Ralph Russell joins Cedar Rapids City Council race

Ralph Russell, who retired in May from engineering firm HR Green Inc. where he was president/CEO for 26 years and worked for 44, is running for an at-large seat on the City Council.

"I'm running because I think I can help our community," Russell said on Friday. "I really look at Cedar Rapids much the same as I do the company I worked with for 44 years. It's been my life a long time, and I love this city."

As a council member, the 66 year old said he will work to find efficiencies in government, expand economic development, promote community growth and improve the city's infrastructure.

Russell said his engineering career, by its nature, has meant that he has worked with city governments of all sizes for years, which is experience that he said has made him knowledgeable about city infrastructure and city tax structure.

"Our streets need a lot of help," he said. "That's been a topic of conversation quite a bit recently. And it's not something you can wave a magic wand and fix the problem.

"… Money fixes a lot of things. And if we had a pot full of money, we wouldn't have the problems we have today. Revenue is obviously an issue. Where is it going to come from? I don't' know at this point."

Russell turned HR Green Inc. into a company of 55 employees in 1983, when he became president/CEO, into one with 350 employees with 15 offices in six states when he stepped down from his post in 2009. He had intended to retire then and run for the City Council, but instead, he decided to head up the firm's energy business unit until he did retire in May.

The energy unit's work has included projects to convert methane into energy from both landfills and abandoned coal mines and it also has helped companies set up on-site power generation to use lower-cost natural gas to power their operations.

Russell voted for the city's existing 1-percent local-option sales tax for flood recovery, a tax which will expire June 30, 2014. He also voted in 2011 and 2012 to extend the sales tax, in the first instance to help pay for street repairs and flood protection, and in the second, just for flood protection.

At the end of the day, he said the city will have to provide some local funds to match state and federal money to build a flood protection system.

"So, we're not going to do it without reaching down deep into our pockets," he said.

"I'm sure the last two weeks has given people pause to think about flood protection again," he continued, referring to the just-ended flood scare. "Last year, during the drought, it was the furthest thing from everybody's mind. But in the last two weeks, my sense is that people are thinking about it again."

Russell said he no longer is employed and no longer has any ownership interest in HR Green Inc. Even so, he said, if elected, he will not take part in any discussions or vote on any matter related to any matters between the company and the city.

"People know that my name is synonymous with that firm and has been for a long, long time," he said. "I was the head of it for 26 years. I'm very attuned to that conflict of interest thing and will not promote that firm at all to the city of Cedar Rapids."

Russell served as board chairman of the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce during the 2008 flood and also served as co-chair of the Cedar Rapids school district's efficiency task force among his many other community and professional activities.

He and his wife, Kathy, reside at 4415 Beaver Hollow SE. They have four adult children and three grandchildren.

Six of the nine City Council seats are up for a vote in November: mayor, two at-large seats and the seats in council districts 1, 3 and 5.

At-large incumbent Chuck Swore and Jerry McGrane, a former City Council member, previously have announced that they are seeking one of the two at-large seats. Russell makes the third at-large candidate.

Mayor Ron Corbett, District 3 incumbent Pat Shey and District 5 incumbent Justin Shields also have said they will seek re-election. At-large council member Don Karr and District 1 council member Kris Gulick have not revealed their re-election intentions.