By Anis Shakirah Mohd Muslimin
One City Council candidate is ready to get right into action.
Rick Dobyns, 59, has been the incumbent for District A on the Iowa City City Council since 2012.
“My experience will make me better able to bring those things that I feel are important [to City Council],” Dobyns said. “One of those is a good financial stability.”
A physician and clinical professor in family medicine at the University of Iowa, Dobyns will is running to keep his spot on the council in the Nov. 3 election.
He said he considers his service to the city similar to his professional career except instead of trying to focus on an individual, he tries to optimize the health of the whole community.
Dobyns said he is concerned about how issues pertaining to affordable housing have affected both UI students and community members of Iowa City.
“It [off-campus student housing] certainly drives the demand for housing up, not only for students, but also for people who want to work and live in Iowa City,” he said.
Dobyns said he is uncomfortable with the idea of inclusionary zoning in Iowa City, because it is unable to accommodate the needs of both developers and people who are in need of affordable housing.
Inclusionary zoning is a municipal and county planning ordinance that requires a given share of new construction to be affordable by people with low to moderate incomes.
“We have to realize that even though we have progressive principles, we still live in a capitalistic democratic society, and we have to work with each other,” he said. “I believe you should always strive for a win-win.”
He said developers are at risk of earning less money and are more likely to avoid building in Iowa City if inclusionary zoning was implemented.
Dobyns said more affordable housing could be built by giving incentives, also known as density bonuses, to developers. These bonuses would allow developers to build taller buildings and could provide them with more projects, he said.
Dobyns said he would focus on the development of the Frequent Users Systems Engagement program for homeless people in Iowa City and collaborate with the UI in developing an urban research park in the Riverfront Crossings district.
“I think one of Rick’s best qualities on City Council is his willingness to reach across and talk to all City Council members and compromise with them,” said Robert McKay, a retired geologist and personal friend of Dobyn.
McKay said Dobyns is capable of compromising on issues in order to avoid stalemates.
“Rick also has a concern for the financial well-being of the city,” he said. “And he realizes that because of the tax restructuring on some of the commercial properties at the state level, Iowa City is receiving less revenue than they used to.”
Marc Moen, developer and owner Moen Group, said he would vote for Dobyns because he said he thinks he understands the city has to be run as a business and simultaneously not neglect the people who are most vulnerable.
“You can’t just wish for these things to happen and the money to come,” Moen said. “You have to build a tax base and be financially responsible as someone that is running the city.”