And the winner is…
On November 7, Ward 1 voters went to the polls to select a new city council member. This special election was set to fill the council seat vacated when Councilperson Indira Sheumaker resigned in early September. Sheumaker’s resignation came after six months of unexplained absences which garnered significant media attention and public outrage, and the election finally opened a pathway forward. As the results rolled in last night, however, I could not help but think that the real winner was the people of Ward 1.
The people of Ward 1 won because they will once again be properly represented on the city council. The city’s council was designed so that there would be a balance between the mayor and at-large members representing the interests of the whole city and the four dedicated representatives championing the needs of their specific wards. Since March 6, the people of Ward 1 have lacked this dedicated representative. While the at-large members, Connie Boesen and Carl Voss, did an admirable job responding to the needs of the people during this time, they were never intended to focus on the needs of the residents and businesses of Ward 1. This left us vulnerable to a variety of issues, but now that we have elected a representative, we have finally regained our dedicated voice on the council.
The people of Ward 1 won also because the campaign brought out six fantastic candidates. Each of these offered unique perspectives and tremendous insights into what needs to happen in our city. This truth was driven home to me as I moderated the Lower Beaver Neighborhood Association’s candidate forum Monday evening. Certainly, this forum helped me to determine who I would support, but the thing that impressed me most was the way all of the candidates respected each other, listened to each other, and even celebrated each other’s responses. More than once, both on and off stage, candidates commended their opponents and expressed the desire to work together even after the election to find solutions to our great city’s problems.
The people of Ward 1 won, lastly, because so many residents engaged in the process. In 2021, the winner of the Ward 1 seat received 2,502 votes. Yesterday, she would have placed third. In 2021, all three candidates combined for only 5,370 votes. Yesterday, a total of 8,369 people cast ballots in the Ward 1 election. This represents an almost 56% increase in voter turnout, and it will likely stand as one of the strongest voter turnouts for a local election in recent memory. More importantly, it means 56% more people paying attention to what is going on in their neighborhoods, learning about the issues that our city faces, and concerning themselves with the future of Des Moines. It means 56% more people working together to find solutions for the challenges we all face.
Indeed, our city does face some significant challenges. We are facing stiff competition from suburbs for businesses, residents, and amenities. While I celebrate the dramatic increase in diversity within our community, I must also recognize the accompanying challenges. Our transportation system is facing a sustainability crisis. The list goes on, and as we solve each of these challenges, new ones will appear.
But for today, let us celebrate the victory for Ward 1. We won not because a particular candidate won the election and will be seated on the council in the coming days, but because the people of Ward 1 came together and the future of Ward 1 and the city of Des Moines is brighter as a result.