West Des Moines’ Officials Talk Smack for a Sweet Reason

It’s on.

The West Des Moines Police Department won the award for the most creative cookie at the Great Cookie Walk of West Des Moines Thursady morning, but that’s not the whole enchilada – or in this case, gingerbread castle.

Teams have their eye on a bigger prize – raising money for the Youth Justice Initiative of West Des Moines, a restorative justice program that brings different community groups together to help young offenders who run afoul of the law make better decisions.

The money comes not only from the sale of about 1,800 dozen cookies at the Ninth Annual Great Cookie Walk of West Des Moines on Nov. 24, but also from People's Choice Award voting that will take place that day. Traditionally, team sponsors donate $1 for each vote to YJI and the teams engage in good-natured banter – and, face it, out-and-out trickery – to win the People's Choice honor.

Next City Council Representative Should Have Culinary Degree

The competition this morning featured teams from the city’s fire department, police department, school district, city and chamber of commerce.

Police officials were feeling a bit cocky that their cookie creation featured movement.

“We are going to confiscate all of the cookies,” quipped Lt. Jim Barrett.

Talk about abuse of power.

“They’ve got like 10 people,” City Manager Greg Sparks complained. “We only have three.”

"And they're on the city's dime," chimed in taxpayer watchdog Councilman Jim Sandager.

The city was far behind the other teams in finishing their Olympic stage – a fitting theme since gymnastics sweetheart Gabby Douglas sealed in London this summer a reputation that Shawn Johnson helped build in Beijing four years earlier: West Des Moines is the go-to place for Olympic training.

But the city’s entry wasn’t just about capitalizing on the celebrity of Douglas, Johnson and their coach, Liang Chow.

It was full of symbolism. Standing on the highest podium on the city’s Olympic stage is YJI. The message: With YJI, the winner is the community. A sugar-cookie balance beam and uneven bars spoke to the power to YJI to even the scales.

What if West Des Moines hadn’t produced Olympic champions?

“We’d still be thinking,” admitted Councilman Russ Trimble.

Not that he isn’t – thinking ahead, that is.

He may be frosting his cookies before they’re baked, but if newly named Senate District 22 Republican nominee Charles Schneider wins the special election on Dec. 11 and the city council calls a special election to fill the vacancy, “a prerequisite should be that candidates have to know how to bake,” he said.

Clearly, Trimble has given this some thought.

“We need to improve our game,” Trimble said, sounding as if he was giving his own stump speech. “We clearly need somebody with a culinary degree. It’s important to the people.”

Is a Towering Fire Department Tree Over the Top?

One question that will be resolved in the People’s Choice voting is whether the West Des Moines Fire Department went too far with a towering 3-foot artificial tree.

Members of the West Des Moines Community School District team thought so.

Jamie Evans, a communications specialist and web master for the school district, was painstakingly frosting star-shaped cookies with green icing, then fitting them together to make a Christmas tree.

"Notice how much more creative our tree is,” said Historic Valley Junction Foundation director Jim Miller, who filled in at the last minute to help out his wife, Director of School and Community Relations Elaine Watkins-Miller.

The fire department team was confident they’ll win the People’s Choice award next week.

“Ultimately, we will let them win,” Barrett quipped.

The laughs flowed, but it was serious fun.

Police Lt. Cam Coppess, a juvenile detective for the past 28 years, said the Youth Justice Initiative formalizes an unofficial policy to give young offenders a do-over of sorts. The program works, he said, because it responds to the unique needs of West Des Moines.

Restorative justice programs aren’t one-size-fits-all, he said.

“You can have restorative justice as a foundation” he said, “but the program has to be community based and unique to the community it serves. Local autonomy is important.”