As the Iowa City City Council election to fill a vacancy in District C is underway, the Johnson County League of Women Voters held a forum between candidates Ross Nusser and Oliver Weilein.

The election comes after former Iowa City Council Member Andrew Dunne announced his resignation in October.

In the packed Iowa City Senior Center assembly room, the two candidates were asked questions by the moderator, Shannon Patrick, that attendees had written for them throughout the conference.

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A primary election will be held on Feb. 4, although former candidate Sharon DeGraw withdrew from the race on Jan. 24. DeGraw’s name will still be on the ballot, but the primary will have no effect on the final election on March 4.

In his opening statement, Nusser said, “[I’m excited for the] opportunity to serve the community that made me who I am today.”

He added that he is deeply committed to supporting the people of Iowa City and discussed his work to provide affordable and sustainable housing as a realtor in town.

“I understand the pragmatic value and pragmatic touches of real estate and how to operate things at different levels. I understand how to develop a city and create a policy that shows we are open to business and not closed. I think IC gets a bad rep on that,” Nusser said.

Weilein, in his opening statement, spoke on the importance of defending marginalized communities in the area.

“Meeting the moment when it comes to the threat of timing — let’s not sugar coat it — fascism, from the federal and state level and really, really doing whatever we can to protect the marginalized people when it comes to immigrants, when it comes to trans people,” Weilein said.

When candidates were asked what three things they would do to support the community, Nusser said affordable housing, addressing substance abuse, behavioral health, and mental health, and managing taxes.

Weilein said housing, protecting marginalized communities, and building revenue would be his main priorities upon election.

The candidates were also asked what assets they would bring to the city council. Weilein said he is someone who knows what it’s like to struggle and has provided mutual aid to unhoused people, whose experiences he understands.

“[I am] someone who is willing to think outside the box, do research and readings, and look at all ends of the globe to find solutions to problems,” he said.

Nusser said he will bring realistic experience where it is needed. He also says he will hear all groups and craft policies that allow the community of Iowa City to grow its tax base while preserving the culture that it loves.

Some attendees were troubled by social media posts of Weilein saying he is glorifying violence. In response, he said he wasn’t familiar with the comments.

RELATED: Sharon DeGraw drops out of race for IC City Council

“I don’t know what social media posts are directly being referred to,” he said. “I don’t really know why they’re doing that, and they’re trying to put things in front of people to intentionally impugn my character.”

While Weilein and Nusser are both gun owners, Nusser responded to the audience’s concerns by saying he doesn’t condone gun violence of any kind.

“I’m just against glorification of firearms on social media,” he said. “Social media is what kids see. It’s what people see. As elects, we are the ones who are supposed to set examples. We are the ones who need to show the positive impact and show that example. I’m also a gun owner, but I don’t have an assault rifle. I don’t believe that assault rifles are right. They’re dangerous. They kill people.”

Toward the end of the forum, Weilein said he has also been directly meeting with LGBTQ+ community members to discuss how to uphold Johnson County’s and Iowa City’s commitment to nondiscrimination laws.

“I think that ICE should not exist, and I think that ICE is a terrorist organization in the U.S. that separates families,” Weilen added.

Nusser closed his remarks by pointing out his and his opponent’s stark disagreements on how to handle the state and federal governments.

“I don’t think we need to put a target on our back,” he said. “I think that we need to craft this very carefully. I think that we need to tread lightly. I think that we need to protect our citizens, and I think that that is paramount. I think that we need to not respond brashly. I think that we need to thoughtfully analyze the policies that we create.”

Weilein’s closing statement was simple and concise.

“It would be an honor to serve this community that I love so much,” he said.