DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines City Council will "choose a course of action to move forward" following an extended absence and lack of response from Councilmember Indira Sheumaker, according to City Manager Scott Sanders.
In a Monday, Aug. 21 letter obtained by Local 5, Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie set a deadline for her to respond to the council’s concerns, emphasizing that no reply by Monday, Aug. 28 would leave the city assuming she had “abandoned the office”.
Sheumaker has not yet responded.
"As of 5 p.m. today, the City Manager’s Office has not received any contact from Councilor Sheumaker, and I am not aware of any communications received by the mayor either ... As he indicated in his letter last week, Mayor Cownie and the rest of City Council will proceed accordingly," Sanders' statement said in part.
In the letter, Cownie said Sheumaker hadn’t attended a city council or board meeting since March 6.
Ward 1 constituents have shared concern about her absence for months. Most recently, five residents filed a citizens' complaint against Sheumaker, alleging "willful and habitual neglect, as well as refusal to perform the duties of the office *** in violation of Iowa Code 66.IA(I)."
Now, the onus is on the city council to decide what happens next.
The next scheduled city council meeting is on Sept. 11, 2023. The city has not yet released an agenda for the meeting.
You can read Cownie's full letter to Sheumaker below: