Scenes from the Council - New Digs

Checked out the first meeting Tuesday evening of the Cedar Rapids City Council in its downtown digs at the new City Services Center/old Federal Courthouse.

If only there were some way I could describe it to you. I could use some help.

"This is quite the place," said city budget watcher Carol Martin, who opened the public comment period. "This might make a great senior citizens center, when you're done with it."

Perfect.

It is quite the place, with the council seated around a snazzy new curved table, surrounded by a room paneled with the dark wood of governmental authority. There's a sound system that works really well and several flat screen TVs for showing pertinent municipal information. City staffers sit in stadium-style rows in what used to be the jury box. The microphone reserved for public commenting has a timer to let you know when your five minutes is up. And if you ignore the timer, the mic shuts off. Silence, poor-clock-managing citizens!

My favorite feature is the historic room-width mural that looks down from above the council's collective heads.  It's hard to believe someone thought it would be a good idea to paint over it.

I'm clearly awed by its artistic significance, etc. But it also gives me something interesting to stare at during the inevitable times of droning, along with sizeable windows that look out on the Cedar River and Veterans Memorial Building.

I was giving the mural a good stare before the meeting, when my contemplation of the reclining cattle was shattered...

Clack!

Yeah, that's the sort of weakish sound Mayor Ron Corbett's gavel made when it hit the new council table. I'm not sure what the table is made of exactly, Corian or some other space-age polymer. But it's not gavel-friendly.

The council's workload Tuesday was no match for its august surroundings. It toughened the city's junk car ordinances, approved a the lining of an ash lagoon, OK'd a new roof for Bender Pool...

Wow, the mural has a steamboat and a train. Neat.

There was some former courtroom drama when attention turned to picking a property/casualty/flood insurance carrier for the city. A council committee charged with setting up a rigorous selection process and picking a recommended company chose Aon Risk Services Central. Local contender True North came up short.

Council member Chuck Swore was unhappy that True North, a "great corporate citizen" of the city, didn't get the nod. So he made a motion to sidestep the recommendation and award the contract to True North.

"They've always stepped up to the plate," said Swore, pointing out how True North is moving into the old public library so the city can build a new library at the company's current location. Critics of the library plan insist that True North got a "sweetheart" deal for its property.

 Aon has a local office, but does that make them truly local? "What is local? I've got a post office box? I've got a closet?" asked Mayor Pro Tem Monica Vernon. Have they ever even been to Houby Days?

Other council members wondered why the city would set up a comprehensive process for picking a carrier and then decide to disregard its conclusion. Council member Don Karr, who was on the committee, said Aon was $9,000 cheaper and is more experienced in dealing with cities this size. "I think that's very important," he said, calling Swore's move "unethical."

Council member Tom Podzimek said that although he likes to wear clothing made by Patagonia, he's not about to force every citizen of the city to wear that stuff. Trust me, it made sense in context.

Personal preference vs. public good, I think, was the point.

 In the end, the council rejected Swore's motion 6-3, with Swore, Justin Shields and Corbett voting yes. Corbett didn't speak duringthe debate. The council then approved the $921,000 Aon contract 7-2, with Corbett voting yes.

The meeting ended with a second comment period, where four people rose to voice opposition to Tuesday's local option sales tax vote. The sharpest remarks came from Lisa Kuzela, who likened the tax campaign to the famous Scopes monkey trial. Opponents, she charged, are being persecuted by the community just like the teacher who tried to teach evolution. 

I actually think it's more like "Footloose," where the kids were persecuted just for wanting to dance.

You can watch a video of her remarks here.

When the opponents were done, Swore vented. "I had no idea when I ran for public office that once you win, you become a moron and a crook," Swore said.

That is remarkable. I blame evolution.