I found out this morning that Bonita decided to run for city council. She will be running for the SE District seat, currently held by Sue Aguilar (Sue has not made a decision on whether to run or not for re-election) according to Bonita’s statement;
“The vast majority of the residents I talked to expressed their concern that the council is not representing them and not listening to them. There is frustration with voters. People want leaders who will represent their voice,†she said in a statement released Thursday. “I will make connecting with people and voicing their concerns a priority.â€
Say what you will about Bonita, but her resume in government speaks for itself. She has a law degree from Drake Law School and an undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Texas. She served as administrative assistant to Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, overseeing several state departments and making recommendations to the governor on budget and policy.
I have met Bonita on several occasions, don’t be fooled, she is smart as a whip, and knows good government and policy. She will not be a cakewalk to debate.
I don’t have any inside track on whether Sue is seeking a second term or not. But I will say, if she decides not to run, they will be digging out some administration water carrier to run against Schwan.
Sue has been highly ineffective as a city councilor, besides getting her buddy David Bixler a job with the city and helping Erpenbach to master mind the termination of Owen with mayor Huether, she hasn’t really accomplished much (for the people). I would think someone who is retired would have plenty of time to take the part-time job as city councilor very seriously, but it seems she followed in the footsteps of Quen Be De, another retired person who was more concerned about watching the Olympics and getting to bed early then serving the city, and we know what happened to Knudson the last time she ran for council. Even if Sue decides to run, Schwan will wallop her. There are not many constituents that I talk to who have been pleased with Sue’s performance in that district.
Good Luck Bonita!