Laura Bergus campaign kickoff event
Big Grove Brewery, Iowa City — Thursday, May 9 at 5 p.m.
Attorney Laura Bergus announced on Tuesday that she is running for Iowa City Council. A life-long resident of Iowa City, Bergus is seeking one of the two at-large council seats that will be on the ballot in November.
Mayor Jim Throgmorton announced last week he won’t run for reelection to his at-large city council seat.
Bergus is managing partner of the Hayek, Moreland, Smith & Bergus law firm. She’s also does pro bono work through Iowa Legal Aid’s Volunteer Lawyer Project. Bergus served for nine years on the Iowa City Telecommunications Committee, and is currently a member of the board of directors of the Community Foundation of Johnson County. She was a founding member of FilmScene’s board of directors, and serves as the board’s secretary.
Bergus lives with her husband, Nick, and their daughter, Evelyn, in southeast Iowa City, where she is an active member of the South District Neighborhood Association.
“My first job in high school was to televise Iowa City’s city council meetings. I saw the importance of fair local government firsthand, and understood the value of public service in bringing equity and empathy to the community,” Bergus said in her emailed announcement.
“Local government should be fair, accountable, and transparent. I will keep focus on policy and planning, not micromanaging,” Bergus continued. “The role of city council is to listen to citizens and staff, exercise judgment and discretion, and to set the strategic plan. I will help Iowa City stay on target for a just, sustainable, and equitable future.”
Bergus will have a campaign kickoff event at Big Grove Brewery and Tap Room on Thursday, May 9, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Bergus joins Megan Alter in the race for the council’s at-large seats. Alter, a manager in test development at ACT, who is also active in the South District Neighborhood Association as well as the Black Voices Project and Big Brothers Big Sisters, and serves on the board of the Iowa Women’s Foundation, announced her candidacy last week.
Along with the at-large seat currently occupied by Throgmorton, the one held by Rockne Cole will also on the ballot this year. Cole has not yet made an official announcement regarding his plans, but has said informally he intends to run for reelection.
Voters in November will also decide who will represent city council districts A and C. District C Councilmember John Thomas has announced he will run for reelection. District A incumbent Pauline Taylor hasn’t made a formal announcement, but is expected to run again.
