Sandi Fowler, Cedar Rapids’ ‘staff historian,’ looks to stay engaged as a citizen after retirement from City Hall

CEDAR RAPIDS — Years ago, a Cedar Rapids man stopped Sandi Fowler and other city officials as they paused in front of a swimming pool to examine parking spaces for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Fowler, now the deputy city manager, recalls the man telling the team that his wife, who had a condition where she couldn’t walk across uneven surfaces and grass, had finally been able to go to their son's baseball game for the first time because the city built an accessible route to the baseball diamonds.

The accessibility improvements were part of the more than $30 million Cedar Rapids has spent to bring all public facilities and curb ramps into ADA compliance as part of a settlement agreement with the U.S. Justice Department in 2015 to eliminate physical and communication barriers in city infrastructure.

The city was among more than 200 local governments the Justice Department targeted as part of Project Civic Access, an accessibility initiative.

“These accessible routes are life changing for so many of our residents,” Fowler said. “ … It's a safer community as a result, and it's been a lot of work, but I think absolutely improving the community long term and our employees along the way … It gets incorporated in every project we do now.”

While she reflected on all she’s experienced throughout her City Hall career spanning more than three decades, Fowler, 57, kept such stories from residents and citizens’ best interests front and center — just as those who know her say she’s done in her work. The “staff historian” and a public servant at heart, Fowler has retired from the city, leaving City Hall for the last time as a staff member Friday.

During her tenure, Cedar Rapids underwent a change in its form of government from full-time elected commissioners overseeing operations and setting policy, to an elected part-time city council providing policy direction to a full-time city manager.

And as the city grappled with disasters from the 2008 flood to the 2020 derecho, she helped provide insight to her city colleagues on Cedar Rapids’ history, informing their steps forward while charting a new path to promote future growth.

“Cedar Rapids is just a phenomenal place,” said Fowler, who will continue to live in the city in her retirement. “ … It's hard to recognize from 33 years ago, and the opportunities we've turned disasters into and made sure that we're doing things right and that we're spending all the money that's coming to help us in a great way.”

'Public servant at heart’

When Fowler went to college at age 18, she already knew she wanted to pursue a career in local government. She believes residents should be able to take their cities for granted — their water should function, traffic lights should change, streetlights should turn on at night.

“I couldn’t see myself anywhere else,” Fowler said. “ … I truly am a public servant at heart. It makes sense to me. I enjoy policy, I enjoy serving, I enjoy the impact that you have.”

She started working in Cedar Rapids as assistant to the public safety commissioner under J.D. Smith in 1990, and stayed in that role until 2000, also serving under Nancy Evans.

Smith recommended Evans keep Fowler on board as her administrative assistant. Evans, a newcomer to city government, said she could tell Fowler knew the ins and outs of the city, was smart and worked hard. Evans said she would have been “foolish” to not hire her.

“She’s not a person that lets grass grow under her feet,” Evans said. “She’s a doer and a goer, but she’s cheerful and a consensus-builder … If the city functions well, she’s a big part of it.”

Fowler wrote all the resolutions that she read at council meetings and had already established firm trust and relationships with departments to help her navigate the city, Evans said, so Fowler was key to her success as a commissioner.

The two bonded over the challenges that come with being working mothers, and Evans said she appreciated that Fowler had a great sense of humor — a trait needed for survival at City Hall.

“My best memories, my best laughs, she was standing right next to me,” Evans said. “She helped me survive.”

'Citizens first’

One of the things Fowler has enjoyed about her City Hall career has been her ability to do new things, always facing a new challenge.

From 2000 to 2008, she took on a new role as the city’s neighborhood liaison, where she gained a deeper understanding of citizens’ needs and laid the groundwork for the city to strengthen neighborhood associations.

When the 2008 flood devastated the city, Fowler said she knew so many citizens in their worst time possible, as many residents lost houses, businesses and all their belongings. She recalled one woman who put her belongings in her car to rescue them from floodwaters, only for her car to be flooded before she could evacuate.

She said those experiences provided perspective as she moved up the ranks from assistant to the city manager, to assistant city manager and deputy city manager.

“As I looked at policy, that role had ensured that every time I looked at what we were doing in programs and policies that I was always thinking citizens first,” Fowler said. “It's because I got to know them personally … There are real people out there who have real impact based on what we decide we're going to do.”

Assistant City Manager Angie Charipar, who started working for the city in 2009, previously worked in federal government. Local government was new to her when she started, but she always had Fowler to work alongside and learn from.

In her first week, Charipar remembers questioning whether she belonged in City Hall. But Fowler came to her one afternoon on her first Friday of working for the city and asked to grab a drink at Vito’s.

“From that day forward, I knew that Sandi was a person I could always go to,” Charipar said.

Charipar said Fowler has never shied away from making tough calls just because some people may disagree. She’s always looking at what’s best for residents and city employees.

After the 2020 derecho’s hurricane-force winds downed most of the city’s tree canopy, Charipar said city officials contemplated how to deal with all the tree debris, questioning how would it get picked up and whether people should handle their own debris.

Charipar recalled that Fowler said Cedar Rapids needed a great company to help clear debris and she assisted with organizing quadrant-based pickup that got the job done quicker.

“Sandi makes a lot of difficult decisions and I always respect that in a leader … especially when they’re what some could construe as the unpopular decisions, but that happen to be what’s best for the city,” Charipar said.

Change from city staff to citizen

City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said he met Fowler when he was the chair of the state I-JOBS board through her work helping the city recover from the 2008 flood. Fowler led renovations to city buildings, including City Hall and the City Services Center, after the flood.

When Pomeranz came to the city two years later as city manager, he said he recognized Fowler worked hard, was highly capable, committed and was someone he put a lot of confidence and trust in.

“Sandi was appreciated for giving honest advice, for being a trusted leader within the organization and I could always count on Sandi for giving me her honest perspective,” Pomeranz said. “That’s very important when you’re in a position like mine.”

As Fowler steps aside, Pomeranz said City Hall will be missing its staff historian when decisions are made.

“Many times the actions that we take today are related to not just the future but also the past, and I would frequently ask Sandi for her opinion but also past interactions and past decisions,” Pomeranz said.

In retirement, Fowler said she hopes to use her experience to help other cities learn and grow.

As a resident, she’s curious to see how the city is perceived once she doesn’t have all the information from the inside. She plans on taking advantage of the trail growth and bike lanes to ride her bike often, and joked that she might emerge in the public view again with comments about trail improvements.

“I’m actually just looking forward to using the things that I have cared so much about,” Fowler said.

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