Gross inspires student, exemplifies character

I first met Mitch Gross when I as a junior at West High School when I had to interview him for an article for our newspaper. I was immediately struck by his willingness to make time for a quick, unplanned interview, the earnestness with which he answered my questions and by the depth of his follow through when I had questions later.

The next year, he was my AP U.S. history teacher, and in that class, he instructed my peers and me in our country's past, taught us of the lessons to be gleaned from our 200-plus years of shared history. It was clear from the onset that these lessons were more than just part of the curriculum - they were a defining part of who he, as both a teacher and a city council member, was.

Though I cannot vote for Mitch Gross - I am an Iowa City citizen - if I could, I would in a heartbeat. As a man, he exemplifies the character needed to lead a community. And as I learned while working as a journalist for the Daily Iowan, his accomplishments as a policymaker have not only carefully steered the city of Coralville through the calamity of a 500-year flood, but also continued to advance an agenda of good governance and clarity.

His record of recovery and progress speaks for itself, but nevertheless, I strongly encourage my friends and neighbors in Coralville to re-elect Mitch Gross to the Coralville City Council.

Zach Wahls

Iowa City