Des Moines leaders, some receiving political donations, are divided on Crow Tow's practices

The owners of Crow Tow, the controversial towing service that impounds cars for the city as well as doing private towing, have been donors to Des Moines city leaders in political races.

That included last year's contests, when Dawn Thornton, who runs the business with her husband, Randy Crow, gave $6,500 to City Council member Linda Westergaard, $5,000 to now-Mayor Connie Boesen, and $2,500 and $1,000 respectively to council members Chris Coleman and Joe Gatto, state records show.

Boesen said Tuesday she wasn't immediately aware Thornton was Crow's wife until someone told her after she received the donation. But she said it doesn't prevent her from doing her job.

She said she also wasn't aware of recent allegations of predatory towing by Crow Tow raised in a civil lawsuit filed by a woman severely injured at Crow Tow in 2022. Among the claims in the lawsuit, which goes to trial in June: The company pays drivers bonuses to do nonconsensual towing from private lots, leading them to tow more aggressively. Employees also demand cash tow fees from people towed nonconsensually from private lots and charge much higher rates than what the city pays for police impounds.

Boesen said she will look more into those complaints against the company in the next couple of weeks.

More: Crow Tow insists it isn't 'predatory.' A lawsuit and an Iowa legislator could test that.

Westergaard acknowledged she received a donation from Thornton last year, but said she doesn't think she gives Crow Tow any special treatment as a result.

She said Randy Crow deserves praise for doing good works in Des Moines, such as donating cars to women in need and fixing problems at Logan Park Apartments, an east-side apartment complex that had drug and crime problems a couple of years ago in its parking lot.

"I think that’s pretty impressive, but no one wants to talk about the good things he does," said Westergaard, who represents Ward 2 on Des Moines' east side.

Gatto, who represents most of the city's south side, where Crow Tow is located, said he'd not heard complaints of Crow Tow aggressively towing in his ward, though he has in other parts of the city.

"What I’ve always been told is that no one is ever happy to get their car towed," he said. "Since I’ve been on the council, police have always recommended Crow Tow."

Gatto also acknowledged he uses Crow Tow when people leave cars in the parking lot of his restaurant, Baratta's, on Union Street.

Both Westergaard and Gatto said that until Watchdog inquired, they had no knowledge of the allegation that the company gives bonus pay to drivers for nonconsensual tows from private lots.

Last year, council member Josh Mandelbaum, who represents Des Moines' downtown and part of its west side in Ward 3, raised predatory towing, Crow Tow and Thornton's political donations as issues in his losing bid for mayor against Boesen.

About three years ago, Mandelbaum tried to pass an ordinance aimed at prohibiting predatory towing that would have included better signage warning of towing risks and capping towing fees. Instead, he said, the council discussed the issue during a work session and decided to handle complaints individually by having business owners put up clearer signs.

Mandelbaum said he still thinks the city needs an ordinance as complaints against Crow Tow continue.

“I get that the property owner has a right to control their parking, but there are multiple ways to do it without taking advantage of residents and visitors to a community,” he said.

Coleman said the issue is a complicated one, affecting private property owners, their contracts with private tow companies and residents, like himself, who have been towed when they didn't realize they had parked in restricted lots.

But it's an issue the city should have a position on, he said.

"I look forward to working with Connie on how we can address it," he said. "I get and understand people’s frustration. I also understand it’s private property."

But Coleman, who said he also wasn't aware of the alleged spiffs or bonuses paid to Crow Tow drivers, said he would want to make sure "the solution to the controversy is pointed to the right spot.

"I think there are ways we could build more goodwill and still protect people’s property and auto owners," he said. "I’d like to have the community feel better about how we’re doing this."

Lee Rood's Reader's Watchdog column helps Iowans get answers and accountability from public officials, the justice system, businesses and nonprofits. Reach her at lrood@registermedia.com, at 515-284-8549, on Twitter at @leerood or on Facebook at Facebook.com/readerswatchdog.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Crow Tow owner's wife donates thousands to Des Moines council members