You remember Steven Kanner, a local activist who refused dominant values, whether by riding the bus instead of a car, refusing to wear leather tennis shoes, or dreaming of working in a cooperative tofu factory. One of my best memories is going with him to Broad and High, ironing board in hand to use as a literature table. We talked with both the rich and the poor about Single Payer Health Care reform and asked them to sign our petition. Few were as faithful as he was—participating in a peace march, hosting a dinner for Simply Living friends, or supporting the Green Education Fund.

What a surprise to get his letter from Iowa City stating that he had been elected to the City Council. Steven Kanner? you ask. Yes. The only person on the council who lists his address as a basement apartment and who deliberately renewed his membership with the Democratic Socialists of America as well as the Green and Labor Parties before he was elected.

The start was typical Kanner. The city’s leading progressive, socialist Karen Kubbly, decided not to run for re-election. Although he attended meetings aimed at generating progressive candidates, Steven felt he didn’t have a constituency and wasn’t well know. He was, though, working as Host/Administrator for a Senior lunch program and supervised a Farmers’ Market. The meetings needed precinct maps, so Steven went to the City Clerk to get some. They cost a dollar but were free to candidates. You know what he did. But it wasn’t only free maps that made him sign up. Joining the race would give him a chance to talk with reporters about the causes he cared about.

But reporters refused to listen unless he was a real candidate with enough petition signatures. A few days camping out on a downtown pedestrian mall did the trick. That done, he started building a campaign on progressive local issues:

  • Fair water rates
  • Neighborhood investment and organizing
  • Municipally owned electricity
  • Better bus service rather than more roads and parking
  • A living wage for city and contract workers

With that platform, he gained the endorsement of the local AFL-CIO, the Greens, SEIU, and the Carpenters’ Union.

Soon he was campaigning not just to support progressive issues but to win. That meant a few compromises. Not a GQ kind of guy, he started putting on a tie. He also learned to present issues like advocating fewer armed police officers in a more subdued way.

Years ago when organizing the Ohio Peace March, he had dinner at the Governor’s mansion—leftovers—with Dagmar Celeste. He always remembered her inspiring him. She said that with only 10 dedicated workers, you could run for local office. Steven had only one and a half, but Iowa City is smaller and the opposition was weak. He also remembered from Mary Jo Kilroy’s campaigns that cable TV rates are cheap.

After surviving the primary, he started the general campaign for one of the two at-large seats on the council.

With a couple of fundraisers and a mailing, the campaign treasury was at $4000. With flyers, radio and tv ads, and over a hundred people helping in one way or another, he ran a good race. On the big night, though, Steven came up three votes short in an election where 10,000 voted. He gave his prepared speech to a disappointed group and decided to open the champagne anyway.

As he was going to phone reporters with final comments, someone called out, “Quick, turn on the TV. They’re calling you the winner now.” One of the precincts, reporting its totals by phone, misread a 3 as a 9. With the correct figure, Steven won by 2, with 3600 votes. His career as elected official had begun.

He’s made a difference. For example, neighbors complained about a homeless person living in his van on their streets. Another council member responded by introducing a law prohibiting people from living in their vehicles on public streets—just the kind of solution to homelessness a progressive like Steven had to resist. The old council would have passed the ordinance with no problem, but with new members they could defeat it 4-3.

On other issues he’s stood alone. For example a hospital wanted zoning relief for a clinic. This seemed like a good thing, but Steven was concerned about who they hoped to attract to the clinic. He asked the hospital VP if a neighbor a few blocks away who didn’t have health insurance would be welcome. Immediately three other council members and the City Attorney pounced on him, saying that the question was irrelevant. To Steve, of course, it was very relevant. The Iowa state code makes clear that zoning was to promote the “health, welfare and safety” of citizens. This was one of the fights he lost, but he did publicly raise issues that challenged the status quo.

Outside of the council chambers, Steven remains an activist. He helped organize an Alternative Caucus event, a teach-in for Single Payer Healthcare. Now he’s working on a two day conference on alternative transportation and the myths of our car culture. He also traveled to Georgia for the protest against the School of the Americas.

“My goal . . . is to become a faster and more articulate thinker. In this game of politics, knowledge and the ability to articulate that knowledge are power.” Gaining that knowledge requires doing one’s homework, Steven acknowledges, and it can seem endless. However, it takes more than just knowledge. Art Gish, long time activist from Athens, once told him that creating social changes requires more than just presenting the facts. One cannot only appeal to people’s minds. There must be a spiritual change or a change of heart. That too is an important lesson.

I asked my friend Steven if he’d be running for president soon. He laughed and said he couldn’t imagine himself as a political animal. He admitted it was something of an ego trip though his publicity hasn’t been all good. He wasn’t really even thinking yet about running for re- election. He finds encouraging other progressives to run for office a more important goal.

I can now imagine Steven at the city council meetings. Maybe he’s a little gentler, more ready to fit into milieu in order to make his impact. I’ll bet, though, that he still speaks out strongly and directly for what he believes in.

And no one is mistaking him for just another member of the downtown crowd.


Reg Dyck is a member of the Democratic Socialists of Central Ohio

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