A disheartened Podzimek reports he's staying on council for now; can a voice in the minority matter? he asks

CEDAR RAPIDS - At-large council member Tom Podzimek isn't throwing in the towel on the City Council. At least not for now.

A disheartened Podzimek, though, reported on Wednesday that he has been thinking about resigning from the council because he thinks Mayor Ron Corbett and Corbett's working majority on the council are making decisions in backrooms all the while running roughshod over Podzimek's belief in an open and robust public discussion.

Podzimek acknowledged that he left Tuesday evening's council meeting - at which the council on a 6-2 vote accepted Jim Prosser's resignation as city manager - because he was upset about what he said was the behind-the-scenes pressure from the Corbett majority that he said drove Prosser out.

Podzimek said he doesn't mind being marginalized by Corbett and the Corbett council majority, he just minds that decisions are being made and delivered without good council discussion.

Podzimek said he's trying to figure out if it's better to stay on the council and accomplish what he can as a minority voice or leave the council to others.

Put another way, he's trying to figure out if what a colleague says is true: “I'd rather be a live dog than a dead lion.”

To that, Podzimek said he has said, ‘I'd rather live the life of a lion.”