Cole Button (Council Bluffs City Council At-large, Iowa, candidate 2025)

Cole Button

Nonpartisan

Candidate, Council Bluffs City Council At-large

Elections and appointments

Last election

October 7, 2025

Education

Bachelor's

Iowa State University, 2018

Personal

Religion

Christian

Profession

Correctional Officer

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Cole Button is running for election to the Council Bluffs City Council At-large in Iowa. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.^[source] He was on the ballot in the primary on October 7, 2025.^[source]

Button completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Cole Button provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on September 14, 2025:

• Birth date: May 31, 1996
• Bachelor's: Iowa State University, 2018
• Gender: Male
• Religion: Christian
• Profession: Correctional Officer
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign slogan: CB for CB
• Campaign website
• Campaign endorsements
• Campaign Facebook

Elections

General election

General election for Council Bluffs City Council At-large (2 seats)

Cole Button, Steve Gorman, Dustin Harris, and Jessica Marie Vanderpool are running in the general election for Council Bluffs City Council At-large on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
		Cole Button (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Steve Gorman (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Dustin Harris (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Jessica Marie Vanderpool (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Council Bluffs City Council At-large (2 seats)

The following candidates ran in the primary for Council Bluffs City Council At-large on October 7, 2025.

		Candidate
		Cole Button (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Ryan Garrison (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Steve Gorman (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Dustin Harris (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Benjamin Thomas Larson (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Joseph Thornburg (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Brandy Van Riessen (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Jessica Marie Vanderpool (Nonpartisan)

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

To view Button's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us an endorsement, click here.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Cole Button completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Button's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m a third-generation resident of Council Bluffs, proud to continue my family’s long history in this community. My grandmother lived here for over 50 years, and my mother was born and raised here, graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School. After college, my wife and I chose to make our home in Council Bluffs and build our future here.

I earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Iowa State University and spent several years working as a financial analyst, where I studied budgets, economics, and businesses. My father served as an Iowa police officer for over 30 years, and his example instilled in me a strong respect for law enforcement and public service. Following that influence, I left corporate finance and took a pay cut to pursue a career in public safety. I’ve previously served as a police officer and now work as a correctional officer for the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office.

This combination of financial expertise and public safety experience gives me a unique perspective on the challenges facing our city. I understand both the importance of fiscal responsibility and the need to keep our community safe. That’s why I’m running—to make sure Council Bluffs remains a strong, affordable, and thriving place for families today and for future generations.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Public Safety As a correctional officer and former Council Bluffs police officer, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges our community faces with drugs, crime, and homelessness. Public safety must be our top priority. I’ll fight to give law enforcement the support and resources they need, strengthen policies that keep dangerous drugs out of our neighborhoods, and ensure Council Bluffs remains a safe place to raise a family.
• Property Taxes Families and retirees alike are being squeezed by rising property taxes. Why? Because while the cost of everything keeps going up, our town's population has stayed the same for decades. I've spent years as a financial analyst studying economics and we have to grow our population to broaden our tax base if we want to lower the levy rate and give tax relief to local residents. My focus is on reducing waste, protecting essential services, and fighting for policies that make it affordable for residents to stay in Council Bluffs long-term.
• Roads, Growth & Public Input Council Bluffs deserves better roads, stronger neighborhoods, and a local government that listens. I’ll push to prioritize road repairs and invest in underutilized areas to attract new families and businesses—without sacrificing our quality of life amenities and what makes our community unique. Just as importantly, many residents don't feel like there's enough opportunity for their voice to be heard. I’ll ensure residents have more opportunities for public input before big decisions are made, so City Hall reflects the voices of the people.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I’m passionate about public safety, affordability, and responsible growth. Working as a correctional officer at the Pottawattamie County Jail, I’m surrounded by the challenges of drugs, crime, homelessness, and mental health every day—I see firsthand how these issues affect Council Bluffs and how they continue to get worse.

That experience drives my belief that public safety must always come first. I’m also committed to fighting rising property taxes so families and retirees can afford to stay in their homes. And I believe in smart growth: investing in roads, housing, and underutilized areas to strengthen our community while protecting the green spaces and character of our community.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

What makes City Council unique is how directly it impacts people’s daily lives. Many focus on what happens in Washington, D.C., but it’s local government that decides issues like property taxes, road repairs, housing, zoning, and public safety—things residents see and feel every day. City Council has the responsibility to balance budgets, set community priorities, and make sure city services are delivered effectively. That local control makes it one of the most important parts of government, because the decisions made at City Hall often affect families, neighborhoods, and businesses more immediately than those made at the state or federal level.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The most important qualities for an elected official are integrity, accountability, and a commitment to listening. Leaders must be honest about both challenges and solutions, use taxpayer dollars responsibly, and put the community’s needs ahead of personal or political gain. Just as important, they should be accessible and willing to hear from residents before making big decisions. Strong leadership isn’t about pushing a personal agenda. It’s about representing the people faithfully, making sound, common-sense decisions, and working every day to earn the trust of the community.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibility of a City Council member is to represent the people of Council Bluffs and ensure their voices are heard in every major decision. That means setting a responsible budget, prioritizing essential services like public safety and infrastructure, and making choices that keep our community affordable for families and seniors.

It also means fostering growth that strengthens neighborhoods and attracts new businesses, without losing sight of what makes Council Bluffs unique. Above all, it requires listening, being transparent, and always putting the community’s best interests first.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to be remembered as a councilmember who listened, fought for safer neighborhoods, kept taxes low, and fixed our roads. Most of all, I want people to say I put the community first and made Council Bluffs a better place for future generations.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Former Pottawattamie County Supervisor - Justin Schultz
State Representative - Brent Siegrist

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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