The Young Democratic Socialists of America hosted Iowa City City Council candidate Oliver Weilein for a second meet-and-greet event at the Iowa Memorial Union Thursday evening.

After introducing his background in housing rights, unionization efforts, community organizing, and working as a caregiver for adults with disabilities, Weilein opened the floor for a discussion with the attendees.

“I like things to be circular, not like I just talk at you,” Weilein said.

The first attendee to ask a question inquired about Weilein’s policy ideas for maintaining affordable housing in Iowa City. In response, Weilein highlighted the importance of supporting tenants’ unions, noting their success in Kansas City. He said these efforts led the city council to pass a tenant’s bill of rights.

He also said strategies such as incentivizing property developers to include affordable housing units in newly constructed buildings would not be successful.

“Unfortunately [that approach] is just Reagan-style trickle-down economics,” Weilein said. “It can be beneficial a little bit, but it’s just attacking a symptom of a problem, not the root cause.”

Weilein said the cause of Iowa City’s affordable housing shortage is property developers prioritizing unnecessary and unattainable housing units, which ultimately drives up rent. He also advocated for studying the feasibility of a vacancy tax or fee on landlords who leave commercial properties empty for extended periods while waiting for tenants who are willing to pay high rents.

“Lots of businesses downtown have tried to buy their place, but they can’t,” Weilein said.

He then discussed high-quality public housing which, he said, would not only address the lack of affordable housing but also generate revenue for the city.

“The private landlords would have to compete with the public buildings, and it would force them to lower rents,” Weilein said.

The next attendee, Iowa City resident Aaron Page, expressed concerns about activists running for office, citing past instances where local activists were elected but ultimately struggled to enact meaningful change.

“We need some fire. We need some brimstone. We need people standing up,” Page said. “Are you going to be able to do that as a city council person? Or can anyone do that as a city councilperson?”

Acknowledging his own long-held doubts about the effectiveness of electoral politics, Weilein validated Page’s concerns but asserted he is the right person for the job.

“I’m worried about it, but at the same time, I know that I’m up to the task of really keeping my values and my priorities straight while doing a lot of this stuff,” Weilein said, referring to his city council campaign as a strategy to advocate for working class and marginalized Iowa City residents in a more powerful way compared to his impact as an organizer.

Weilein also said unlike some officials, he has no financial stake in the position, as he does not own a business, run a nonprofit, or hold any real estate.

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“There’s nothing that they have on me in that sense, where they can manipulate me to do something that would be against my values, or that I think would be antithetical,” Weilein said. “My goal in being a city counselor is to make things materially better for working people, marginalized people in Iowa City, so that they can be more empowered to organize in that way. That is my reason for being on city council.”

Page encouraged Weilein to stick to his stated values.

“Stay strong,” Page said. “Because it’s going to be hard. There’s so much fear in our society right now. It’s really scary to see.”

Recognizing the widespread fear over looming state and federal policies under President Donald Trump’s administration, Weilein reaffirmed his commitment to standing firm and refusing to be a “collaborator” in what he considers fascist policies. He specifically reiterated his pledge to resist Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, efforts.

“If someone tries to fear monger about, the Trump administration might come and arrest you if you try to protect immigrants or something like that, then OK,” Weilein said, adding he is willing to be arrested if all other attempts at resisting ICE fail. “That’s what we’re going to have to do if it comes down to that.”

Noah Pavelich, a fourth-year political science major and co-chair of UI’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter, later asked Weilein a question Pavelich said he has asked several politicians: What happens if you lose?

Weilein said while he appreciates the enthusiasm surrounding his campaign, his commitment to community organizing and advocating for marginalized people will remain unchanged regardless of the election outcome.

“I found myself in this position, with a chance and with a real path forward to making Iowa City a better place for working people,” Weilein said. “But that work doesn’t stop if it doesn’t happen.”

He stressed the importance of grassroots social movements, emphasizing that electing the right people to office is not the ultimate solution.

“That’s probably the best answer I’ve ever heard to that question,” Pavelich said.

Weilein expressed confidence in his ability to collaborate with the rest of the Iowa City City Council if elected, stating he wouldn’t be running if he didn’t believe other council members shared his commitment to prioritizing people over profit.

“Through this process, it’s just been so nice to just talk with people from all walks of life, wherever they’re at,” Weilein said. “It’s really given me hope that so many people can be reached, and we do, by and large, especially in the Iowa City community, really share a common understanding that humanity can come first.”