Council member Indira Sheumaker did not respond to a letter Mayor Frank Cownie sent to her on Aug. 21 requesting a response from her. Sheumaker had until Monday, Aug. 28 to respond.In a statement to KCCI, city manager Scott Sanders said:As of 5 p.m. today, the City Manager’s Office has not received any contact from Councilor Sheumaker, and I am not aware of any communications received by the mayor either.As he indicated in his letter last week, Mayor Cownie and the rest of City Council will proceed accordingly. The decision now lies with the City Council to choose a course of action to move forward and facilitate First Ward representation.You can read Cownie’s letter to Sheumaker here. Councilwoman at-large Connie Boesen said the city council will set a hearing during its next meeting on Sept. 11. Then, during October’s meeting, the city council will decide what to do next.”I think we’re really going into new territory and we’re looking at all the different options,” Boesen said. “We will be proceeding forward in the best manner that we can for the residents of Des Moines.”Boesen said no one knows what’s going on with Sheumaker. She said the options that are left are to remove her or to have her come forward.One of Sheumaker’s constituents, Jeremy Geerdes, has been pushing for Sheumaker’s resignation and now, her removal. Geerdes said he and his neighbors are frustrated with Sheumaker’s silence.”We’ve seen several instances where a lack of a Ward 1 representative has affected us,” Geerdes said. “You cannot represent people if you don’t show up to meetings.” But another constituent, Brant Kassel, said people are being too aggressive toward Sheumaker. “I don’t know for whatever reason, people seem to want to pile on Indira, and I just don’t get it,” Kassel said. “I don’t understand it.”While he does understand people’s frustrations, he says Sheumaker’s silence hasn’t affected him personally. He voted for Sheumaker and still supports her.”She was a good voice to have on council,” Kassel said. “I think we had a lot of the same voices from a lot of the other people, and she brought a fresh perspective that was good to have.”Everyone did agree that they are concerned about Sheumaker’s well-being and hope she’s OK.KCCI reached out to Sheumaker multiple times on Aug. 28, but did not receive a response.
Council member Indira Sheumaker did not respond to a letter Mayor Frank Cownie sent to her on Aug. 21 requesting a response from her. Sheumaker had until Monday, Aug. 28 to respond.
In a statement to KCCI, city manager Scott Sanders said:
As of 5 p.m. today, the City Manager’s Office has not received any contact from Councilor Sheumaker, and I am not aware of any communications received by the mayor either.
As he indicated in his letter last week, Mayor Cownie and the rest of City Council will proceed accordingly. The decision now lies with the City Council to choose a course of action to move forward and facilitate First Ward representation.
You can read Cownie’s letter to Sheumaker here.
Councilwoman at-large Connie Boesen said the city council will set a hearing during its next meeting on Sept. 11. Then, during October’s meeting, the city council will decide what to do next.
“I think we’re really going into new territory and we’re looking at all the different options,” Boesen said. “We will be proceeding forward in the best manner that we can for the residents of Des Moines.”
Boesen said no one knows what’s going on with Sheumaker. She said the options that are left are to remove her or to have her come forward.
One of Sheumaker’s constituents, Jeremy Geerdes, has been pushing for Sheumaker’s resignation and now, her removal. Geerdes said he and his neighbors are frustrated with Sheumaker’s silence.
“We’ve seen several instances where a lack of a Ward 1 representative has affected us,” Geerdes said. “You cannot represent people if you don’t show up to meetings.”
But another constituent, Brant Kassel, said people are being too aggressive toward Sheumaker.
“I don’t know for whatever reason, people seem to want to pile on Indira, and I just don’t get it,” Kassel said. “I don’t understand it.”
While he does understand people’s frustrations, he says Sheumaker’s silence hasn’t affected him personally. He voted for Sheumaker and still supports her.
“She was a good voice to have on council,” Kassel said. “I think we had a lot of the same voices from a lot of the other people, and she brought a fresh perspective that was good to have.”
Everyone did agree that they are concerned about Sheumaker’s well-being and hope she’s OK.
KCCI reached out to Sheumaker multiple times on Aug. 28, but did not receive a response.
