How much do Des Moines City Council candidates know about the city and metro’s climate goals, public transit and urban forestry?
Candidates for Des Moines City Council were tested on their knowledge about the city’s major plans and goals for climate and transportation on Thursday, Oct. 16, in a game show-style forum hosted by the urbanism political action committee, Momentum DSM, the Des Moines Citizen Taskforce on Sustainability, and environmental nonprofit Urban Ambassadors at Twisted Vine Brewery, 112 S.E. Fourth St.
Early and absentee voting has begun. Election Day is Nov. 4.
The “What’s the Plan?” event, which drew about 40 people, consisted of several rounds of round-robin questions about ADAPT DSM, the city’s climate action plan; Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority’s Reimagine DART plan; and the Urban Forest Master Plan, a plan on how the city can nurture and build the urban tree canopy. Between the questions, candidates introduced themselves and their platforms to the audience.
Participants included Ward 3 council member Josh Mandelbaum, who is unopposed; Endi Montalvo-Martinez, who is looking to unseat at-large council member Mike Simonson; and Rob X. Barron, one of three Ward 1 candidates. The remaining three candidates were not present.
The unique style of the forum serves as an educational experience for candidates and the public, said sustainability taskforce volunteer Sheila Knoploh-Odole, who moderated the event. The event comes months after the city eliminated its two-person sustainability office that oversaw the implementation of its climate action plan due to budget constraints.
“It’s not enough to just write these plans,” Knoploh-Odole said. “That’s really important. But we also need the council people to read and understand them and know what’s in them so that they will be willing to implement them.”
Here’s a sample of the questions (with correct answers from candidates who answered them):
On Des Moines’ ADAPT DSM plan
Question: A “Risk and Vulnerability Assessment” taken as part of ADAPT DSM identified four primary hazards facing our community because of climate change. Name two of the four primary hazards we face:
Answer from Montalvo-Martinez: Extreme hot temperature and water scarcity.
Question: Which greenhouse gas produced by humans is most abundant and longest lasting in the atmosphere? A. Methane. B. Fluorinated gases. C. Water vapor. D. Carbon dioxide. E. Nitroxide.
Answer from Mandelbaum: D. Carbon dioxide.
On the Reimagine DART plan
Question: How much less total hours of service does the draft network have compared to today’s DART network? A. 10% B. 6%. C. 3% D. 12%.
Answer from Barron: A. 10%.
Question: What time will the draft network begin service on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays? A. 6 a.m., 6 a.m., 6 a.m. B. 6 a.m., 7 a.m., 7 a.m. C. 5 a.m., 6 a.m., 7 a.m. D. 6 a.m., 6 a.m., 7 a.m.
Answer from Mandelbaum: D. 6 a.m., 6 a.m., 7 a.m.
On the Urban Forest Master Plan
Question: The urban tree census of 2015 to 2017 captured data on how many trees? A. 4,900 trees. B. 49,000 trees. C. 490,000 trees. D. 4.9 million trees.
Answer from Montalvo-Martinez: B. 49,000 trees
Question: How could a tree be moved from fair to good condition? A. Power washing it with pesticides. B. Pruning or removing dead wood to correct poor structure. C. You can’t; it would need to be removed or something else planted.
Answer from Barron: B. Pruning
Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: In game show, Des Moines City Council candidates quizzed on city’s climate, transit goals
Reporting by Virginia Barreda, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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