Jesse Thoeming resigns as Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance’s downtown advocate

CEDAR RAPIDS — As local officials explore major changes to possibly shift which entities and employees manage downtown activity, Jesse Thoeming resigned Wednesday from the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance as its downtown advocate.

His departure as downtown program manager — a recent change from his role as downtown executive director — comes as City Hall and the regional nonprofit have looked to smooth out friction and align on economic development goals, including a refreshed Downtown Vision Plan that will guide the future of Cedar Rapids’ urban core once complete.

“This is a great time to get a fresh start with the new vision plan that’s about to be unleashed and fully executed,” Thoeming, who’s held the role since March 2018, told the downtown Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District Commission on Wednesday. “ … It’s a great time for things to be recalibrated.”

With the vision plan underway, slated for possible Nov. 7 adoption by the Cedar Rapids City Council, further changes may be in store for the SSMID — a district where the city levies an additional tax on property owners to raise revenue for beautification projects and programming within the district.

Amid those changes, where the city and alliance are key players, the council in August voted to reduce the city’s alliance membership from $75,000 to $25,000.

“There's an A and B option of how the SSMID will operate, whether it's independent or underneath the (alliance),” City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said during Wednesday’s meeting. He asked when that decision would be made.

Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust President James Klein, the SSMID commission chair, said the SSMID takes the ultimate vote on whether to keep contracting with the alliance for services, hire for its own services or contract with another entity.

Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said this structure will be a big question among the council when the plan comes before the city’s nine-member governing body.

“Many of the council members don't understand either what the SSMID does or what it all entails, so I really don't feel comfortable as a chair asking the council to vote on something that … at the end of the day yes, it's a city appointment, but I think we need to be real careful and consider our business owners as well that pay the overwhelming majority,” Klein said.

C.R. became ‘adopted home’

Thoeming said no city officials or higher-ups within the alliance asked him to resign, and the decision was entirely his own. He said the timing will allow someone with new energy into the organization with the changes that the vision plan will usher in.

He came to Cedar Rapids nearly 20 years ago in 2004, intending for his job to be a temporary arrangement after graduating college in 2003.

During his time in Cedar Rapids, Thoeming said he’s been proud to be part of a “public art boom” with 12 murals the SSMID has done in downtown. Thoeming also said he’s appreciated being part of the grassroots ConnectCR initiative that will add a pedestrian-bike bridge spanning the Cedar River connecting the New Bohemia and Czech Village districts, and will revitalize Cedar Lake to the north of downtown.

“This place was only supposed to be a pit stop … and it’s become my adopted home,” Thoeming said.

Once he leaves after his last day Oct. 6, Thoeming said he doesn’t know where he’ll land, but he and his wife are exploring different locations.

“This place ain’t going anywhere and quite possibly we’ll be back soon,” Thoeming said.

No commission members asked Thoeming questions about his departure, but wished him good luck and applauded his service.

Klein said Thoeming could always be seen at downtown events picking up garbage and running around setting things up.

“On behalf of the SSMID and everyone here, there is no doubt that Jesse’s heart was always in the exact right place,” Klein said. “ … This guy, there was never a doubt about his passion and his love for Cedar Rapids downtown — honestly more than most Cedar Rapidians who were born, raised and live here. Wish you nothing but the best going forward.”

Resignation gives alliance a ‘chance to level-set’

Economic Alliance Executive Director Doug Neumann said the organization made changes effective Aug. 1 with the job responsibilities of Thoeming and Strategic Development Director Nikki Wilcox, who has assumed an elevated role since being the alliance’s communications director.

On Wednesday’s commission meeting agenda was a discussion to clarify their responsibilities, but Neumann said “what we thought was going to be a more involved discussion got usurped by events.”

“Among the silver linings here is a really clean reset … now we have a chance to level-set on this job,” Neumann said.

Wilcox said she will assume half of Thoeming’s role, communicating between city of Cedar Rapids officials, the SSMID commission and vision plan consultants with Denver-based Progressive Urban Management Associates.

A new district program manager position will be posted Thursday, Wilcox said. This person will meet with business owners and SSMID taxpayers, and ultimately help vision plan ideas come to fruition.

Council member Dale Todd, who represents District 3 which encompasses downtown, told The Gazette he found Thoeming to be a hardworking, creative person whose finger was on the pulse of downtown and did the best he could with the resources given to him in a changing downtown ecosystem.

“Being the person responsible for the day-to-day operation of downtown carried its inherent pitfalls, it is virtually impossible to keep everyone happy and many of the challenges are simply beyond the capacity of his small operation,” Todd said. “ … My hope is that his resignation is not a symbol of the current rift between the city and (alliance). If it was, then he became part of the collateral damage, and we need to do a better job of working together by building people up and not tearing them down.”

SSMID, city connection

Meanwhile, Klein said the SSMID has been “working to bridge the gap between the SSMID and the city.” There were some talks of shifting SSMID responsibilities for events, for example, to other entities such as the Cedar Rapids Tourism Office, but some commission members indicated not wanting to make major decisions before the vision plan’s release.

Minutes from a May 31 SSMID commission meeting show there was a discussion between Pomeranz, Community Development Director Jennifer Pratt, O’Donnell, council member Ann Poe and SSMID commission members including Klein, Jon Dusek and former member Emily Ellingson about “improving communications and developing common goals.”

Takeaways included the use of a communication log, clear expectations on alley work — a city concern — and developing a list of five action items. Pratt, the city’s liaison to the three SSMIDs, also will now be present and have a chance to update the SSMID at each meeting.

Some of these city complaints spilled over in an April meeting of the council’s Finance and Administrative Services committee.

Poe criticized weeds and trash on a downtown trail, trash bins she’d seen overflowing and dirty alleyways filled with garbage and bird poop. She asked for communication if the alliance lacked capacity for more cleanup.

“It’s embarrassing when your city council has to make a priority of cleanliness,” Poe said, referring to the council’s annual goal setting session. “ … We have other fish to fry.”

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