In an Aug. 21 letter to Des Moines City Councilmember Indira Sheumaker, Mayor Frank Cownie asked Sheumaker to explain her “intentions regarding [her] office and the duties of the office at the earliest practicable moment, but in any event, no later than August 28, 2023.”
Sheumaker, who represents Ward 1, has not attended any council meetings or communicated with any city officials since March 6. Ward 1 residents have said they have been unable to contact Sheumaker during this time, and earlier this month, five constituents filed an official complaint with the council asking for her removal. They also requested the Ward 1 seat be placed on the November ballot so someone can be elected to serve the remainder of Sheumaker’s term.
In the letter, Cownie said if Sheumaker did not respond by Aug. 28, the council “will presume you have abandoned the office and will proceed accordingly.” According to Des Moines City Manager Scott Sanders, Sheumaker had not responded by the end of day on Monday.
“As he indicated in his letter last week, Mayor Cownie and the rest of City Council will proceed accordingly,” Sanders said in a statement.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Cownie said he’d sent the letter via certified mail, but it had been returned undelivered. The mayor said the letter came after “multiple attempts to hand deliver a message, utilizing a professional process server” failed during the previous week.
“What we sought was a simple dialogue,” Cownie said in his statement. “We’d wanted to know what we could have done to assist Council Sheumaker regarding her elected position and how we could have helped restore the Council representation that Ward 1 residents expect and deserve.”
The council is expected to address Sheumaker’s continued absence and Ward 1 representation at its next meeting, which is scheduled for Sept. 11.
Sheumaker is in her first term on the city council. She defeated incumbent Bill Gray in the November 2021 city election, running on a strongly progressive platform focused on social justice. It was her first campaign for public office.
Sheumaker was 27 when she took office in January 2022, becoming the youngest member of the council, as well as its only person of color. She was appointed to serve on three committees: the Homeless Coordinating Council, the IMPACT Community Action Partnership and the Metro Waste Authority. Her term expires in January 2026.
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