Departing leaders gave much

Cedar Rapids Mayor Kay Halloran, Mayor pro tem Brian Fagan and City Council member Jerry McGrane are leaving city government as the calendar turns to 2010. We thank them for their public service at an especially trying time in Cedar Rapids' history.

Halloran's term as mayor is one chapter in her long commitment to public service, including her time as a state lawmaker and state agency executive. She took the mayor's seat in 2006 hoping that her legislative experience and insider's understanding of government would help her guide a new form of government off the ground.

She sought to be a consensus-builder and a mentor to council members new to government service. The council-manager form of government is still a work in progress, but Halloran deserves credit for guidance she contributed in its infancy.

Unfortunately, her one-of-nine approach to the mayor's job was not best suited to the needs of a city devastated by a historic natural disaster in June 2008. Although she deserves praise for her work behind the scenes to aid the recovery, she was too often absent from center stage when the community needed a strong voice of leadership.

Nonetheless, Halloran, who did not seek re-election, worked hard, and she served her constituents through difficult times and emotional debates and personal health problems. She deserves our gratitude.

It was Fagan who stepped forward to take a public leadership role for the council in the months after the 2008 flood. And it was in that spokesman's role that we got a sense of Fagan's passion for the future of his community.

He stood up for the importance of long-term planning and for the importance of molding government decisions to fit with objectives of cultural and environmental sustainability.

He grew as an outspoken leader during his campaign for mayor. And even though he was unsuccessful in November's election, we would be surprised - and disappointed - if Fagan fades from the public arena.

McGrane, who also lost his re-election bid, is the lone member of the council directly affected by the flood. His experience was invaluable as the council struggled with recovery needs and he became willing to speak out on an array of issues. McGrane has been dedicated to his neighborhood and to public service.