Iowa City Council Candidate Profiles: Jarrett Mitchell

This profile is on Jarrett Mitchell, owner of .

Mitchell, a proponent of sustainable living and backyard chicken ownership, is seeking one of the two At-Large seats up for grabs in Tuesday's election, filling the slot by At-Large council member Mike Wright, who decided not to run.

Iowa City Patch: Where are you from originally and what is your tie to Iowa City?

Jarrett Mitchell: I am from Keokuk. I attended U of I from 1996-2000 and moved back to Iowa City in 2009.

Iowa City Patch: How old are you and how long have you lived in Iowa City for?

Mitchell: I am 33 years old.

Iowa City Patch: What is your profession?

Mitchell:  I am an artist and also own a coffeeshop.

Iowa City Patch: What motivated you to run for city council?

Mitchell: I decided to run for City Council to be a voice for young families, sustainability and small business.

Iowa City Patch: What would your priorities be as a council member?

Mitchell: My priorities would be to focus on promoting urban farming, cycling and small business.

Iowa City Patch: Why do you think you are qualified to be on the city council? What voters in Iowa City do you think you will appeal to and why?

Mitchell: I am qualified to be on city council because I am a resident of Iowa city.

I think that appeal to those voters who look at city council and do not a see themselves. I represent a change back to a time when city council was actually representative of the community.

Iowa City Patch: Which issues do you feel will be the most important in the upcoming election?

Mitchell: The most important issue in this election is whether voters believe the current direction of the council is what they want.

Iowa City Patch: Which issues do you feel will be the most important in the upcoming election?

Mitchell:  Do they favor giving tax breaks to corporate chains to compete directly with local business, or do they prefer a level playing field? Do they want the council to continue to ignore issues of sustainability or do they want to allow citizens to provide for themselves and the community by easing restrictions on urban farming?

Background of the profile series:

Iowa City Patch sent the current Iowa City Council candidates a list of the same seven questions to provide people with a greater understanding of the individuals who are running in the Nov. 8 election for the Iowa City Council.

The seven council members serve four year terms, with four seats up in November (effective 2012) for one District A, one District C and two At-large slots on the council. The remaining three slots are up in 2013 (effective 2014).  City elections are held every two years.