DES MOINES, Iowa — A recent campaign flyer for Josh Mandelbaum's mayoral run has come under fire from fellow candidates.
Mandelbaum's leaflet claimed: "He's the only candidate for Mayor who stood up [for women's healthcare rights] with it counted"
Now, other mayoral candidates are weighing in on its veracity.
"Well, I was offended, first of all. I'm the only woman, I'm the woman in this race," Connie Boesen said.
Boesen told Local 5 the flyer has shifted the race's narrative unnecessarily.
"He has made it a story," she said. "And it's too bad, because there are too many other issues in this city to deal with."
The flyer refers to a Des Moines City Council meeting last year, when Mandelbaum proposed a resolution that would have provided flights to employees to receive abortions out-of-state, and prohibited the city from using its money to share any reproductive or abortion information to employers and outside agencies.
"I identified steps that we could take as a council, at a local level, to protect reproductive freedom," Mandelbaum said.
He stood by the flyer's claims, telling Local 5, "I voted to move forward with that, and my opponent voted against that. That's a pretty clear difference, and a pretty important difference."
The city council ultimately voted 5-2 against the measure, and Boesen said it wasn't a local issue.
"I stand up for choice. I was at the capitol. The difference is, I believe, I stick to the local issues," Boesen said. "I believe it belonged at the state legislature, and in fact, legislators told me, 'Stay out of it.'"
Denver Foote, another mayoral candidate, shared they were sitting on the board of the Iowa Abortion Access Fund — actively putting money in the hands of people who needed healthcare.
Meanwhile, candidate Chris Von Arx told Local 5 he believes "the baby is the victim [in the situation.] Giving money out to people who don't work, and taking God out of everything contributes to this problem."
You can watch the full Oct. 19 mayoral candidate forum below: