CEDAR FALLS - A former Waterloo School Board candidate is leading a push to get Cedar Falls mayoral candidate Gage Rewerts to tone down his rhetoric.

Rewerts, a 22-year-old University of Northern Iowa student, said last week in media interviews that he is running for mayor of Cedar Falls because he feels like the city treats students as second-class citizens.

Josh Wilson, a 21-year-old UNI student, is circulating a petition to get the Northern Iowa Student Government to censure Rewerts for his comments.

"Nobody's saying he shouldn't run and nobody's saying he's a bad guy. They just think he should be more careful with the things he's saying," Wilson said.

Rewerts is a senator with the NISG.

Under NISG policy, if Wilson gains signatures from 1 percent of the student body on his petition for censure, the student government must discuss the issue. With enrollment of about 13,000, Wilson needs about 130 signatures. As of mid-day Friday, Wilson said he had 85.

The issue could go before the student government as soon as its next meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

"I don't know what is causing Mr. Wilson to do that," Rewerts said Friday. "I don't know what his reasons are."

The NISG has not been involved, either supporting or opposing, either Wilson's efforts or Rewerts' candidacy.

Adam Haselhuhn, student body president, said the organization drafted a statement saying that the NISG supports student involvement in local governments, but is not taking a stance on Rewerts as a candidate.

"At this point in time we feel it is in the best interests of the student body to not support or endorse any candidate for mayor of Cedar Falls," he said.

Wilson, a Waterloo native, unsuccessfully ran for the school board in 2007. He believes young people should get involved in local affairs, but thinks Rewerts comments don't reflect the general feeling on campus.

"We just want to make it clear that these are his opinions and don't reflect the university as a whole," Wilson said. "There are several of us who are in disagreement with him over this."

Both Rewerts and Wilson said they are not familiar with each other and this issue is not a personal conflict.