Tag Archives: Des Moines City Council

Is your city prepared to fight federal crime on Election Day? Mine appears to be sleep-walking.

Posted on by — Leave a reply

On Monday, I addressed the Des Moines City Council. I wanted their assurance that they’re prepared to fight federal crime if President Trump sends armed agents to polling sites, as he has repeatedly threatened to do. (Click the image to hear my brief remarks.)

Wherever you live, you have a right to know that your city and county are prepared to respond to crimes committed by armed federal agents at polling places. Again, Trump and other administration officials have threatened to do so. Repeatedly, That would be unprecedented and emphatically illegal.

I’ve spoken one-on-one with three Des Moines City Council members about this. While I respect and appreciate the work of each of these elected officials, I’m completely unsatisfied with the City’s preparedness given Trump’s threats to subvert our election.

I hope Des Moines officials will prove me wrong. But as of today, I’ve heard nothing from the Council in response to the concerns I raised on Monday and previously.

As far as I can tell, Des Moines is sleep-walking into Election Day. So I’ll ask again, and encourage you to ask your local officials: If armed federal agents show up at the polls and a poll worker calls 911, can we count on local law enforcement to respond? Continue Reading →

Des Moines: Free-Range Egg Capital of America?

Posted on by

To be clear, the rules in Des Moines on urban farming are way better than most cities. We are grateful for that leadership. Also, we’re grateful that the Council embraced a proposal Kathy and I made in 2020 to establish the Food Security Task Force. Out of that came a promising set of recommendations on how to move the City forward toward greater food self-reliance.

But the momentum has ground to a halt. Perhaps public concern over the increasing price of eggs will change that.

Much needs to be done — and now! More community gardens. Edible plantings in public spaces. Dedicated land for urban farmers. Incentives for urban agriculturists.

For today, let’s focus on chickens, with a goal of making Des Moines the Free-Range Egg Capital of America. This requires thinking out of the box, so bear with me while I crunch some numbers. Then tell me what you think. Continue Reading →

Are you ready?

Posted on by

I make no apologies about focusing most of my attention on the climate emergency. That said, I try to approach the conversation with cautious optimism and a sense of humor, and I make sure to leave time for other important conversations. In my personal life, I make sure there is time for activities essential to maintaining and nurturing a healthy mind and body. Walking. Music. Friends. Bocce ball. Sleep. That sort of thing.

I hope all of you are able to find the same balance, even as you commit to doing your part in the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced — a challenge, alas, brought on by our own greed and ignorance, or at least the greed and ignorance of a few powerful men and nations. Continue Reading →