Josh Mandelbaum

Iowa has the second highest cancer rate in the country. We can’t address our cancer crisis if we don’t understand it. This report from the Iowa Environmental Council and The Harkin Institute is critical for understanding and informing action.

Our budget process should have more transparency. I’ll keep asking questions and pushing for accountability and transparency.

Des Moines council asks for information on what doesn't make budget Some Des Moines City Council members say they want more details on what funding requests get left out of the city manager's recommended budget book.

Great to hear from our next Congress member Sarah for Iowa at the Iowa Unity Coalition town hall. We need people in Congress who will stand up for health care, good paying jobs with livable wages, and affordability.

The public has wanted us to address predatory towing practices in our community for as long as I have been on the Council. Our towing contract was an opportunity to better protect the public, and while it made some modest improvements, the contract was a missed opportunity to protect the public so I voted no. I also proposed that Council have a worksession to address towing practices with private/non-consensual towing and proposed specific steps for Council to take. Council did not set any date certain but there was a commitment to have a worksession. That worksession will only happen if Council hears from the public. It is time for us to do better.

Crow Tow awarded Des Moines impounding contract despite controversies Des Moines City Council member Josh Mandelbaum says he will push for a towing ordinance after controversial Crow Tow gets impound contract.

The public has wanted us to address predatory towing practices in our community for as long as I have been on the Council. Our towing contract was an opportunity to better protect the public, and while it made some modest improvements, the contract was a missed opportunity to protect the public so I voted no. I also proposed that Council have a worksession to address towing practices with private/non-consensual towing and proposed specific steps for Council to take. Council did not set any date certain but there was a commitment to have a worksession. That worksession will only happen if Council hears from the public. It is time for us to do better.

Des Moines City Council approves towing contract amid debate The Des Moines City Council approved a towing contract with Crow Tow despite concerns over customer service and last-minute calls for regulatory changes.

Last night, I had a great time visiting with students about what we can do to address water quality in Iowa. Thanks to Drake University Sustainability for putting on a great event.

It was great to start my day with Des Moines Public Schools at McKinley Elementary School to celebrate the completion of the Shoot for the Stars mural. This community project was a partnership with Invest DSM and is a great way to celebrate the history and diversity of our community.

It was great to spend last night celebrating the extraordinary achievement of Des Moines Fire Department and Des Moines Firefighters. A special congratulations to Joe Van Haalen as the first recipient of the Medal of Honor in a decade.

There are 12 women who have an active application to serve on Planning and Zoning. Councilmember Gatto did not contact a single one of them, even the ones who live in his ward, as part of the so called "due diligence" before making an exception to our gender balance policy. The policy exists so that qualified candidates get a fair shot and don't get overlooked. Councilmember Gatto violated our policy, and what he did was wrong.

Councilman calls for apology after exception made to city’s gender balance policy Des Moines City Council made an exception to its gender balance policy to appoint two men to a commission. Now questions are swirling about whether women who applied for the board were given full consideration.

This week is not the first time that Councilmember Gatto has been unable to find a woman to serve on Planning and Zoning. This is the third time in his tenure on Council. I made proposals to address these issues the last time it came up, but it was resisted.

Des Moines City Council members flouted gender balance requirement Joe Gatto and Linda Westergaard both named men to the Plan and Zoning Commission when state law called for appointing a woman.

As a city, we should be striving to have our boards and commissions look like the communitywe serve. I’m proud that we kept our gender balance requirements after the state eliminated them. We should follow our gender balance ordinance. It’s disappointing that we are not.

Des Moines City Council has spat over new commissioner's gender A Des Moines City Council member publicly accused a colleague of violating the city's gender balance rule over a new commission appointment.

It’s time for the Council to address predatory towing in Des Moines. We should improve our towing contract to protect consumers who get towed by the city, and we should pass an ordinance to provide protections in private towing.

“The process has stunk from a council member’s perspective,” Mandelbaum said. “This is an important contract. Towing practices in this city are a real concern. This should have been discussed by the council before the RFP. But the whole process has been shrouded in secrecy.”

Company alleges bias in favor of Crow Tow in police contract bid A Des Moines towing company alleges the city's police impound contract bidding process was biased toward Crow Tow, despite public complaints.