Our endorsements for Cedar Rapids City Council

Cedar Rapids voters have been called to the polls many times in recent years, to vote on multiple local-option sales tax plans, casino gambling and, of course, for their representatives on the City Council. They've seen elections jolted by a change in the form of government and awash in huge issues spawned by an epic flood.

So by those standards, 2015 is the calm after the storm.

There is no single issue or cluster of issues driving the city election this fall. The now-recovered city is striking ahead on several fronts to improve its basic infrastructure, deliver a boost to its core neighborhoods and grow the local economy. It's an election marked by candidates seeking to build on post-flood successes.

Two incumbents, Ann Poe and Susie Weinacht, and three challengers, Carletta Knox-Seymour, Wade Wagner and Bridgett Wood, are vying for two at-large council seats. In District 4, incumbent Scott Olson is being challenged by Lisa Kuzela. In District 2, Scott Overland is unopposed.

AT LARGE

The at-large field offers a mix of experience. Poe is seeking her second term while Weinacht has served for two years. Wagner is a former parks commissioner under the old form of government, and Knox-Seymour is in her second term as a city planning commission member and ran for a council seat two years ago.

We think Poe and Knox-Seymour are the best choices.

Ann Poe, who says, over the years, she's lived in every quadrant of her hometown, brings an infectious enthusiasm to the council. In four years in office, she's developed an impressive command of city issues. 'I love our community. I'm proud of our community. I'm proud of how we rallied back after the flood,” she told us.

In a city where crime has shaken core neighborhoods, Poe says support for police efforts should go hand-in-hand with a push to improve and maintain basic infrastructure in those areas. She's floated the idea of new recreation centers that could give the city's kids a place to play, and improvements in public transportation.

Carletta Knox-Seymour, in her words, would bring a 'paradigm shift” to the council as its only black member. 'Why am I running? I'm running because I believe there needs to be a change,” Knox-Seymour told us.

Just as in 2013 when we endorsed Knox-Seymour, we're encouraged by her commitment to be a voice for residents who don't believe city government adequately is addressing their concerns or representing their community. We have no doubt that Knox-Seymour could be a valuable advocate, not only for the black community, but for others who get lost in the debates that shape city policies.

DISTRICT 4

In District 4, which represents much of the city's northwest side, we would keep Scott Olson on the job.

Olson, a commercial Realtor, has been instrumental in the city's so-far successful drive to bring new retail economic development to Cedar Rapids, with an eye on sales taxes paying for street repairs and flood protection.

But we also appreciate Olson's call for restraint in providing TIF assistance to office and retail projects he believes will alter the local market to the detriment of existing property owners. As chair of the council's infrastructure committee, Olson has been at the center of efforts to responsibly plan the city's Paving for Progress street repair program, to reduce the threat of costly flash-flooding and fill large gaps in the city's network of sidewalks.

'It's really an exciting time,” Olson told us.

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