Mazahir Salih sworn in early for Iowa City council’s final two 2023 meetings

Mazahir Salih made her return to the Iowa City council a tad early thanks to an obscure procedural rule.

Salih was victorious in Nov. 7’s At-Large election and because of state provisions, she’ll assume her seat for Tuesday’s council meeting in place of Andrew Dunn. 

Dunn was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Janice Weiner at the beginning of this year after she was elected to the Iowa Senate. Candidates appointed by the council are eligible to serve until the next council meeting following an election and completion of the county’s vote canvass, according to state law.

“If the vacancy is on a multimember body to which more than one nonincumbent is elected for the succeeding term, the nonincumbent who received the most votes shall be deemed elected to fill the remainder of the unexpired term,” according to Iowa Code 69.12.

In this case, voters selected Salih and Moe for the At-Large seats currently held by Bergus and Dunn. Bergus first joined council in 2020 and will serve in her At-Large seat through the end of 2023 before moving to council District A, where she beat two-term incumbent Pauline Taylor.

Dunn’s appointment aides Salih’s early arrival

Because Dunn was appointed by the council, not selected by voters, he has been forced to forgo his seat for the last two meetings of 2023. Dunn will assume the District C seat currently held by retiring long-time councilor John Thomas at the council’s first meeting of the new year on Jan. 2, 2024.

More: Iowa City council: Bergus bests Taylor, Salih returns, Moe and Dunn secure seats

This quirk in Iowa state law allows Salih to jumpstart her second go-around on the Iowa City council. She was sworn into her new position on Friday at city hall.

Salih is familiar with Iowa City government

Salih spent four years on the council between 2017 and 2021 but opted not to run for reelection to focus on her role as the executive director of the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa. She told the Press-Citizen she always knew she would be back. 

More: ‘A beacon of hope’: Mazahir Salih is the Press-Citizen Person of the Year 2017

She will continue to advocate for underserved communities in Iowa City, she told the Press-Citizen on election night. That starts with advancing affordable housing efforts.

On Nov. 28, the council will continue discussions and vote on the second consideration of changes aimed at helping produce affordable housing in the area. The first consideration of the area’s Accessory Dwelling Unit codes passed through the council unanimously.

More: Iowa City Council’s affordable housing-based code changes, explained

Peterson also set to take over early for Jones in Coralville

In Coralville, councilor Keith Jones will also yield his seat to top vote-getter Royce Peterson. Jones was appointed to the council in the summer of 2021 and vowed not to run for reelection, allowing residents to choose his successor.

Coralville’s race was an uncontested two-person race for two seats, with Peterson and Rich Vogelzang earning victories. Both will begin their proper four-year terms at the council’s first meeting of the new year on Jan. 9, 2024. Peterson is expected to be sworn at the council’s final meeting of 2023 on Dec. 12. 

Jones was in his normal seat Tuesday, Nov. 14, because the auditor’s office could not yet notify all parties that election results had been finalized.

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.