proven to work, like the city’s mental health and crisis response programs that are addressing the root causes of violence and creating alternatives to the criminal justice system. We also have to invest in neighborhood policing and make sure first responders have the tools they need. I support a citizens’ review board and we are already working to find the most effective way to implement it in the city.
Denver Foote: I fully support a citizens' review board to help oversee DMPD. We also need regular third party reviews looking into the police force and reporting it to this board and to the council. I believe that policing should be more public, no more cops in plain clothes or unmarked vehicles. I believe that police respond to violence and do not stop it. DMPD currently makes up almost 40% of the city's budget. It is time we start funding community resources so folks do not feel the need to fall into violence.
Josh Mandelbaum: We should be working to continuously improve the way we provide public safety services in our community. We know that many of the public safety calls that we receive are not criminal in nature. I support increasing the number of public safety mental health and social workers we have to respond to more public safety calls the right way the first time. Another important way to improve service is to increase transparency and accountability. This means continuing to improve our data practices as well as creating a civilian review board to provide oversight and accountability to our police.
Chris W. Von Arx: I think that if everything was more affordable and there wasn't a homeless crisis that most of the problems would go away. I'd be fine with a citizens' review board, but I've worked with many policemen in Des Moines and they do their jobs extraordinarily well. The Des Moines police are not the problem.
What are the steps you would take to reduce barriers to shelter and help community members experiencing homelessness improve their chances of finding stable, permanent housing?
Connie Boesen: Addressing homelessness is a real challenge facing Des Moines right now. I’m proud of the steps we’ve taken on the City Council to improve coordination among agencies and identify these barriers so we can better serve homeless individuals. I think we need to increase awareness of the existing programs that are available, but also reduce the stigma surrounding homelessness so that those who are in need feel comfortable coming to these programs and finding a path toward permanent housing. The Monarch, which is being developed by Anawim, could serve as a model for transitioning people from homelessness to permanent housing.
Denver Foote: Houselessness in this city is viewed as criminal by our local police force. During extreme temperatures, DMPD still bulldozes houseless camps. These camps are shelter for these folks when they cannot get into a center. We must freeze these inhumane evictions. We also need to, as a city, invest in more transitional housing and non judgemental houseless centers. We must look at the core reason why people are houseless, because our current initiatives are inaccessible and unable to keep up with the growing demand. We also need to create 24/7 warming and cooling centers.
Josh Mandelbaum: As chair of the Homeless Coordinating Council, we partnered with Drake University to conduct an unsheltered study to reflect the perspective of homeless in our community. The study highlights that we need a multifaceted approach that includes more street outreach to connect people to services, accommodations for pets and storage, additional/different shelter options such as non-congregate and women’s only options, and more permanent supportive housing. I advocated for the Monarch apartments project, which recently started construction to convert an old hotel on a transit line into 40 units of permanent supportive housing, and we should replicate it several times over.
Chris W. Von Arx: I would organize for there to be a patch of land where they could be brought to with lots of fancy tents and psychiatrists whose specialty is in the most common issues that the homeless people face where they can receive all the treatment they want. And again, if property taxes were cheaper there'd be more affordable housing.
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.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Four candidates are running for Des Moines mayor in the 2023 election
