Unfinished Business
If This Is Woke, Bring It On!
Elijah Stines would have my vote on November 7 for Mayor of Boone. But I live in Boone County, so I can't vote for him. But I can promote him. The six-year Boone Council member launched his campaign in June. After hearing about an underhanded effort underway to defeat him, I contributed to his campaign!
To all appearances, Stines seems like a great candidate, and someone that Boone residents would be fortunate to have as their mayor. Born in Cherokee, Iowa, and raised in Holstein, he graduated from high school in 2002. Do the math---he's 39--and energetic. He met his wife Katie at the University of South Dakota, and after they married, he came to Iowa State University to earn a PhD in math. Today, he's a teaching professor at Iowa State University.
He and his wife are products of small-towns, and they chose not to live in Ames to raise their family. They moved to Boone in 2008, where they're raising a family of three. Stines ran for Councilor of Ward 3, and has won twice.
Did I mention that he's president of the Boone Lion's Club? In fact, Stines is a big promoter of Boone, population 12,469, and he's stated several times that he "wants Boone to be a place for all."
Can you guess where this is headed?
Last month, an anonymous letter was sent to Boone residents. It showed a photo of a Pride event in April at the 8th and Story Green Space, with an arrow pointing at Stines, who was there with his family. The event included a food truck, face painting, drag queens, banned book story time, and live music. The anonymous letter stated, "This behavior by an elected official is unacceptable and cannot stand!!! Just say no to his bid for mayor." The letter warned that Stines would "bring woke to Boone. Liberals should not take over Boone."
It's a Nonpartisan Election
Stines reported the letter to the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, and he received a reply that the letter violates Iowa law, which requires a "Paid for" attribution on any materials advocating for an election outcome. It's unlikely that the letter writer ever will be identified.
Stines has stated that he attended the event to support friends and family members who feel under attack by the Iowa legislature. He says that as mayor, a nonpartisan position, he hopes to focus on the following issues: housing, lowering property taxes, economic development, infrastructure, and quality of life investments.
These seem like perfect priorities to me.
Boone has a lot of things going for it: Seven Oaks Recreation, the first Fareway Store, Inc. in Iowa, Boone City Parks, the first Casey's Store in 1968, the Big Kahuna's (Ice Cream and Vintage Candy), a family-friendly theatre, the Municipal Band Festival at Herman Park Pavilion, the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad and the James H. Andrews Railroad Museum, the Boone Farmers Market, Pufferbilly Days, and a branch of Des Moines Area Community College.
The town basically has maintained its population over the past century, but the downtown has suffered the loss of storefronts and sit-down restaurants. Once known as a railroad town, it has lost its Union Pacific headquarters and much of its railroad employee base. Boone's YMCA closed in 2019, and Boone County voters turned down construction of a new Wellness Center on its main Story Street. The City Council still is working to determine a site for a new Wellness Center, and to obtain financing.
"Eli 's focus is on building Boone's long-term vitality and strength, " says Yana Reid, a Boone County resident and an observer of Boone politics. "He feels that a community's strength is based on relationships."
Keeping Local Government Local
Although Boone politics traditionally has been low-key, this placid facade has revealed fissures in recent years. The Pride event was held at a new $100,000 green space and bandshell on downtown Story Street. In 2019 the owners of a two-story building directly behind the green space and bandshell added a large red, white, and blue mural of Donald Trump on the side of the building facing the green space. In response to criticism of mural, a Boone resident remarked, "Where will we draw the line at what offends?'" Yes, indeed, where?
Unfortunately, the mural was vandalized in 2020, with BLM painted over the words, God Bless America. The mural was repainted, but sometime during 2022, it disappeared. I was willing to chalk this up as a one-off incident.
But now this anti-LGBTQ attack. Boone is not an isolated example of the national politicization of local, nonpartisan elections. In recent years, several local city and school board races across Iowa have been unusually and highly contentious. As a former school board member, I commend individuals who step forward to serve. In 2021, Gov. Reynolds took the unusual stance of endorsing an Ankeny School Board member who opposed school mask policies. This injected politics into what is a nonpartisan, volunteer role.
But it doesn't have to be this way. National, and often even state politics, have little relevance to local government. Growing up in rural northwestern Iowa, the biggest point of contention between my family and our farm neighbors was that they were unwavering in their adherence to Ford vehicles. My family bought only Chevys. I had no idea of my neighbors' political ideology. Our other farm neighbor had NFO (National Farmers Organization) painted in large lettering on his barn. NFO was known for its controversial strategies, but hey, we all got along.
The other common denominator driving today's contentious environment is the lack of acceptance of individual differences. LGBTQ people are doing their best to live their lives. Just like the rest of us. They're not a threat. Being inclusive of LGBTQ people is not unacceptable behavior, as the anonymous Boone letter-writer stated. For decades, a lesbian couple operated the bar/restaurant in our neighboring small town. It didn't seem to stop many straight residents from enjoying a beer or two there. Several years ago, another lesbian couple attended my United Methodist Church (UMC) in our small town, and took turns reading the Scripture lesson with other members. No one in our church stomped out, and decided to break away from the UMC denomination because of it. What would happen today?
Welcoming Fresh Perspectives
It's challenging to be a "newcomer" of only 14 years in a small Iowa city. But our rural areas are hemorrhaging our homegrown youth to urban areas. If someone like Stines moves in with his family, and wants to contribute new ideas and energy by serving in a local, nonpartisan office, we should thank our lucky stars!
The current mayor supports Stines' opponent in the November 2023 election, so
it's likely to be a very competitive race.
"Eli is a great campaigner, and sometimes goes door to door with his kids," Reid says. "He enjoys great conversations, and is very respectful. He knows that not everyone agrees about everything, including LGBTQ rights, but most agree about fixing the pothole on the corner. Most residents would agree on having their property appraisal addressed. That's the job of local, nonpartisan government."
Stines says he's received a lot of support from Boone residents since the letter was mailed. I'm hoping it may have the opposite effect intended, and grow his support. "I really want to focus on bread-and-butter issues, tax rates, getting people's potholes fixed," Stines said. "I do want to say to the people that might be intimidated by this that I’m going to stand up for them and for everybody in Boone because I want Boone to be a place for all families.”
I’m delighted to be a member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative!
Just posted your column on FB with my praise for his character and appreciation and support for his values.
Interesting situation. The fact the letter was sent anonymously says a lot more about the sender than the candidate. Good for him for raising his family in Boone and pitching in to make a difference.