With just more than a week until city elections, Student Government hosted an Ames City Council candidate forum Friday night in which it asked candidates a series of student-centered questions. 

The forum was organized by Student Government Director of Special Events David Moore and took place at the Memorial Union. Student Government Sen. Cole Button moderated the discussion.

Each candidate was asked about four key topics: affordable housing, the integration of students into the Ames community, transportation and the retention of ISU students in Ames after graduation.

The candidates on housing

Each of the candidates agreed that Ames is in need of affordable housing not just for students but also for young professionals and families.

Tim Gartin, incumbent running unopposed for the 2nd Ward, said the current shortage of affordable housing in Ames is because of the reluctance of past councils to see Ames grow.

Dan DeGeest, candidate for the 4th Ward, praised the idea of mixed-use development like that seen in Campustown, where commercial and residential properties are built together.

Chris Nelson, incumbent also running for the 4th Ward, said it was important to keep students close to campus and encouraged the idea of mixed-use properties on existing CyRide routes.

At-large candidate Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen said it’s a challenge to include high-density housing into existing neighborhoods in Ames, but that it can be done. She said the use of technology in “creative ways,” like the website Rent Smart Ames, would lead to greater competition among renters and drive down costs.

Matt Converse, who is also an at-large candidate, said he met with a local developer who was lowering rental costs on a new property in order to fill all the available apartments. With inventory ahead of need, Converse said prices would be more competitive.

To achieve an excess inventory in housing, Converse said City Council needed to remove “barriers” on developers, so housing could be developed easier and faster.

The candidates on the integration of students into the Ames community

Each of the candidates agreed that it’s important for students and permanent residents in Ames to connect and learn to be good neighbors.

Converse said many students don’t feel like they’re a part of the community for the time they’re at Iowa State. He said he wants students to realize there is more to Ames than Iowa State.

Beatty-Hansen said that as a student herself, she wasn’t aware of the community in Ames until she got a job downtown. In order to better integrate students into the community, she suggested the city better advertise local events and encourage students to volunteer and shop locally.

Nelson said the challenge of integrating students into the community is the four-year turnover of university students. He said he wants to encourage continued interaction between students and community members in areas like Campustown and downtown Ames.

“ISU is the reason Ames is what it is,” Nelson said.

DeGeest said that rather than encouraging students to interact with the community, he wants to urge the community to interact with students. He said Iowa State offers lectures, art exhibits and other programs to the community that he wants permanent residents to participate in. DeGeest also thinks it’s important to come up with an alternative to Veisha that will allow for a greater sense of community.

Gartin said his No. 1 concern for students in the Ames community is safety. He also said it’s important for students to volunteer in the community. Gartin said City Council is hosting an entrepreneurial workshop Nov. 17 to get students involved in job-creation in Ames.

The candidates on transportation

Each of the candidates agreed that shortcomings exist in the current transportation systems in Ames. While each candidate stressed the importance of CyRide, they also introduced other transportation ideas.

Gartin said the council has been focusing on a long-range transportation plan and a complete streets plan that will make Ames friendly for all travelers — walkers, bikers, riders and people with physical disabilities.

DeGeest, one of the founders of the Ames Bicycle Coalition, advocated for the complete streets plan and said Ames needs to take “bolder steps” in its transportation plan to make commuting friendly for walking, biking or taking other alternative methods of travel. He said he would focus on marking trails more clearly for those who want to use them.

Nelson focused on the budget issues with CyRide and told the audience about the council’s recent meetings to mitigate the bus program’s budget problem. He also talked about ideas to have biking and walking trails that lead to bus stops to minimize traffic and parking issues.

Beatty-Hansen said the complete streets plan is “valuable.” She also stressed the importance of transportation for all-ability types. She suggested looking at solutions other cities have adopted, such as “road diets,” where the number of lanes on a road is reduced, but traffic flow is increased through the usage of bike lanes.

She also advocated for the extension of Grand Avenue to reduce congestion on South Duff Avenue.

Converse said he was concerned about the CyRide budget issues and had noticed a lack of storage for CyRide buses and worried about the effects weather could have on the aging fleet.

Converse also advocated for the extension of Grand Avenue to reduce traffic on South Duff Avenue as a five-year plan.

Converse left after the transportation question for a prior commitment.

The candidates on retaining ISU students post-graduation

Each of the candidates agreed that students are an asset to the Ames community and that they would like to encourage them to stay.

Beatty-Hansen said in order to keep students in Ames, the city needs to provide good housing and job options. She cited the ISU Research Park as a good model for employers of future graduates.

“A strong local economy is one of the most important things,” Beatty-Hansen said.

Nelson said there has been a significant increase in job opportunities in Ames, but that the housing market is still lacking.

“We want [students] to set down roots,” Nelson said.

He said the city should focus on amenities, like recreational bike trails, to make Ames appealing to young professionals.

DeGeest said students need to have somewhere to work, somewhere to live and something fun to do. DeGeest said he would focus on targeted job growth to make sure students could find jobs in their professions.

“We’ve got to make it fun,” DeGeest said, adding that he would also focus on activities and amenities that young professionals want to have in their communities.

Gartin stressed the importance of a partnership with ISU President Steven Leath, who he said was a “phenomenal asset” to the city. Gartin said although many challenges arise from a rapidly growing population in Ames, which are fueled by students, increased population is a good problem to have.

“There’s something really special happening here in Ames,” Gartin said.

Members of the audience also had an opportunity to ask the candidates questions. 

Each of the candidates considered a question about medical amnesty for underage students seeking medical care while intoxicated, and further discussed their plans to create jobs and housing opportunities as well as ensure living wages in Ames.

When given the opportunity to differentiate themselves from their opponents, each candidate was given 60 seconds to tell the audience what makes him or her unique.

Beatty-Hansen said her dedication and hard work make her unique. She said she has had “over 30 coffees” with community members and has tried to become as involved with the community as possible.

Nelson said the phrase that sets him apart from the other candidates is “depth and breadth.” He said his service on City Council and his experience in local businesses and organizations makes him qualified. He also said his willingness to talk to everybody makes him ideal.

DeGeest said he has lived in Ames through every major stage of his life — as a college student himself, as a young professional and as a family man — and his understanding of the struggle of each of those groups of citizens makes him the best man for the job.

He also said he has learned valuable skills from working at start-up businesses, where he has learned to listen to other people’s ideas, build on those ideas and turn them into something tangible.

Gartin, the lone unopposed candidate, passed the opportunity to size up his opponent.

The Ames City Council election will take place Nov. 3.