Who might be next mayor of Cedar Rapids?

CEDAR RAPIDS - The announcement that Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett will not seek re-election clears the deck for a number of potential challengers, who've been waiting on Corbett's decision.

Sitting City Council member Kris Gulick was first to declare his candidacy, doing so before Corbett's news conference had concluded on Monday morning.

'I plan to focus my energies on maintaining the progress achieved by Mayor Corbett, City Manager Jeff Pomeranz and the Council,” said Gulick, president of a financial services firm, Entrepreneurial Services Group. 'I'll rely on my years of experience on City Council and my understanding of the city's challenges to keep Cedar Rapids moving in the right direction.”

Gulick is the only confirmed candidate at this point, but a half dozen or so others are considering a run, as well.

Bradley Hart, 61, an attorney at Bradley and Riley for nearly 27 years, said he is exploring a bid. He expects a decision in early January.

'I am organized and have a fairly succinct message,” Hart said. 'I was asked to consider it and I am considering it because I don't want to take a step backward.”

Gary Hinzman, 69, former Cedar Rapids Police Chief and Department of Corrections director for the Sixth Judicial District, said he has been considering a run since being asked in the summer and is working on a campaign committee and funding options.

'I think we would want to continue the progress Cedar Rapids has made,” Hinzman said. 'We would like to reach a little deeper into the community, to local organizations that represent various groups of people. I want to create an environment that Cedar Rapids would be a safe city.”

Others mentioned as possible candidates:

- Monica Vernon, a former two term Cedar Rapids City Council woman and fresh off a run as Democratic nominee for the first district congressional seat, said she has been asked to consider the seat. She said she still is plotting out the trajectory of what is next in her career.

'I am taking my time and looking at what I might do,” Vernon said. 'I love my city. I served for eight years. I am very interested in economic development and social and cultural development. I haven't ruled it out, but certainly I am not announcing anything now.”

- Tyler Olson is chief executive of Paulson Electric, a company started by his great-grandfather, and is president of SiteGen Solar, Paulson's solar energy wing. Olson is a former state representative and briefly sought the Democratic nomination in the 2014 gubernatorial race.

Olson could not be reached for comment by The Gazette.

- Steve Shriver, founder of Eco Lips, co-owner of Brewhemia coffee shop, and president of the New Bohemia District, has been dubbed the 'Mayor of NewBo.” Shriver took on a leadership role in that neighborhood during the 2016 flood, which saw some businesses in NewBo take on water. Sustainability and environmental-focus would be the centerpiece of his platform, he said.

'It started out a little bit as a joke - not that it shouldn't be taken seriously,” Shriver said. 'A lot of people said they would support me as mayor. I am not ruling it out.”

City codes requires candidates submit a petition signed by at least 2 percent of the number of votes in the previous mayoral election. In this case, it would be 389 signatures based on 19,470 voters in the 2013 election. The petition must be filed not more than 71 days and not less than 47 days before Election Day, which is Nov. 7, 2017. The filing period is Aug. 28 to Sept. 21, 2017, according to the Iowa Secretary of State's 3-year Election Calendar.

The petition must be filed not more than 71 days and not less than 47 days before Election Day, which is Nov. 7, 2017. The filing period is Aug. 28 to Sept. 21, 2017, according to the Iowa Secretary of State's 3-year Election Calendar.

The city of Cedar Rapids does not have a primary election, but rather a runoff election would decide a close election. A runoff would be triggered if no candidate receives 50 percent plus one vote of the vote total. The two highest vote-getters would participate in the runoff, which would be December 5, 2017.

The mayor's salary this year is $35,378.46.

l Comments: (319) 339-3177; brian.morelli@thegazette.com