Penny tax vote approaches, quietly

After watching a local-option sales tax extension dramatically defeated last May, it seems like something is missing as we near a March 6 vote on a 10-year extension for flood protection.

I think it's the drama.

Absentee voting started Thursday, but there is no discernible buzz, no rousing public debate. It's like our once fiery battle over increased taxation has gone into winter hibernation. Between potential school closings, red light cameras and the president, I forgot all about it. It's likely I'm not alone.

“Part of it's definitely by design,” said Gary Ficken, president of Bimm Ridder Sportswear and a leader of CREST, Cedar Rapids Extended Sales Tax, which supports the tax. “This isn't going to be a half-million dollar campaign.”

Ficken and other CRESTers say they're not shaking the campaign money tree for six figures in order to blanket our TVs with ads. It's not going to be a high-profile, big dollar public push.

Instead, supporters say they're focused on quietly organizing, identifying supporters and persuadable undecideds while making sure those folks vote, either on Election Day or absentee. Backers are hoping that effort, combined with shortening the tax extension to 10 years and focusing it all on flood protection, will turn a close loss in May into a win in March.

A big pricey media campaign is unlikely and unnecessary, Ficken said. “I think the flood protection thing has been talked about enough. I think most voters have a pretty good grasp of what's going on,” he said.

This is smart. I think the full-court press last time turned off some voters, especially when campaign finance disclosures landed just days before the vote showing massive corporate investment in the campaign. And I think the pricey public effort last spring gave tax opponents a big fat target, a rallying point and a platform for their message.

The biggest target of all was the city, including the mayor and City Council. They've all but vanished from the scene.

The stakes, however, remain high.

If the tax passes, the chances for a full east bank-west bank flood protection system rise significantly. Both Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and Gov. Terry Branstad have have expressed a strong willingness in recent days to provide some form of state help. Put state and local bucks together, and things start moving. 

Landing more federal dollars remains a dicey prospect, but the door isn't shut.

True, there are no ironclad guarantees that all the parts come together perfectly. But make no mistake, the local tax is the linchpin. With it, a full-scale, both-banks protection project is made possible within the next decade. Without it, that simply won't happen. No drama, just math.