A plea to my neighbors re: Councilwoman Sheumaker

Like many of my neighbors, I was pleased yesterday to read the letter shared by Mayor Cownie to Ward 1 Councilwoman Indira Sheumaker. Indeed, over the last two months, I have been an outspoken advocate for her to either resign or be removed. Given her ongoing extended absence, her failure to provide any indication of if or when she will return to the council chambers, and her failure to resign, I am finally convinced that her removal is the only path forward. I even celebrated news of the mayor’s letter. Since the mayor’s announcement, however, I have grown concerned by some of the vitriolic responses I have seen.

At this point in time, the only thing that matters is restoring full representation to the citizens of Ward 1. Therefore, I implore my neighbors and friends to do four things.

First, let us refrain from disparaging Councilwoman Sheumaker. In all seriousness, we do not know her current situation or disposition. We need not exacerbate things for her by speculating about her character or intentions. Instead, let us pray for her well-being. If you’re not a person of prayer, then please wish her well, send her positive vibes, or whatever you do.

Second, let us not debate her methods. This is not about whether her tactics advanced or undermined her objectives. That will be for historians to determine sometime far down the road.

Third, let us focus solely on what we know. That is, she has missed 58% of council functions over the last 12 months, including the last 22 consecutive meetings and work sessions. Since March, she has not attended any of her other roles where she represents the city. She has been unresponsive to many attempts to communicate with her on a variety of subjects. And to date, she has provided no indication of if or when she will be able to resume her duties as the elected councilperson from Ward 1. All of these things are a matter of public record.

Fourth, let us be mindful that we are entering murky legal waters. The city may be moving forward, but we must not overlook the fact that previous attempts to utilize Iowa Code 66.29 were overturned by courts. Having reviewed several of these cases, the courts were exactly right in their final rulings. Those actions were fueled by spite and sidestepped due process. Moreover, let us pray (or whatever you do) for our city council. Pray specifically that they will (a) have absolutely no ill-will toward Councilwoman Sheumaker, (b) seek wise counselors – and wisdom themselves – to navigate this process well, and (c) be singularly focused on restoring proper representation to Ward 1.

Finally, pray with me for the next councilperson for Ward 1. I have no inside information into what the council is thinking or planning, but however this all plays out, we do not need an opportunist or a loud-mouthed reactionary who is simply the antithesis of what we had. Rather, we need someone who will show up and is truly passionate about this part of the city and committed to working with people to accomplish its good. In fact, I pray the next councilperson from Ward 1 will continue to press some of the priorities of Councilwoman Sheumaker. We do need to find real solutions to houselessness. We do need DMPD to protect us from actual criminals rather than people whose skin is brown or are experiencing mental illness. We do need additional resources for persons experiencing mental illness and a wide variety of other situations. We do need to revitalize key portions of Ward 1 for the benefit of all its residents. And we do need to find ways to celebrate and unite the increasingly diverse population of NW Des Moines.

The fact of the matter is that it is profoundly encouraging that the city council is now potentially moving to act. Yet, we are still a long way from the goal. The next days and weeks have the potential to set a real precedent for our city, state, and even the nation. We all must play our part to ensure that precedent is done right and well.