Tamara Marcus for Cedar Rapids City Council: I believe in the people

We live in a time that feels so divided by politics — “Are you a Democrat or Republican?” — as if that question tells us everything we need to know about a person. But deep down, we know that people are more complex than their parties. As a native Cedar Rapidian who traveled the world doing research and working with local communities to create actionable policy, I can safely tell you that there is no better place than Cedar Rapids, and that’s why I came back. We care about this town and the people in it and we show up for each other when things get rough.

We are all allowed to disagree, that’s the easy part. The hard part is what we do after. We all have something to learn from one another and when we create space for disagreement, we create space for conversation and for reconciliation. That is how we build a united community — by challenging one another, listening to new perspectives, and working together to create solutions that work for us all.

We need leadership that really listens to the needs of the people, that puts in the hard work to find solutions that work for businesses, industry, people and the environment; that does the work to find answers that balance the needs of each, but not at the expense of the other.

We’ve been through floods, derechos and a pandemic. And here we are, still. We have always risen to the occasion and absolutely no one in this state, country or world would dare question how resilient we are. I believe in Cedar Rapids because I believe in the people of Cedar Rapids. And I hope to harness the energy, intelligence, and compassion of our great city to be a conduit for the will of the people.

Tamara Marcus is a candidate for Cedar Rapids City Council.