Communication an issue in 3-way race for Cedar Rapids City Council seats

CEDAR RAPIDS — The three candidates competing for two at-large seats on the Cedar Rapids City Council largely align on issues ranging from housing to public safety, while the challenger to the two incumbents is emphasizing areas where he believes communication is lacking.

Heading into Election Day on Tuesday, incumbent Ann Poe leads the three-way race in fundraising, according to Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, while incumbent Pat Loeffler and newcomer David Maier have raised roughly the same amount.

Communication with school district

In a virtual forum hosted by The Gazette, incumbents Poe and Loeffler said a meeting held in July between the Cedar Rapids City Council and the Cedar Rapids school board to discuss the district’s facilities master plan represented a step toward much-needed communication and collaboration with the district.

Maier said it seemed that council communication could be improved — both with residents in promoting awareness of disaster resources and with other governing bodies, such as the Cedar Rapids school board on school facility needs.

At the July meeting, council members voiced concern about the school district’s plan to close schools in the urban core and on the west side of Cedar Rapids.

The school district plans to ask voters to approve $445 million bond in bonds to modernize Cedar Rapids public schools and build a new middle school — with a $220 million bond issue on the ballot Tuesday. The second bond referendum of $225 million could go to voters in November 2029.

Loeffler, who was chair of the Cedar Rapids school district’s master facilities oversight planning committee for four years, from roughly 2015 to 2019 before he joined the council, said he sees both sides of the issue. He said there had been no communication between the facilities group and the council so it was good to see communication beginning to happen.

“I don't want to see any of these historical buildings torn down,” Loeffler said. “They can be repurposed. When we had our meeting with the school board and the master facilities planning people, we expressed ourselves to them about that. There's so much heritage, ... so much history that it can be built upon. .... We need new schools though, too. We need to keep up with technology.”

Since the joint meeting, Poe said school leadership has met with her, Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell and other city leaders to talk about the importance of schools within Cedar Rapids neighborhoods.

She said continuing these conversations is key to ensure the entities’ goals are aligned and they are not at odds with each other. This collaboration is needed to find ways to repurpose old buildings and listen to residents on the impact of any school facility changes, she said.

“What the conversations we had together brought out is that we haven’t been talking,” Poe said. “We as a city are bringing people to our core, and I think that’s really important as we look at our neighborhoods and growing our neighborhoods and stabilizing our neighborhoods, schools are a critical part of that.”

Maier, the challenger, said he believes the school board ultimately has the decision on school facilities plans. He said he would defer to experts on how to repurpose historic buildings.

“When they're making those decisions, they absolutely need to consider the city's master plan as far as where are the priorities for development and focus and growth and the amenities that are needed,” Maier said.

“It seems that the collaboration between the city and the school board was not good enough. … For groups on the same team to get together publicly and have such disagreements is something that is just not what I've experienced in business.”

To watch the virtual conversation between the candidates, visit www.thegazette.com/campaigns-elections/watch-the-gazette-candidate-at-large-forum-2023/. The conversation covered topics including disaster preparedness, a potential casino, public safety, housing needs, a potential dual-use intergenerational facility, LGBTQ inclusion and collaboration with key partners.

Fundraising

Poe started the race with $2,126 cash on hand, having already served three terms on the council. She raised another $19,129 from mostly residents of Cedar Rapids, with much of that support coming from those in Cedar Rapids’ political and business circles, according to the latest campaign finance reports filed 10 days before the election.

Among the contributors were Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell and council members Scott Olson, Dale Todd and Ashley Vanorny, former Mayor Ron Corbett, former council member Monica Vernon and former Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden. Donors from the local development community were developers Chad Pelley, Dave Drown, Hunter Parks and Fred Timko.

Poe also secured support from labor unions, including the political arms of Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 125, Hawkeye Area Labor Council AFL-CIO, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Cedar Rapids Trades Council Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Building Trades and Ironworkers Local No. 89. She ended the period with $1,153 left in her campaign account.

She paid $3,575 to her daughter, Britni Lyons, as a salary for administrative services and support. Poe also paid $3,596 to Tammy Stines for campaign consulting.

“What my campaign finance report shows is a broad support across the community from citizens who’ve invested in my campaign and have in the past and continue to invest in my campaign because they see the good work that this council is doing and has done,” Poe said. “They want that momentum to continue.”

Loeffler, a 23-year union member, entered the race with $6,162 cash on hand from his 2019 council bid and raised $3,700 this election cycle. Donors mostly came from the political arms of local labor unions, including Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 125, Ironworkers Local No. 89, Hawkeye Area Labor Council AFL-CIO and Laborers' Local 43 and one individual. He ended the period with $3,806 left in his campaign coffers.

Loeffler said he already had yard signs and spent $5,000 on radio advertising, adding he “didn’t ask anybody for any money this year,” including his council colleagues.

Maier raised $3,915 from individual donors mostly from Cedar Rapids. Of that total, he donated $1,130 to his own campaign and also took out a $10,000 loan. He ended the reporting period with $3,145 cash on hand.

His donors include three Cedar Rapids school board members -- Cindy Garlock, Jen Neumann and Jennifer Borcherding -- who donated $300 combined. No school board members contributed to the incumbents who are seeking re-election.

Some of Maier’s support — he’s served on local nonprofit boards — comes from members of the arts community, including Jim Miller, the new executive director of The District: Czech Village and New Bohemia, and CSPS co-founder Mel Andringa.

Maier said he passively raised money and asked people to donate to their favorite charity instead of his campaign. But he said he’s been door knocking and sending text messages and spent at least $1,800 on billboards.

To run a campaign, Maier said, candidates have to have a network, flexibility with time and money, either from donors or from a candidate’s own pocket. He said he was warned not to finance own campaign, but he had to do that to introduce himself and run a successful campaign.

“I got into the race late,” Maier said. “I didn’t get in until July. Part of it was reality that I didn’t have time to solicit a lot of donations. To be honest, I didn’t ever ask for donations.”

Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com