116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Cedar Rapids City Council candidates pitch homelessness solutions
Five of the nine Cedar Rapids City Council seats are up for election on the Nov. 4 ballot.
Oct. 14, 2025 4:15 am, Updated: Oct. 14, 2025 7:48 am
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CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids City Council this summer reiterated its commitment to addressing homelessness within the city by maintaining the topic as one of seven council priorities for the year ahead.
Members agreed progress has been made on the issue, citing a decline in the number of people found sleeping outdoors during the recent semiannual counts by area homeless service agencies. Still, the nine-member council unanimously agreed more work is needed.
With over half of those council seats up for election this fall, The Gazette touched base with candidates to collect their thoughts on the topic and how they would seek to address the issue of homelessness if elected Nov. 4.
All who replied outlined a need for more affordable housing, among other initiatives. Here’s more about what the various City Council hopefuls had to say, based on candidate questionnaires sent out by The Gazette:
Mayoral seat
In her questionnaire, mayoral incumbent and Women Lead Change CEO Tiffany O’Donnell recognized the value of the city’s ongoing partnerships and initiatives around homelessness while also calling for a deeper assessment of those services to identify any potential gaps or growth areas.
In particular, she noted the city’s collaboration with Linn County to jointly fund a new homelessness systems coordinator position and the public-private partnership behind the Landlord Tenant Success Initiative, which aims to connect individuals who might otherwise have problems securing a unit with a 12-month lease.
O’Donnell wrote that such initiatives showcase the city’s commitment to addressing homelessness while also providing a pathway to identifying future action items or areas of improvement.
“We’ve made progress through partnerships and coordinated outreach, but homelessness remains visible and deeply concerning,” she wrote. “I believe we should rethink the concentration of services downtown and explore alternative locations and models that provide compassionate, effective care while restoring public spaces for all residents.”
O’Donnell faces challenger Myra C. Bradwell, who is running a third campaign for the mayoral spot. Bradwell, who went through a name change in 2018 ran four years ago and previously ran under the name Gregory Hughes in 2013. Bradwell did not respond to The Gazette’s candidate questionnaire.
At-large
At-large incumbent Tyler Olson is running unopposed for his third term on council, where he currently serves as chair of the Flood Control System Committee. Outside of his time on council, he works as CEO of Paulson Electric and president of SiteGen Solar.
Given his at-large capacity, Olson represents the entire city rather than a specific ward or district. He did not fill out the candidate questionnaire.
District 1
District 1 incumbent Marty Hoeger characterized the city’s role in addressing homelessness as that of a support and champion for local service providers.
“We have wonderful nonprofit partners in our community that work on the issues in homelessness,” he wrote. “The City Council role is to work with the nonprofits to provide them with tools and resources to help them in their mission.”
Hoeger, who owns building materials supplier Ogden & Adams, was first elected in 2017 and secured a second term following an uncontested run in 2021. He represents much of Cedar Rapids’ northeast quadrant and a small portion of the northwest quadrant by the Cedar River.
He faces challenger Sam Wilson, a nonprofit partnership coordinator with the Utility Arborist Association.
In her questionnaire, Wilson also noted the importance of ongoing public-private partnerships in addressing homelessness — particularly given ongoing shifts in how the issue is being addressed at the state and federal level.
“Recent developments in national policy around homelessness and how to address it are incredibly concerning and contradictory to best practices,” she wrote. “Locally, I will continue support and amplification of programs prioritizing housing first, tenant rights and a collaborative approach.”
She highlighted the Landlord Tenant Success Initiative and the city’s recent funding support for the Community Care Team and Margaret Bock Housing Collaborative Pilot Program as two initiatives of particular note, as well as ongoing efforts to bolster affordable housing.
How to vote
Election Day is Nov. 4. Polls will be open between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. at voting sites across the city. To find your polling location and/or review a sample ballot, visit the Linn County Auditor’s Office website.
Voters can also cast in-person, absentee ballots starting Wednesday at the Linn County Auditor’s Office with early voting taking place each weekday through Monday, Nov. 3.
District 3
In his questionnaire, District 3 incumbent Dale Todd described homelessness as a community-wide issue with “no easy solution.” Todd is seeking a third term as District 3 representative, covering downtown Cedar Rapids and much of the southeast quadrant.
Given another term, Todd — vice president of development for the Hatch Development Group — wrote that he would like to see the city continue its current initiatives while also focusing on assisting the “hardest of the homeless” who have not found success through traditional programs or partnerships.
“This involves an honest discussion of the resources that our community lacks for those individuals that have complex, co-occurring substance and mental health care disorders,” Todd wrote. “... This will involve more interaction with our state and federal health care partners and a continued open and honest conversation with existing service providers.”
The District 3 race is uncontested, and Todd will appear unchallenged on the Nov. 4 ballot.
District 5
District 5 incumbent Ashley Vanorny, who is also unchallenged, listed housing and food security among her top three priorities for another council term. Vanorny, a health care administrator, represents a large swath of southwest Cedar Rapids and was first elected in 2017.
She noted prior successes in addressing homelessness such as the city's partnership with the National Alliance to End Homelessness and the 2022 opening of a permanent winter overflow shelter at 1017 12th Ave. SW. in partnership with Linn County and Willis Dady Homeless Services.
To move that work forward, Vanorny said she intends to push for a full assessment of public restrooms within the city and the exploration of feasibility of publicly available showers.
She also expressed her support for a year-round overflow shelter, as well as the possibility of municipal support for additional supportive housing.
Having “earned the support from my colleagues to have homelessness as one of our top Council priorities year after year means more than I have words to describe,” Vanorny wrote. “Unhoused persons are just people, who deserve our love and support to get into a better set of circumstances.”
Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com
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