CR Council Road Trippin'

Come March, the Cedar Rapids City Council will be holding its meetings in Hiawatha. Rick Smith has the details here.

Mayor Ron Corbett engineered the move. He's not a big fan of the AEGON auditorium where the council has been meeting in exile post flood.

For one thing, the big screen where staff insists on showing (exciting) PowerPoint presentations is behind the council's back. Corbett looks exasperated every time he has to get up and find a better seat where he can see. He's left without a chair, and gavel-less.

And with the council sitting at the bottom of the auditorium, it does give meetings a Christians-in-the-Coliseum feel. The lighting, we're told, makes it hard for council members to see the audience. It's tough to chart that clear vision for the city when you're squinting. True enough.

So we're off on the road to Hiawatha and its swanky new City Hall. (Click the photo above to see just how swanky.)

Will we be able to convince our council to go back to good old Vets Memorial, as Corbett advocates, after they've seen the bright lights of Hiawatha? We shall see.

I like the idea of a fully mobile council. The week before they play Hiawatha, the council is considering holding its meeting at Theatre Cedar Rapids as part of its grand reopening downtown.

This prospect led to some jokesing Wednesday.

Council member Chuck Swore wondered whether makeup would be available for the council's theatrical debut.  He pointed out that the council's lineup of receding hairlines could use some "glare" reduction.

It's true. Since Brian Fagan left, Monica Vernon and Kris Gulick are just about the only council member with a full head of hair.

I know the council is probably eager to stay put, but I think this rolling road show has possibilities.

They could meet each week in a different part of the city. Heck, they could meet in restaurants as a show of support for local eateries. Maybe even taverns. The possibilities are endless.

They may never have this chance again, hopefully. They should take advantage of their freedom. Don't be like those people who keep putting off that backpacking trip across Europe only to wake up one day with kids and a mortgage.

See your realm, City Council. Bring parliamentary procedure and PowerPoint to every corner of this community.