A need to re-envision downtown C.R.’s needs

Parking in the downtown will never get better because Cedar Rapids is no longer a small town next to the rapids. The rapids are gone and so is the need for a downtown for shopping and government buildings.

The flood of 2008 pointed this out dramatically. Many government offices were moved to the Westdale Mall and the residents approved overwhelmingly. Some remain and people love it.

As I canvass my district, the parking issue is most often brought up. The downtown parking meters “nickel and dime” you to death and frustrates people who don't want to go downtown anyway. There are newer, much nicer places to shop with convenient free parking.

The push to keep the downtown area is only to keep the revenue stream intact for city coffers. The city council has even hired a company to teach them how to raise even more money for them to spend! How well has the city spent all that money anyway?

How many decades did it take to start repair of water and sewer lines in Wellington Heights? When was the last time drainage ditches were cleaned out in Rompot? How many potholes can you survive as you drive around? You get the idea.

We need new businesses that employ a larger part of the city, not low-paying jobs in a sandwich shop and congestion on the streets.

Cedar Rapids doesn't need more attorneys; we need more manufacturing or service jobs for our local building tradesmen and other local workers.

Calvin Busch

District 3 candidate

Cedar Rapids