Blum, Vernon articulate differences

CEDAR RAPIDS - U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, R-Dubuque, painted a dire picture - as others have before him - Wednesday evening of the prospects for getting federal flood control funding for Cedar Rapids.

At the only televised debate in the campaign for Iowa's 1st District U.S. House seat, Democratic challenger Monica Vernon contrasted the one-term incumbent's view, saying the project 'must be done,” just one month after the second major Cedar River flood in eight years.

The debate, held at Coe College, was hosted by The Gazette and KCRG-TV9.

Blum said the federal money may never come because of a formula requiring that every $1 invested in a flood control system should protect $2 in real estate value.

'The city of Cedar Rapids' size is never going to meet those requirement because the real estate value here in Cedar Rapids is not that high as far as dollars protected,” Blum said. 'We effectively compete with Cincinnati, Ohio, Chicago, Ill., or Miami. It will never get built. We don't control; we can't earmark in Congress.”

Blum said he has tried highlighting the Cedar Rapids project through amendments, but the best course may be trying to change the funding formula, such as having one money stream for large cities and another for smaller cities.

Vernon, a former Cedar Rapids City Council member, said she would not give up. If she were elected to Congress, she said, she would not just write letters but continue to compete and gather people together to make the case.

'It sounds like a lot of finger pointing,” Vernon said. 'Army Corps says, well their world doesn't work, so they are pointing at someone else. Congress is pointing at them. Office of Budget and Management. It sounds like a bunch of gobblygook.”

Flood protection was one of a handful of issues where the candidates contrasted themselves in the 90-minute largely cordial debate. It covered positions on the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership, water quality, Social Security, immigration and opinions on presidential nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

Vernon said the TPP, which is backed by President Barack Obama but neither presidential nominee, would not be a 'fair trade agreement” and Iowans ultimately would not get fair return on their work and goods.

'We need markets, we absolutely need markets, but we need to make sure when we trade, it's fair trade.”

Blum cited industry reports finding the trade deal would be good for Iowa and agriculture, but added he hadn't yet read the bill and had not finalized his own position.

'One of five jobs in Iowa depends on exports, so when you don't favor a trade bill, you are basically standing against 20 percent of the workforce in the state,” Blum said.

Vernon favored a collaborative approach to water quality where farmers and also cities take responsibility for what they send in the river. Blum favored a 'coach to compliance” approach with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources working with farmers to reduce pollutants and erosion.

'It was civil,” Doug Robbins of Manchester, who was wearing a Blum campaign T-shirt, said of the debate. 'If I was just tuning in I would have been impressed by Congressman Blum's command of the facts. I think Monica Vernon was just lying low for that last attack.”

In her closing statement, she brought up Blum's broken pledge to return half of his congressional salary.

Cedar Rapids Democrat Bernard Clayton said, 'It didn't change my mind and won't make any difference to partisans. But the candidates clearly articulated their differences.”

The race appears tight. The most recent poll by GBA Strategies showed Vernon with a slight 48 to 47 percent lead, well within the margin of error. Previous polls show Blum leading by as much as 16 points.

Active registered Democrats outnumber active registered Republicans 161,628 to 140,984, with 181,102 unaffiliated voters and 2,181 other party voters in the district, which includes Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, and Waterloo.

James Q. Lynch of The Gazette contributed to this report.