Des Moines mayor race candidates share stances on key issues. Where do they vary?

Des Moines mayoral candidate Josh Mandelbaum grew up going to opponent Connie Boesen's Applishus stand at the Iowa State Fair. At 24, he knocked on doors for her Des Moines School Board campaign.

"I've known Connie since I was, you know, yea big," Mandelbaum told the Des Moines Register.

Boesen also remembers a young Mandelbaum, and recalls his father working with her at the old downtown Younkers.

The two mayoral candidates, who also face cosmetologist Denver Foote and security guard Chris W. Von Arx for the city's top spot, not only have intertwined histories but also deep-rooted knowledge of Des Moines. Each of the two has served on the City Council for the past six years and has taken similar stances — at least at a surface level — on core issues like affordable housing, climate change, city growth and public safety. That's left some community members scratching their heads about what sets them apart.

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Both candidates believe in attracting youth and businesses while working to keep young families in the city. Both have stated their support for the Des Moines Police Department, but agree the city needs to hire more social workers to respond to mental health crises instead of police. Both have publicly expressed they're willing to compromise with their council colleagues to get plans accomplished.

And at an NAACP-hosted candidate forum Tuesday, when asked which current council member they most closely have aligned with, Boesen and Mandelbaum chose each other.

Records show that while Mandelbaum is more likely to vote against the grain than Boesen, both align with their colleagues on the vast majority of items that appear on City Council agendas. In council meetings from Jan. 10, 2022, to Sept. 11, 2023, Mandelbaum broke off from the rest of the council 10 times and Boesen did once, according to a Register analysis of meeting minutes. The council took 2,130 votes during that time.

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In June, Mandelbaum voted against the city resigning its membership with the Mid-Iowa Planning Alliance for Community Development, an organization that works to support metro counties' economic development. Boesen, in November, voted against denying an appeal by the First Assembly of God Church on Merle Hay Road, which had asked the city not to require screening of rooftop mechanical equipment.

But their differences largely boil down to whether state issues have a place in city politics. Mandelbaum has repeatedly advocated for the city to voice its stance on broader statewide issues such as reproductive rights and gun safety, and says he's already shown that commitment through proposed policies and ordinances as a council member. While Boesen has supported some of these policies, she largely believes some of these issues — including abortion rights — aren't within the city's purview.

These two schools of thought have risen to prominence in both campaigns and recently reached a breaking point when three sitting council members decided to take sides. Joe Gatto, Carl Voss and Linda Westergaard announced Tuesday they were endorsing Boesen. Voss and Westergaard told the Register they believe decisions surrounding issues such as reproductive health have no place in City Hall. Mayor Frank Cownie, who decided not to seek a sixth term, told the Register he's currently not endorsing a candidate.

In a more slogan-like contrast, at 44, Mandelbaum says he's a candidate who represents "generational" change — Cownie is 75 and Boesen is 72 — and also notes he's the only sitting council member who currently has children who attend Des Moines Public Schools. Boesen, who often draws on her east-side origins and experience on the school board, says community members are itching to see a woman in the mayor's office.

The election is set for Nov. 7. Early voting began Wednesday.

What resolutions have Boesen and Mandelbaum introduced, supported?

While the candidates often vote similarly, they differ on some of the issues they've supported or resolutions they've introduced. One conflicting resolution that has risen to the surface during the election focused on reproductive health care.

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned landmark abortion rights cases Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which established and protected a constitutional right to abortion, Mandelbaum, in a preemptive move, drafted a resolution to safeguard access to abortion for Des Moines residents in case Iowa further restricted the procedure. He told council members a resolution would signal to the community that Des Moines is not idly standing by.

The resolution listed four protections, which included limiting police and city officials' ability to investigate a person for accessing or providing abortions in Des Moines. Most council members, including Boesen, maintained that regulating abortion care should be left to state and federal government and ultimately voted against holding a discussion about the proposal.

Since Iowa's Legislature passed a six-week abortion ban this year, the issue has not formally come up on the council, but it's become one of Mandelbaum's core campaign tenets.

Boesen says she stands by her position from last year, and questions whether the proposal was brought forward to help people or if it was simply a political statement. As a woman who once had to "make a choice," she said the insinuation that she doesn't support abortion rights because she didn't approve of the council discussing the issue is "disappointing."

"I'm the woman in this race who's had to make a choice. I chose the (path of) mother getting married, quit school to work full-time at Younkers," said Boesen, who later was a single mother for 13 years. "So I don't need a man telling me I don't support reproductive rights and women's right to choose."

Mandelbaum counters that anyone who says the city can't enact these types of proposals is being "dishonest" with the public.

"Now if what they really mean is we shouldn't because the state will retaliate … that can be your position. If that's your position, you should tell the public," he said. "I think sometimes people say 'we can't do things' when they really mean 'I don't want to do these things.'"

Mandelbaum says the city's stance on reproductive rights is just one of the many issues where Des Moines should be firm.

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In 2019, Mandelbaum, along with a few Polk County supervisors, asked their staffs to explore bans on certain gun accessories such as high-capacity magazines and bump stocks just days after a public works employee killed 12 people at a city building in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The City Council ultimately decided not to adopt any restrictions on firearm accessories after hearing stiff opposition from area gun owners and other council members.

In 2021, Mandelbaum introduced the 24/7 clean energy resolution, which sets a timeline for several milestones in the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources including wind and solar power. Boesen supported it. The council unanimously passed the resolution.

Each has helped shape police reform resolutions and actions. For her part, Boesen says she asked for a third-party review of the police department, an effort that led to the council in 2022 hiring 21CP Solutions, a consulting firm that conducts assessments of police policies, procedures and training. Working with civil rights organizers and groups like Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, she and Mandelbaum, in 2020, led a racial profiling ban and sponsored a resolution that created a marijuana task force — a group that studied marijuana decriminalization. Both passed unanimously.

The City Council later declined the task force's recommendation to make marijuana possession the lowest enforcement priority for police, although Mandelbaum has said the council should have done so. Police Chief Dana Wingert said at the time that the department would not be compelled to follow city policies that conflict with state law. Boesen, who at the time said she was concerned the city didn't have participation from the police department, told the Register recently that while she agrees with the recommendation "in principle," there needs to be work done to ensure the city is following the law. She said the city has put it on its "legislative priority."

Boesen brought forward a conflict of interest policy in 2021, which prohibits council members from voting on items involving their own financial interests and their immediate families, and from accessing programs with limited city funding. Mandelbaum supported it. The policy passed in a 4-3 vote.

During her campaign, Boesen has unofficially called for a property maintenance ordinance, which would "hold property owners accountable for the maintenance of their properties." She has not formally introduced an ordinance.

Boesen wants to 'bring pride' back to Des Moines neighborhoods

Boesen says her goal as mayor would be to bring pride back into Des Moines neighborhoods, largely through redeveloping and strengthening housing and businesses. If elected, Boesen says she also wants to tackle livability issues and public safety.

Many of these campaign priorities can be traced back to her first love — education.

Boesen, who served on the Des Moines School Board for 14 years, says it was her passion for schools that drove her to run for the City Council at-large seat in 2017. The council lacked a "strong voice" supporting schools, she said.

"If we don't have strong schools, it hurts this community," she said.

She pointed to recent success in advocating for giving nearly $4 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars to Des Moines Public Schools to add six preschool classrooms and "wrap-around" day care services, allowing an additional 120 children from low-income families to attend full-day preschool.

Boesen says she is most proud of working with organizations like Invest DSM and the Improving Our Neighborhoods program to reinvest and increase value in neighborhood nodes, an effort that has helped stabilize and revive them. She says she wants to continue that work as mayor, saying that she carries the ION program brochure while door-knocking.

"If we're going to say the neighborhoods are important, then we as a city need to support them," she said.

Like Mandelbaum, Boesen wants to see more missing middle housing such as duplexes and four-unit buildings. She also wants to make it easier for small businesses to thrive and is a strong proponent of "aggressively" recruiting people and businesses to Des Moines.

"We can't put barriers that could impede development," she said. "Especially in this cost-of-goods environment, interest rates environment, how do we say ... 'We're open for business'?"

While so much of the work on the council is about the day-to-day, Boesen also says she sees the role of the mayor as setting long-term goals, or "key performance indicators" and then making sure the council is working with city staff to hit those targets. She says long-term plans like MoveDSM, which shows how the city's streets and transportation system could evolve over the next quarter-century, and PlanDSM, which outlines policy for efforts such as land use decisions and prioritizing capital projects, should be revised and updated to ensure they still align with the city's goals.

"We need to see the vision and the direction and let them do their jobs and then hold them accountable to hit the goals that we set," she said of the city staff.

Mandelbaum: Mayor sets vision, trajectory of council

Mandelbaum says he is at a different stage in life from not just his opponent, but everyone on the council. As a father with two young children, ages 7 and 9, he says the prospect of bettering their futures is what motivated him to run for the mayor's seat.

Mandelbaum, who worked as a policy adviser to Gov. Tom Vilsack and Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson and now works as an environmental attorney at a nonprofit, has tapped into his policy and advocacy background while serving on the council as Des Moines' Ward 3 representative. He says effecting change through policy is crucial, even if means standing up to special interest groups.

"I think that shapes you," he said. "I think that's a really hard thing for elected officials."

Mandelbaum, who has cited housing, city growth, climate and public safety as his top priorities, said he talks about solutions to city issues "more directly" than Boesen, adding he's more specific when it comes to the policies and ideas he would implement.

"There are a lot of times when council member Boesen and I talk at a high level the same, but then if you pull it out, I'm willing to commit to ... specific policies in very specific ways," he said.

For example, while both he and Boesen support hiring more mental health workers to respond to police calls, Mandelbaum said he talks about how any new public safety dollars should go toward mental health and social workers.

When asked about some of his proudest accomplishments so far on the council, Mandelbaum is quick to list multiple initiatives, such as the 24/7 clean energy plan, "record investments in infrastructure" and Vision Zero, a plan that aims to cut traffic fatalities.

Mandelbaum sees the role of mayor as someone who sets the vision, trajectory and goals of the council. He says more conversations need to happen around issues such as affordable housing and transit, as well as public accessibility to City Council meetings. He said he is committed to proposing changes such as holding public comment at the start of the council meetings, instead of at the end, and increasing public speaking time from two to five minutes.

"But it's also about standing up on broader conversations," he says. "It's everything from we should have been more active and vocal as a city on the school voucher bill to standing up on reproductive freedom and LGBTQ rights. We need to be a voice for our residents in those debates, and we need to be part of it."

Mayoral opponents Foote, Von Arx weigh in on policies

If elected, candidate Denver Foote, who uses they/them pronouns, says they would push for rescinding procedural rules enacted by the council that have "silenced" fellow council members and constituents, such as limiting public speaking time. Foote says they would enact ordinances to make council meetings more accessible, such as implementing "hybrid" meetings where community members can participate remotely, and having city officials canvass people at their homes to get input on city decisions.

They also would work on statements and policies that show the city stands by and protects people who are being "oppressed" with laws created at the Iowa Capitol such as those involving "trans, queer and people with bodily autonomy"; would propose policies to hold landlords accountable, including requiring a rent cap; and would work to make the city budget approval process more transparent.

Foote said they also would make sure a citizen review board of the Des Moines Police Department is quickly enacted.

If elected, Chris W. Von Arx says he would like to push forward resolutions or policies that have to do with security, privacy and homelessness. For example, Von Arx says he would promote more awareness of doxxing, the act of revealing personal information online about a person without their permission.

He said he'd also like to introduce what he calls "homeless inhabitation rediscovery," which would be a patch of rented land where people experiencing homelessness could get connected to doctors and rehabilitation services.

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Community leaders, residents weigh in on candidates' records

Downtown Neighborhood Association President Brandon Brown says that while he more often interacts with Mandelbaum because he represents the downtown core, he's had an opportunity to get to know Boesen as an at-large representative as well.

In working with both on downtown issues, he describes Mandelbaum as "policy-driven," "diplomatic" and someone who makes sure the plans he develops are "articulate and fair." Boesen, he says, leads with her heart, is "thoughtful" and won't "pull any punches."

But at the end of the day, Boesen and Mandelbaum will each appeal to voters in their own way, he said.

"So it really, as a voter, you have to identify what are your priorities for your candidate," Brown said. "And like I said, if it's something that's diplomatic and policy-driven, it seems like Josh would be your candidate. And if somebody you want to sit down and have that beer with and listen to someone talk from their heart and their experience, then you know, Connie, may be that person."

George Davis, president of the Southwestern Hills Neighborhood Association, also in Mandelbaum's district, recently listened to candidates at a mayoral forum at Brody Middle School.

Both are similar in many ways, but each person has their strengths, he said. Davis said he appreciated a comment from Boesen on how she would work to support small businesses coming into the city. He also liked one of Mandelbaum's statements about improving funding and operations of the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority.

"I think that we're very fortunate that we have two excellent candidates running for mayor," Davis said, speaking about Boesen and Mandelbaum.

Sharon Zanders-Ackiss, racial justice and equity director for Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, or ICCI, says in their roles as council members, Boesen and Mandelbaum have worked to build trust with the organization. But in the end, both are limited by what they can pass as individuals.

"Really, you're there in those positions to work for the people," Zanders-Ackiss said. "I think both of them will, in all honesty. They do work for the people. But again, they know what limitations they have."

What will happen if Boesen or Mandelbaum is elected?

The at-large or Ward 3 seat on Des Moines City Council will be left vacant if either Boesen or Mandelbaum is elected mayor. The City Council will have to decide whether to appoint someone or call a special election to fill the vacancy, according to Jamie Fitzgerald, Polk County auditor.

Des Moines Register reporter Tim Webber contributed to this story.

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: Where Des Moines mayor candidates stand on key issues ahead of election