2011 Honorary Race Director

The Honorable T. M. Franklin Cownie, Mayor, City of Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines Mayor T. M. Franklin Cownie has spent much of his time in leadership roles on the national and international stage representing issues that he is most passionate about; local control, green initiatives, jobs and the economy.  Most recently Mayor Cownie represented America’s cities and the United States at the International Climate Meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark where he was invited to participate as a local government delegate.  Cownie has been invited to the White House on several occasions to share the local government perspective on jobs, the economy and the environment.  He works extensively with the US Conference of Mayors, Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and many others.  Frank is the father of four children and has deep ties to his community. His goal has always been to build a better future and a better community for the next generation.

Frank was elected to an At-Large Council seat in January 2002.  He was then elected to the mayor’s seat in January 2004 and was re-elected in January 2008, winning 80 percent of the votes cast.  With this overwhelming vote of confidence from the community Cownie continues his leadership role in the business community and across the city.  

Mayor Cownie created and led the Mayor’s Task Force on Energy and Environment, which brought together representatives from across the community to collaborate on environmental and energy-efficiency issues. This task force ultimately led to the Des Moines City Council adoption of guiding principles for the city’s green initiatives.  He led the initiative to have the first LEED Certified Building constructed in Des Moines – the Park and Recreation Department’s Glendale/West Zone Maintenance Facility.

Mayor Cownie has been a long-time proponent of adding hybrid vehicles to the city fleet operations and it was through his efforts that the city has developed alternative transportation initiatives, and received a federal grant to purchase a fleet of energy-efficient hybrid automobiles.

Frank has been on the front line of the battle for trees.  Pushing to increase the urban forest and to save trees from destruction, he led the effort to adopt the new City of Des Moines Tree Preservation Ordinance.    Other recent successes include community partnerships to re-forest the city.

Cownie is also rapidly gaining national recognition through his leadership roles with the U.S. Conference of Mayors.  He is a member of The U.S. Conference of Mayors Advisory Board and is a Co-Chair of the Hunger and Homelessness Task Force.  He was one of only eleven U.S. mayors chosen to travel to Israel in 2005 as a member of the International Council of Mayors; and one of only eight U.S. mayors chosen to formulate regional environmental policies for American cities through his work with the international group, Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI). Mayor Cownie is an active member of the progressive group, the New City Project, and was an early signer of the US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

Frank is the father of four children and has deep ties to his community. He says his goal has always been to build a better future and a better community for the next generation.  “With the right consensus, be it residents, city officials or business leaders, I believe you can make great things happen.  Every success involves the work of a lot of people from a broad spectrum of talent and skills. I have been fortunate to be able act as the catalyst to bring people together to make things happen,” said Cownie.  “Growing up in a family owned business gave me opportunity to do every single job in an organization from sweeping the floor to ordering supplies, to marking and promotion.  I learned the value of teamwork and that everyone’s contribution is important,” he added.  He works with his fellow council members for sustainable growth in the city that will have long-term benefits to the community, advocating improvement in the quality of development in both residential and commercial sectors.