Wichtendahl, Aime (1979- )

Person

Staff Only

Dates

Existence: 1979-

Biography

Aime Wichtendahl was born in 1979 in Minnesota. Her family moved around the Midwest for several years, with Wichtendahl living in Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois before the family settled in Newhall, Iowa in the mid-1980s. Wichtendahl attended private Christian schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade. In 2005, Wichtendahl graduated from Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science. A trans woman, Wichtendahl also began her transition in 2006. In 2007, she and her son Steven moved to Hiawatha, Iowa. In 2015, Wichtendahl was elected to the Hiawatha City Council, becoming the first openly trans woman to serve in public office in Iowa history. Wichtendahl was reelected in 2019 and 2023, and will hold her Hiawatha City Council seat until 2027. In December 2023, Wichtendahl announced her candidacy for Iowa House District 80 (Hiawatha and parts of the Cedar Rapids area).

Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:

Aime Wichtendahl oral history collection

Collection

Identifier: IWA1347

Scope and Contents The Aime Wichtendahl oral history collection consists of the recording and transcript of one oral history interview conducted with Wichtendahl by Kate Orazem in 2023. The collection also contains a business card and a button representing Wichtendahl's campaign promotional materials.In her oral history interview, Wichtendahl discusses the development of her political beliefs, campaigns, and her experiences as a city councilor for Hiawatha, Iowa. Municipal topics covered in the interview include the passage of a higher minimum wage for Linn County in 2017, zoning and housing development, and strategies Wichtendahl used to lower property taxes while maintaining service levels in her community. Wichtendahl also narrates her personal biography, including reflections on growing up trans in an Iowa Christian family, memories of political awakening, her coming-out process, her divorce, and parenthood. She provides her analysis of anti-trans legislation in Iowa in the 2020s and...

Dates: 2023

Found in: Iowa Women's Archives