Voted Off the Island?

I shook the new-fallen snow off my morning paper and discovered that CR City Manager Jeff Pomeranz is recommending that the Veterans Memorial Building on May's Island should not be the day-to-day home of city government operations.

Rick Smith has the goods:

Instead, Pomeranz is recommending that the offices of city manager, city clerk, city attorney, mayor and City Council, all of which have been slated to return to the Veterans Memorial Building, join other city offices already set to occupy the now-city-owned, former federal courthouse down the block from the Vets Building.The former federal courthouse's large, third-floor courtroom also will be transformed into a City Council chambers under Pomeranz's plan.

The former federal courthouse's large, third-floor courtroom also will be transformed into a City Council chambers under Pomeranz's plan.

And just when I was getting so comfy in Hiawatha.

Pomeranz insists that the city would not "abandon" it's longtime, historic island habitat. There would still be meetings, functions etc. The City Council is supposed to talk over his plans tonight.

Mayor Ron Corbett isn't quoted in the story, so I'm not sure exactly where he stands.

Corbett replied to a text query this afternoon, saying Pomeranz makes "some compelling arguments." The mayor says he's long supported using both Vets Memorial and the courthouse.

Back in the 2009 campaign, Corbett held a big campaign press conference in front of Vets Memorial to decry what he saw as  undue delay in moving city offices back in. His real target at the time was the notion of building a new, pricey city hall.

From Corbett's remarks, March 19, 2009:

Many years ago this site was chosen for city government because it was a neutral site between the communities of Cedar Rapids and Kingston. That decision brought people together and still does today. This memorial and home to city government has served us well. It is time to reach back to that same unifying spirit. It is time to show respect to the veterans, repair this memorial and put people back to work. Today, it is time to end the culture of delay and move this city forward once again.

I'm not pointing this out to smack Corbett. It's just interesting how governing is often so much different than campaigning. It made sense, politically, to stand in front of the iconic building and demand action. Now, it makes more sense to put city operations in a nearby space that's much more practical. Theatrics, meet reality.

Of course Vets Memorial will be repaired, and will remain a symbol of the city. Nobody disputes that.

I suspect the council will go along, but you never can tell. This is the first time Pomeranz has tried to put his public stamp on a high-profile issue, so I suspect the council would be reluctant to shoot it down. He is in charge of day-to-day operations in this form of government. He should get to pick where that happens.