Newcomer Katie Freeman claimed victory, and incumbents Hai Huynh and Mike Knudson have retained their seats on the Coralville City Council.
The incumbents were the race’s top vote-getters, with Hai Huynh earning 2,247 votes (22.8%), followed by Knudson with 1,965 (20%). Freeman earned 1,487 votes (15.1%), according to preliminary results from the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office.
The race featured plenty of fresh faces, with six of the eight candidates running for elected office for the first time. Three-term incumbent Councilor Laurie Goodrich opted against running for a fourth term, instead running and prevailing in the race for mayor.
Huynh, Knudson and Freeman will now hold office until the end of 2029.
Freeman prevails alongside incumbents in Coralville
Animal caretaker Katie Freeman, 44, strives to provide access to high-quality basic necessities, including affordable housing, food and health care. Freeman also said they would “advance equity” initiatives for LGBTQ+ residents and protect communities that have been “targeted,” from LGBTQ+ people to immigrants.
Freeman has lived in Coralville since 2014 with their wife and two children. They earned a Master’s of Fine Art degree from the University of Iowa in 2025.
Freeman told the Press-Citizen on Wednesday, Nov. 5, that their victory felt “surreal” and reflected a campaign based on face-to-face and social media engagement with residents. Once Freeman takes office, they want to focus on instilling protections for the city’s immigrant community and alleviating food insecurity in the community.
“I think that is our biggest crisis on the horizon,” Freeman said, pointing to swirling uncertainty around the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. “It’s something that we need to address pretty quickly.”
Incumbent Mike Knudson, 64, earned a second term on the Coralville City Council. He said budgetary pressure was mounting after changes to state law. He also wants to complete the Gather Iowa development, replace the existing recreation center and advance sustainability within the city limits. Knudson works as a pathologist at the University of Iowa.
He told the Press-Citizen late Tuesday, Nov. 4, that the biggest victory for Coralville was the passage of the local option sales tax. He said he could think of “about three or four million ways” that LOST will benefit Coralville, but he said first and foremost, it will help the city achieve its goal of building a new recreation center.
“The challenge will be to have a little bit (of revenue) left over, in my view, to support some of the social services that need to be supported right now,” Knudson said.
Incumbent Hai Huynh, 48, said Coralville’s biggest challenge is providing “excellent services” to residents while balancing shrinking funding sources. Huynh said she will continue to advocate for a new recreation center and more affordable housing.
Huynh holds a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Iowa and is a native of Vietnam. She also works as the associate director of the Coralville Community Food Pantry.
She told the Press-Citizen on Wednesday, Nov. 5 that she wants to focus on creating “truly” affordable housing options for residents and expanding the city’s social services. Huynh also thanked voters for their continued civic engagement, both with the council ahead of the election and again at the ballot box.
“I would encourage people to continue to be engaged, continue to ask questions of their elected officials, and hold them accountable,” Huynh said. “We asked for the job, we asked for the seat, and so we’ve got to put in the work.”
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Newcomer Freeman, incumbents Huynh, Knudson victorious in 2025 Coralville City Council race
Reporting by Ryan Hansen, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
