Corbett Remains Lonely - Updated

Cedar Rapids mayoral candidate Ron Corbett sent out a press release (pasted below) yesterday ballyhooing his campaign's accomplishments. He's been in the race for 143 days and raised $60,000 from more than 400 contributors.

Corbett also  gave away 1,500 ice cream sandwiches and 3,000 eco-friendly, reusable "Corbett for Mayor" shopping bags at the Freedom Festival parade.

Impressive. But lonely.

Corbett still doesn't have an opponent, with less than 100 days to go before Election Day. The trucking executive and  former Iowa House speaker is out there swinging at the City Council and announcing five-point plans.

But it's just not the same.

He's Gary Cooper at "High Noon" without Frank Miller's gang. He's Luke without Darth. He's Bart without Principal Skinner.

Those of us who like our campaigns interesting/contested were hoping that City Council member/mayor pro tem Brian Fagan would be in the race by now.

But no dice. No announcement. Not yet.

Fagan has been sounding like a candidate for a couple of months now. But folks who know him say he's keeping his plans very close to the vest. News could come soon, or maybe later.

They also say Fagan believes pretty strongly that a race for seats under this form of government, which is supposed to be about average citizens serving the city, should not be long and costly. So he may be standing still on principle.

He's also been hearing from some folks who would rather see him run to keep is at-large council seat. But word is Fagan wants to apply his civic vision to the mayor's office. And if he loses, he goes back to a law practice that needs tending. Up or out is apparently fine with him.

I left a few phone messages with Fagan the past couple of days, but he hasn't called back. He's a busy guy, so that's understandable.

Perhaps as July turns to August, Fagan will have more to say about his future.

UPDATE --Of course, the ink on this post was barely dry when Fagan called me back. He didn't have much to say about all the speculation. Only, "Stay tuned."

"I'll be in touch with you soon," Fagan said. "At some point, yes, something will happen."

Here's Corbett's release:

To: Corbett for Mayor SupportersAs we move into the final months of this campaign, I am reminded of something a very successful Iowa governor once said: "Run like you are ten points down." I am taking that advice. While others may still be deciding if they want to run, I can tell you I have the fire in the belly and will work harder than anyone over the next 100 days. Your support keeps me motivated.

From: Ron Corbett

Date: July 28, 2009

Re: Stakeholder Report

First, I want to say "thank you." After 143 days, our campaign for Mayor has made progress that surprises even me.

Campaign Accomplishments

Fundraising thus far has been nothing short of generous and humbling. Despite the flood of 2008 and the worst recession in 25 years, the people of this community have contributed generously toward change in City Hall.

Our first fundraiser at the Armstrong Center brought in $42,000 and we have continued to raise money since then. This month we topped the $60,000 mark.

It's been almost ten years since I served as Speaker of the Iowa House. In that time, many new people have become voters in our community. Introducing myself and communicating my vision for Cedar Rapids will be expensive. To that end, the 400+ people who have contributed to the campaign are making a big difference.

If you saw the Freedom Festival parade, then you know we had more than 100 volunteers walking for us and we gave away over 1500 ice cream sandwiches to parade attendees. Even more, we handed out over 3000 eco-friendly reusable grocery bags which will continue to carry the "Corbett for Mayor" message for months to come.

We are using technology to reach out to people and communicate our positions on issues. Over 900 people have visited our web site at www.RonCorbett.com to view our video messages. Todd Dorman, the Gazette reporter, gave a thumbs up to our campaign web site.

In business, we look at our metrics on a regular basis to measure our progress. Looking at the campaign metrics, we feel our campaign is in a very strong position moving forward. Thank you for being part of our efforts!

Campaign Issues

The message I am taking to voters is not always easy to hear. If I believed our current City Council was on the right track, I would remain quietly in my office, continuing in my role as citizen and volunteer.

We have good people on our city council, people who put in a great deal of time and have the best interest of our city at heart. But that is not enough.

Leaders in City Hall are making two fundamental mistakes that are costly both in the short and the long run. First, their decision-making process has been cumbersome and bureaucratic, leading to a culture of delay. While the private sector and county government are making good progress rebuilding and moving forward, Cedar Rapids is waiting on over-paid consultants and glacier speed studies before they take decisive action.

I think we need to rely more on our local experts and less on out-of-state consultants who are charging millions of dollars for their services.

Second, City Hall is using the flood disaster to grab more dollars, grow government and shift power and influence to city government.

The City Council has worked to take away the voice of the people by lobbying the State Legislature to pass legislation to bypass voter approval of bond issues. Unfortunately, they were successful in their efforts. To rub salt in the wound, the Council used taxpayer dollars to pay a lobbyist to take away these rights from the taxpayer.

I believe that taxpayers should always have the right to vote on major spending initiatives.

During this time when people are pressed financially, the City Council wants to erect a new multi-million dollar city hall.

I have spoken out in favor of using the existing city hall and old federal courthouse the city recently acquired.

We continue to see more businesses close their doors and home values in flooded areas drop. Yet city leaders are spending money without addressing our shrinking tax base.

I have provided specific solutions to replace the businesses that have failed and to help home-grown businesses.