As the 2021 Iowa City City Council election draws closer, I look forward to casting my vote for Megan Alter. I served with her on the Housing and Community Development Commission for two years and have witnessed firsthand her passion and commitment to social and racial equity. She is not afraid to ask the difficult questions and is always ready to put herself out there when she perceives injustice.

When COVID-19 hit our communities last spring, many of us were stunned and nervously sheltering in place. I was not surprised to find that Alter jumped into action and began working with other community members and leaders to create Neighborhood Nests (micro-hubs for at-risk students), where students could not only have access to the internet, but food and a sense of community. I was able to visit with Alter earlier this year, and I was excited to hear her bold commitment to not “returning to normal” given all of the broken systems we have in place that are not equitably serving all of our community members.

Please join me and cast your vote for Alter next Tuesday. She shows up for our community when we are faced with difficult challenges because she knows that there’s only one way to get through it — together.

-V Fixmer-Oraiz, CEO & Founder of Astig Planning