Corbett fits voters' desire

Cedar Rapids voters spoke clearly in Tuesday's election for mayor.

More than 60 percent of them affirmed that they want someone who will bring a new style of leadership to city government.

Ron Corbett's victory over Brian Fagan, mayor pro tem and at-large council member, signaled that residents want the next mayor to step up the council's power and pace in our 4-year-old form of council/manager government.

Corbett, the former Iowa speaker of the House and local Chamber of Commerce president who now is a trucking firm executive, repeatedly has criticized the council for moving too slowly on some flood-recovery decisions. He also wants to reprioritize city spending and ramp up business and job development. None of that necessarily means abandoning progress or plans already made, he insists.

Corbett apparently best fit the desire for stronger mayoral leadership reflected in a recent Gazette/KCRG-TV9 poll. Only 17 percent of registered voters surveyed last week approved of outgoing Mayor Kay Halloran's performance.

Corbett's victory and his promise to ask the council to conduct a 90-day assessment of City Manager Jim Prosser may quickly test the balance of power when the new council is seated in January.

Rather than be overly confrontational, however, we expect Corbett will use his proven consensus-building skills to work effectively with the council and Prosser, a skilled and dedicated professional whom we and many officials across the state respect.

The council's new makeup also will include at least one newly elected member who

is a professed supporter of Corbett. Chuck Swore, who served one term as a district representative before losing a re-election bid two years ago, won his way back for an at-large seat. We expect Swore will retain an independent voice but his presence largely should boost Corbett's effectiveness.

This newspaper endorsed Corbett. Nonetheless, we also regret that Fagan will not be part of the council come January. The results of his tireless work and visionary thinking will impact this city favorably for years to come. He was instrumental in laying groundwork for many projects and ideas that will change the face of Cedar Rapids.

We congratulate Corbett

and Fagan for conducting spirited campaigns that clearly spelled out their differences without demonizing each other. We look forward to the next critical phase of this community's flood recovery and march toward a stronger, more vibrant Cedar Rapids and region.