Dale Todd seeks re-election to Cedar Rapids City Council District 3 seat

CEDAR RAPIDS — Dale Todd is seeking another term representing Cedar Rapids City Council District 3.

Todd, 64, filed nomination papers Monday to be on the Nov. 2 ballot, where he’ll face Tamara Marcus in the district that represents the downtown and much of the southeast quadrant.

“My life has been about public service and working hard to make our community better,” Todd said in a statement. “From being the force behind large quality-of-life initiatives to helping protect those who fall through the safety net with programs like the Green Square Park Ambassadors Program for the homeless, I look for solutions.”

Before the city adopted a council-city manager form of government in 2005 and instead elected five commissioners, Todd was commissioner of Parks and Public Property from 1998 to 2002.

Todd last won his district council seat in a three-way race in 2017, winning 70 percent of the 2,634 votes cast. If re-elected, this would be his second term in the current council-manager form of government.

Todd said he sees himself as a “connector” in his role as a council member, helping connect citizens with the city and community services they need.

“I think of it as constituent services,” Todd said. “Often I can put people in direct contact with those who know the answer or can provide help. It does not matter to me if you are young or old, rich or poor, Black or white, or Democrat or Republican — if you need help, call me.”

Todd is vice president of development for Hatch Development Group, which creates mixed-income affordable housing throughout Iowa.

He was an early leader of the Wellington Heights Neighborhood Association in the late 1990s and has contributed to dozens of commissions, boards and other groups. He was chosen this year to serve as mayor pro tem.

On the council, Todd is chairman of the Public Safety and Youth Services Committee. In that role, Todd said he has helped the council, city staff and community navigate challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, derecho recovery and gun violence.

The nine-member council has embraced a shift toward supporting youth programming that supports those at-risk of committing crime, Todd said. He also plans to focus additional energy on problematic landlords and property owners within the city.

“Saving and stabilizing neighborhoods starts with my simple premise that you should be able to sit on your porch and not worry about gun violence or a problem house on your block,” Todd said. “We have made progress, but there is always more work to do.”

As a private citizen and then as an elected official, Todd has championed efforts to revitalize Cedar Lake and the $20 million ConnectCR project that will transform the urban lake and build a pedestrian-bike bridge across the Cedar River south of downtown.

Council members are paid $19,420.70 annually for their part-time roles. The terms for the five seats on the ballot this fall begin at noon Jan. 1.

The Nov. 2 ballot will have three candidates running for mayor, and unopposed council races -- at least at this point -- for an at-large seat and in District 1 and 5.

Voters also will face questions about whether to extend the local-option sales tax that funds Paving for Progress street repairs and whether to reauthorize the Linn County gaming referendum, which would keep open the door for Cedar Rapids to seek a license to operate a casino.

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