DES MOINES, Iowa — As a general election on Nov. 7 looms ahead, Des Moines residents attended a public forum to hear mayoral and city council candidates pitch themselves and their plans if elected.
Two mayoral candidates attended the forum: Connie Boesen and Josh Mandelbaum. Denver Foote, Benjamin Clarke and Christopher Von Arx did not make it, but have filed to run for the city's open mayoral position after longtime Mayor Frank Cownie announced he wouldn't run again last month.
City council Ward 1 candidates — Rob Barron and Chris Coleman — also spoke to Des Moines residents about a few different topics related to environmental and racial justice.
Barron said the city needs greater accessibility with energy programs in Des Moines, especially for families whose first language isn't English.
He also amplified his previous work with civil rights and underrepresented communities, and if elected to the city council, he would become the first Latino to serve.
"Any large group has bad apples. And the trick of managing the police department, is making sure you have mechanisms to weed out the bad apples," Coleman said, answering a question about DMPD racially-biased policing practices.
Coleman, who used to serve on the city council, mentioned he's had good interactions with the city's police, while others at the forum said the DMPD has had a problem with "use of force" strategies.
Mandelbaum on the other hand, said as mayor, he'd make adjustments to policing practices.
"I am not certain that we do enough de-escalation training, or with the frequency that we should. And we need to create a culture of de-escalation," he said.
Mandelbaum also added there should be third party review for policing policies within Iowa's capital city.
Aside from discussing the police, he also said he wants to legalize marijuana in Des Moines, and get rid of criminal possession penalties.
Mandelbaum's mayoral race opponent — Connie Boesen — agreed with Mandelbaum's stance of de-escalation training within DMPD, and also mentioned at the forum that as mayor she would provide officers with more mental health training.