Environmental lawyer Josh Mandelbaum has won a seat on the Des Moines City Council. He won a three-way race with 56-percent of the vote over former Iowa Democratic Party Chair Michael Kiernan and Abshir Omar, the president of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Mandelbaum says his stand on water quality issues helped put him over the top.
“A lot of voters really care about water quality, and they were waiting for a candidate to emphasize that, to talk about it,” he said at a victory party on the west side of Des Moines. “I heard it come up over and over again at doors. I think that was a critical issue in this race.”
Mandelbaum will replace Christine Hensley, a 24-year council veteran who decided not to run this year. He made water quality a priority in his campaign. He says he opposes the council’s decision earlier this year to support a bill in the legislature to dismantle the Des Moines Water Works’ independent board.
In another Des Moines City Council election, former school board member Connie Boesen defeated incumbent Skip Moore to win an at-large seat on the council, 54-45 percent. Moore had served two terms.
