Iowa Fed's Smith to be honored May 1

IOWA CITY - Longtime Iowa labor leader Mark L. Smith will be honored at an open house hosted by the Iowa Policy Project in Iowa City May 1.

The public is invited to the event for the Smith, who was a co-founder of the Iowa Policy Project in 2001. The open house will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday at the group's new offices at Old Brick, 20. Market St, Iowa City.

Smith, recently retired as head of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, after 34 years in education, organizing and advocacy, will be recognized by the Iowa Policy Project. Smith was a co-founder of the group and the open house will be at the project's new offices.

"It will be a special day for us. There could be no more fitting tribute to our work than to have Mark Smith with us for this event, and to honor his service to Iowa's working families," said David Osterberg, executive director of IPP since its beginning.

Osterberg said the event marks a milestone in the history of the nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization. IPP focuses on Iowa impacts of state and federal policy in three issue areas: budget and tax, environment and energy, and economic opportunity.

"We're calling this a 'friend-raiser,' to open our doors to Iowans interested in good public policy and to show off our new offices," said Osterberg, who founded the organization with Smith. "We are in Old Brick because we needed more space - which shows not only that we have grown, but that interest and demand for our work has grown as well."

Based in Mount Vernon, IPP opened its first Iowa City office in 2003, then with a staff of two full-time and two part-time employees. The organization has grown to a staff of five full-time and four part-time staff members, and this spring included three interns from the University of Iowa.