Connect with us

Iowa

What is Iowa City’s Charter Review Commission and what can it do?

Published

on

What is Iowa City’s Charter Review Commission and what can it do?


Iowa City’s governmental structure is up for a performance review.

Iowa City’s Charter Review Commission examines the city’s charter every 10 years, the guiding principles that establish the specific details of Iowa City’s government. 

The minimum nine-person commission includes six women and three men, many of whom hold or have held roles in city government or area organizations. 

The members begin their terms on April 1 and have no more than one year to review and suggest alterations to the city charter.

Advertisement

What is the Home Rule Charter

The Home Rule Charter is essentially the city’s constitution, which establishes the powers of city officials and guiding principles of its city operation, from elections, boards and commissions, council and more. The document begins with a direct statement: “This city has all powers possible under the constitution and laws of this state.”

Iowa City residents voted to approve the current form of local government in 1973 and it went into effect with a 1976 ordinance. Read the full document at https://www.icgov.org/government/city-charter.

Who is on this edition of the review commission?

The commission members appointed by the city are:

  • John Balmer, a former Iowa City councilor and Chair of the first Charter Review Commission in 1984
  • Susan Craig, the former director of the Iowa City Public Library and League of Women Voters member
  • John Deeth, an employee of the Johnson County Auditor with several decades of experience working elections
  • Gerene Denning, the former chair of the Johnson County Democratic Party
  • Mackenzie DeRoo, the senior director of advocacy for Greater Iowa City, Inc.
  • Molly Kucera, associate director of the University of Iowa Health Care’s ambulatory surgery center
  • Bijou Maliabo, a funeral assistant and board member for the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa
  • Jennifer Patel, the voter registration coordinator for the League of Women Voters
  • Andre Wright, an activist and the founder of the Wright House of Fashion

The council opted against adhering to a gender balance standard, as is common practice on many of the city’s boards and commissions. Councilor Megan Alter spurred that effort. The last two charter commissions, established in 2014 and 2004, had a five-to-four gender balance between men and women though Alter indicated that had not typically been the case through the years. 

State law also mandates a gender balance on several boards and commissions required by the state, but that does not apply to the charter commission, a relatively unique board in the state of Iowa.

Advertisement

The role of the Charter Review Commission

The charter has been amended in relatively small ways over the years, with one significant change in 2024.

Some commission members indicated they would be open to altering the city’s ruling body and the mayoral election, according to interview notes taken by Councilor Andrew Dunn.

Currently, the mayor is selected by a council vote after winning an election to one of the council seats. Some commissioners said they’d heard or personally objected to the current process because a public vote does not decide the mayor.

Others referenced how districts elect council members and suggested changing the charter to ensure that only voters in specific council districts could vote for the candidates for that seat. Currently, the entire city elects the three district-specific seats.

The commission’s first meeting is expected to be held in the spring.

Advertisement

Any structural changes must be presented for public input and approved by the city council by spring 2025.

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.



Source link

Iowa

Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)

Published

on

Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)


Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for April 13-18. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 26. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:

Taylor Roose, Pella boys track and field

Advertisement

Roose competed in three events at the Norwalk Invitational, winning all three in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.

Daxon Kiesau, Urbandale boys track and field

Kiesau swept the throwing events at the Norwalk Invitational, taking first place in the shot put and the discus.

Advertisement

Alex Burger, Southeast Valley boys track and field

Competing at home, Burger dominated, earning four gold medals. He won the 400-meter hurdles and the long jump while running on the winning 4×200-meter relay and shuttle hurdle relay.

Advertisement

Kolby Hodnefield, Clear Lake boys track and field

Hodenfield, a defending state champion, broke the meet, venue and school record in the 200 and the 400 at the Clear Lake Invitational. He added victories as part of the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. Both relays also set meet records.

Easton Moon, North Polk boys tennis

Moon has started off his senior season on the courts unbeaten, winning all four matches while dropping just one game in 44 played.

Ava Lohrbach, Gilbert girls golf

Advertisement

One of the top golfers in the state, Lohrbach has had a hot start, firing a 35 in her nine-hole debut and a 72 for her 18-hole opener.

Nathan Manske, Algona boys golf

An elite quarterback and basketball player, Manske is showing his golfing skills this spring, coming out with a state-low 30 in a nine-hole event.

Advertisement

Ella Hein, Tipton girls track and field

Hein set school records in the 400-meter run and long jump at the Tiger/Tigerette Relays while also locking in the Blue Standard and qualifying for the Drake Relays. She won the long jump (18-6) and was second in the 400.

Advertisement

Maeve Bowen-Burt, Iowa City High girls track and field

The sophomore helped the Little Hawks land three Drake Relays events on the last night of qualifying, advancing in the 400 hurdles, along with the sprint medley and 4×400 relays.

About Our Athlete of the Week Voting

High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.

Add us as a preferred source on Google



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Iowa

Houston icon George Foreman laid to rest in Iowa, drawn by a peaceful 1988 visit

Published

on

Houston icon George Foreman laid to rest in Iowa, drawn by a peaceful 1988 visit


The late boxing great George Foreman lies buried in a cemetery in the northwestern corner of Iowa – a place he has no connection to outside of a lone visit to the region nearly 40 years ago.

Foreman died March 21, 2025, at the age of 76 in Houston and was buried in Logan Park Cemetery at Sioux City, Iowa, a month later, city officials confirmed. Foreman’s family returned Thursday to his burial site, holding a news conference with Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott to reveal Foreman’s burial place, marked by a large monument that bears an image of him as a teen following his Olympic gold medal boxing win.

The family explained in a statement released by Sioux City officials that he had visited the Iowa city in 1988, and often recalled the sense of peace he experienced there.

After traveling to the city on April 17 last year to bury Foreman, his family said they immediately understood the region’s appeal.

Advertisement

“Our father lived a life of purpose, faith and gratitude,” the family said in a statement released by Sioux City officials. “To see him laid to rest in a place that brought him peace means everything to us.”

Scott joined the family at Foreman’s monument that lies just a few miles north of the Missouri River in an upper Midwest city of nearly 87,000 people. The cemetery overlooks the scenic Loess Hills, created by windblown silt deposits that reach up to 200 feet high (about 61 meters) and line the river along the Iowa border for 200 miles (322 kilometers).

“Their story is a reminder of how one place can stay with someone for a lifetime,” Scott said.

A native Texan, Foreman rose to fame when he made the 1968 U.S. Olympic boxing team, winning gold in Mexico City. He became the heavyweight champion of the world in 1973 by defeating the great Joe Frazier, only to lose the title a year later to Muhammad Ali in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle.”

A full 20 years later in 1994, Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship at 45, defeating Michael Moorer in an epic upset.

Advertisement

Foreman retired in 1997 with a 76-5 career record.

He then moved on to the next chapter in his life as a businessman, pitchman and occasional actor, becoming known to a new generation as the face of the George Foreman Grill. The simple cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and brought him more wealth than boxing.

A biographical movie based on Foreman’s life was released in 2023.

Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Iowa

GOP governor candidate Zach Lahn pitches Iowa-first platform at Dubuque town hall

Published

on

GOP governor candidate Zach Lahn pitches Iowa-first platform at Dubuque town hall


DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) — About 50 Iowans braved the threat of severe storms to hear from Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn at his town hall in Dubuque Friday night.

Lahn, a farmer and businessman, said his campaign is about solving the long-term systemic issues facing Iowans.

One priority is addressing what Lahn calls a cancer crisis in Iowa, as the state has the second-highest cancer rate in the country. Solving the crisis means ensuring Iowans have access to clean, nitrate-free drinking water, working with farmers to reduce agricultural runoff.

“Iowans are just ready for something that they should be able to count on, like clean drinking water,” Lahn said. “We have ways to clean up the drinking water in Iowa that isn’t on the backs of farmers, but is working alongside with them because they’re drinking the water too, and they want to do what’s right.”

Advertisement

Lahn also wants to stop Iowa’s “brain drain,” as more of Iowa’s college graduates left the state for opportunities elsewhere.

“Don’t leave! Give me some time! I’m going to fight to keep you here,” Lahn said. “I was one of these kids. I thought I had to leave the state to find something better. We have to prioritize Iowa’s incentive dollars to make sure they’re going to grow Iowa businesses that are going to be here for the long haul, so our kids have places to work.”

Running a distinct campaign feels challenging this election, as Lahn is one of five GOP candidates who want to be Iowa’s next governor, facing U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, former Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen, state Rep. Eddie Andrews and former state Rep. Brad Sherman.

Iowa Auditor Rob Sand is the only Democrat running for the state’s top office.

Lahn said he stands out by promising Iowa will be for Iowans, pledging to ban the use of eminent domain for private gain and tax out-of-state landowners and data centers at higher rates to lower property taxes.

Advertisement

“It always goes back to follow the money, so when it comes to not being a weak-kneed Republican today, I believe the paramount piece of that is answering only to the citizens of Iowa, not to special interests to pad their bottom line, but what’s best for the people of Iowa,” Lahn said.

Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending