DES MOINES, Iowa — Thursday marked the end of the candidacy filing deadline for the upcoming Nov. 7 election, which will choose new city leadership.
There are multiple elected positions on the ballot, but some races are garnering more attention than others.
Current Mayor Frank Cownie announced he won't be running for reelection in 2023, only heating up the race among mayoral candidates. And competition is fierce among those wishing to replace Indira Sheumaker as Ward 1 councilperson.
Here's what you need to know about the upcoming election.
Who is running to be Des Moines' next mayor?
As of the filing deadline, five people are in the running to be mayor.
- Connie Boesen
- Josh Mandelbaum
- Christopher Von Arx
- Denver Foote
- Benjamin Clarke
Each candidate has their own unique platform, and Local 5 spoke with some to learn more.
Mandelbaum emphasized his background and willingness to lead,
"I'm gonna create a Des Moines that works better for everyone and that provides opportunity for everyone. And then in doing when people have opportunity, they have choices and I'm going to create a community that people want to choose to be and choose to stay, that's the type of place I want to create," said Mandelbaum, current Ward 3 representative.
Another current city council member, Boesen, is serving as the at large city council member. She said she can bring in a new way of doing things all while highlighting the community's input.
"And I have four core things that I talk about, create a safer Des Moines, accelerate our economic development and our infrastructure repairs, revitalize our neighborhoods and make sure we take care of everyone. So that's the core principals and that's why I'm running," Boesen said.
While Foote has been an activist in their community and has shown up to city council meetings for years, they say they felt a sense of urgency to join the race now.
"I felt like our asks for basic human dignity were falling on deaf ears, so after the statewide election, after feeling this huge urgency, I decided to run for mayor because I didn't think that somebody can represent the working class," Foote said.
Von Arx went door to door at Des Moines businesses to gain signatures, telling Local 5 "my mission is to lower property taxes and just, enlighten the kingdom."
One final candidate Benjamin Clark has not yet been able to be reached by Local 5.
Who is running for other city of Des Moines positions?
While the mayoral election is a talker, there are four more citywide positions up for grabs on election day. Here's who is running:
Ward 1 Special Election
- Rob Barron
- Chris Coleman
- Dennis McCullough
- Kathy Hellstern
- Kimberly Strope-Boggus
- RJ Miller
- Rose Marie Smith
Ward 2
- Linda Westergaard
- Chelsea Lepley
Ward 4
- Jason Benell
- Justin Torres
- Joe Gatto
- Benjamin Clarke
At Large
- Carl Voss
- AJ Drew
According to Peter Zemansky, communications specialist for the city of Des Moines, told Local 5 that the nomination paperwork signed by all candidates: “I know that I cannot be a candidate for more than one office to be filled at this election, except as otherwise provided by law.”
How can I register to vote?
If you would like to register to vote, you can visit Voter Ready | A Guide To Voting In Iowa or you can visit your local county auditor's office to get all the necessary documents.
There are plenty of positions and candidates to vote for come November, and elected officials as well as voting advocates are urging Iowans to do their civic duty.
"Some people are like, 'Eh, I don't need to vote, it's just the city and school board elections,'" voting advocate John Olsen told Local 5 on Monday, Aug. 18. "But it's those positions that affect us most directly."