Prosser Departs

The lightning rod has left the building.

It was inevitable, I suppose. Cedar Rapids City Manager Jim Prosser's days were essentially numbered from the moment Mayor Ron Corbett and his allies grabbed a governing majority on the City Council. After all, they had campaigned hard against Prosser the overreacher, Prosser the consultant in chief, Prosser the prime minister of delay.

Now we'll see how they govern without him.

Corbett's 90-day “review” of Prosser's performance was more like a countdown to launch. On Monday, Prosser pushed the ignition button himself. We have resignation and lift off.

To Prosser's credit, after taking a beating on the campaign trail, he seemed willing to help the new mayor and council get rolling. He behaved like a professional. He heeded their wishes and carried out their policy decisions and faded into the background at City Council meetings while the new mayoral maestro wielded that big gavel.

I actually wondered, for a moment, whether Prosser might go from being a target to an experienced asset for the new regime.

No dice. With the council taking over flood recovery, it was clear that Prosser's role would be diminished. Corbett said he wanted him to focus on job creation. Prosser obliged by creating a high-profile opening.

"We need new leadership to move the city forward at a better pace," said Council member Don Karr, who favored a council push to remove Prosser.

Prosser stood for a strong, consistent philosophy of how a city should run. In his world, leaders embark on long, thoughtful planning processes aimed at crafting a strategic vision, with help from outside experts. There is opportunity for public input, but in the non-confrontational confines of an open house.

It would be fitting if the Prosser legacy were printed on a placard and displayed in the ballroom at the Crowne Plaza.

That philosophy was OK, until the Cedar River swamped our normal processes.

After that, thoughtful became plodding. Process looked like decision-dodging. Helpful experts morphed into pricey out-of-state consultants pulling down hundreds of dollars per hour.

With a wobbly, leaderless council unable or unwilling to push for a different, faster course, Prosser and his process became the face of city government and all its stumbles. He overreached because nobody else took the reins.

But for all his calm explanations, he couldn't shake the infectious notion that the city's cautious approach, his approach, delayed recovery.

The debate continues here; he will not.

It was a tough job at a tough time, and Prosser worked tirelessly to do what he thought was the right thing.

 But it's also a job with great responsibility, which is fair game to intense public scrutiny and even sharp criticism. I don't feel bad that he caught so much hell and heat.

That's the lightning rod's job, or at least it was.

Comments: (319) 398-8452 or todd.dorman@gazcomm.com