Megan Alter said she is taking another shot at an at-large seat on the Iowa City Council.
"Honestly, I'm running because of COVID," Alter said.
The pandemic, she said, elevated the challenges of childcare and food security that residents face every day.
"We can’t go back to normal — not in a malevolent way, but there were too many people left behind," Alter said. "We have to make a better normal."
Alter moved to Iowa City in 1995 to finish her Ph.D. in 19th century British literature. After finishing the program in 2004, she was a visiting professor in the English Department and the Sexuality Studies program. In 2009, she got a job at ACT, where she works as a senior manager in Content Solutions and Services.