Iowa City City Council candidate Oliver Weilein joined local musicians at Trumpet Blossom Cafe for a ‘Get Out the Vote’ concert Thursday, aimed at uniting voters and fundraising for Iowa City Mutual Aid. Weilein’s band, Bootcamp, performed alongside other artists, blending music with civic engagement.

The concert capped off an eventful week for Weilein and his campaign.

Gender bill shadows Weilein event

While Weilein’s Thursday evening concert drew a large crowd — filling every seat at Trumpet Blossom Cafe with additional attendees standing — the atmosphere was heavy following Iowa lawmakers voting earlier in the day to approve House File 583, a bill that removes gender identity protections from the state’s civil rights law.

Weilein said he strongly opposes the bill and tried to raise the issue with U.S Sen. Bernie Sanders during a brief conversation after the senator’s speech at The Englert Theater last weekend.

“I waited around a long time because I wanted to ask [Sanders] if he could at least make some type of post or something,” Weilein said.

Weilein, who worked for Sanders’ 2016 campaign and admires his economic message, said he had hoped Sanders would broaden his call to action during the Iowa City speech. While Sanders urged attendees to contact Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, about the Reconciliation Bill, Weilein wanted to see similar pressure applied to House File 583.

“If you’re going to call Miller-Meeks, maybe also make a call to the people that are putting forward this insane, bigoted anti-trans legislation,” Weilein said.

Ultimately, Weilein said he relayed the message to Sanders’ campaign manager.

Speakers and musicians at Thursday’s concert shared feelings of sorrow and isolation over the day’s legislative action but expressed hope in Weilein’s candidacy, praising his vocal advocacy and solidarity with the LGBTQ community.

“It’s exciting to see folks who represent Iowa City coming together to celebrate in support of the community,” attendee Jake Mayer said.

Tensions rise as election nears

The night before the show, two posts were shared to the Iowa City subreddit alleging City Council Candidate Ross Nusser acted aggressively toward service workers.

The first post, which has since been deleted, claimed Nusser confronted a beer delivery driver in October 2023 over parking, then chased them on foot, attempting to instigate a fight. The post alleged police intervened and that Nusser later tried to get the driver fired, saying, “Anyone can do your job.”

The post included images of Nusser allegedly photographing the truck’s license plate, along with screenshots of a witness’s texts describing the incident.

The second post claimed to be written by a Northside Iowa City eatery manager, who alleged Nusser became belligerent at the establishment two years ago when he could not be seated and shouted at the restaurant’s teenage host.

When the manager later asked him to be less aggressive with employees, the post claimed Nusser reacted by yelling in the dining room and asking if the manager “knew who he was” before leaving.

Nusser was asked about the first post in an interview with KRUI the same night it was shared. The Daily Iowan obtained a copy of Nusser’s full interview.

“I’m on air. You’re wanting me to read something that you just vetted and react to it,” Nusser said on KRUI, referencing the Reddit post. “Is that the question that you’re asking me?”

Nusser dismissed the allegation as part of the “rumor mill” surrounding his campaign. But Weilein said he was not surprised by the allegations in the posts, adding that throughout his own campaign, he has heard similar stories about Nusser’s behavior.

“[If Nusser] is someone who has, on multiple occasions, wielded his status to degrade working class people, I think voters want to know that,” Weilein said, referencing why he believes the posts were shared. “I think that actually is pertinent information.”

While the Reddit posts sparked discussion, reports also surfaced this week of local landlords allegedly mass-texting their tenants, encouraging them to vote for Nusser. Nicole Yeager, a member of the UI graduate student union Campaign to Organize Graduate Students, or COGS, addressed the messages.

“Several of our members have received that text message, and we’re actually concerned that it’s possible they targeted [our members], knowing that COGS has endorsed Oliver Weilein,” Yeager said.

On KRUI, Nusser said he was unaware of these texts but did not find them surprising because of his own career in real estate.

“It probably doesn’t take a huge leap to think that someone who is invested in real estate might support the candidate who is also invested in real estate,” Nusser said on KRUI.

Ahead of the concert, Weilein addressed Nusser’s undisclosed $75,000 debt from 2018, which led to a tax lien and an American Express lawsuit. The DI revealed this Monday after receiving an anonymous tip. Nusser said the debt was related to his divorce and occurred while he was struggling with substance use disorder.

Although the source of the tip was not disclosed, Nusser attributed it to Weilein’s supporters in a subsequent Facebook statement addressing the controversy.

“This is only the latest attack from Oliver Weilein’s supporters that relates to my private life,” Nusser’s post read.

Weilein initially called the debt potentially concerning but now agrees it shouldn’t be held against Nusser. Weilein denied Nusser’s claim that the tip came from his supporters.

“It was as much of a surprise to me as it was to anybody else,” Weilein said.

In his Facebook statement, Nusser also said that “attacks” have been made against him that involved his children, which he ignored to protect their privacy. Weilein said he was unaware of the attacks Nusser referenced but said that he condemns any possible threats.

“If someone has threatened [Nusser] or [his] kids, I want to know who they are so I can tell them, if I know them, to not associate with my campaign and to stop,” Weilein said.

Weilein said he sympathized with the stigma surrounding addiction and understood why Nusser did not disclose his past financial hardship. However, Weilein said he wished Nusser had shown him the same understanding throughout the campaign.

Weilein has been open about buying an AR-15 for protection after receiving threats related to his protest involvement. He said the threats left him with lasting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. However, at a gun safety advocacy group meeting earlier this month, Nusser harshly criticized Weilein for owning the firearm, implying he might use it against neighbors, community members, or police.

“I think it’s definitely hypocritical,” Weilein said with a shrug, adding that he ultimately does not see financial hardship or addiction as a stain on anyone’s character.

Nusser communicated to the DI that he was no longer interested in speaking with the paper following Monday’s story on his financial history.