Hawkeye Labor Council endorses Corbett for mayor

The Hawkeye Labor Council endorsed Ron Corbett for Cedar Rapids mayor Tuesday.

Corbett was a seven-term Republican member of the Iowa House of Representatives. He served as speaker of the house from 1995 to 1999, when he resigned to become president of the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. He more recently has served as vice president of CRST Inc., a large Cedar Rapids trucking company.

The council rarely endorses Republicans, but the council's board liked what Corbett had to say about cooperating with labor and bringing jobs to Cedar Rapids, Hawkeye Labor Council President Jerry Nowadzky said.

“Whether Democrat or Republican, we need someone who's going to get some jobs back here,” remarked Nowadzky, who didn't vote on the endorsement because he does not live in Cedar Rapids.

Corbett is running against at-large Cedar Rapids City Council member Brian Fagan, an attorney, and P.T. Larson, an employee of ACT.

The Hawkeye Labor Council is the AFL-CIO umbrella organization for unions in the greater Cedar Rapids area. It previously announced endorsements for Cedar Rapids City Council.