The Ames City Council candidate forum brought all 10 city council candidates together yesterday in what turned out to be quite an interesting affair.

With six candidates running for the open at-large seat, and four candidates running for the fourth ward seat, it was nice to see the diversity of ideas and goals this group of candidates brought to attention during the discussion. Even beyond the great amount of choice voters have this year among platforms, this particular group of candidates is historically notable — it includes four ISU students, the greatest number of students who have run for City Council at the same time.

Most of the main issues that came up time and time again have a direct impact on students’ lives. Brought to the forefront with the six at-large candidates was the need for student input on laws affecting them, in particular ordinances on overoccupancy and drink buffets.

It was duly noted by all that the relationship between students and Ames residents has been less than comfortable in the past, but the candidates with the strongest ideas of how to change that were Nathan Johnston and Matthew Goodman.

Goodman, an ISU graduate, is all about increased interaction between students and residents. As evidenced in statements by Fern Kupfer, the ubiquitous advancer of student-regulative ordinances, on Greg Velasquez, a City Council student candidate, during the discussion, Goodman noted taking an antagonistic attitude toward others does little to foster positive relationships. Kindness and understanding, along with relating to students on a personal level, are needed to improve the student/resident relationship.

Johnston, a current ISU student, stated the drink buffet ban passed by the City Council has done little to address the real problem of binge drinking and everything it involves, like sexual assault, on campus. He believes that instead of ordinances, the City Council should encourage community members to be involved with others and try to prevent things like binge drinking and sexual assault from happening.

In the candidates of the fourth ward, the issue of preserving Ames’ environment was strong. Candidate Matt Denner, a current ISU student, dominated the floor on this issue. First of all, he would like to see biodiesel fuel used in CyRide buses, which would save money as well. Also, he addressed the improvement of recycling options and the use of renewable resources.

It is exciting to think students are so close to having a true voice in the City Council. During the discussions, it became obvious that, among the student candidates, there are those like Nathan Johnston and Matt Denner with the capability to lead our student body into a new future hand-in-hand with the City of Ames.