It's not lonely being the only person in mayoral race: Corbett pioneers new City Hall campaign tactic, You Tube video he calls 'Corbett TV'

For now -- still seven months from the Nov. 3 election -- Ron Corbett has the mayoral race all to himself.

And he's working to make the best of it.

On Tuesday, Corbett unveiled what seems to be a first for a Cedar Rapids City Hall election: It's his own You Tube video that he calls “Corbett TV.”

Watching Corbett TV, it's hard to imagine You Tube videos aren't going to become part of other local election campaigns in the months ahead as candidates try to see if they get some traction and visibility for free.

Corbett says he'd like to have a string of videos on his campaign Website, roncorbett.com, for voters to take a look when they sit down to make a decision on whom to vote for next fall.

In two videos released on Tuesday, Corbett continues his assault on what he calls “the culture of delay” at City Hall.

This time, the 48-year-old vice president at trucking firm CRST Inc. is standing in front of the flood-damaged Ellis Park swimming pool and lamenting that it will not open this summer after all. In a second video, he stands in front of the damaged Tree of Five Seasons and says too little is being done to put the city back together again.

In regard to the Ellis pool, the City Council in recent months had urged city staff to hustle with repairs to the pool so it could open this summer. The council thought opening the pool would have a symbolic benefit and would show that the city is getting back on its feet. A week ago, though, the council learned that repairs could not be made in time for this season.

In his video, Corbett says:

“This pool will be closed for 2009 because of the indecision and the culture of delay that is within or City Council. They have let the homeowners down of this community, they have let the businesses down of this community, they have let the veterans down in this community, and now they're letting down the children of this community.”

Corbett said he will get the pool open in 2010 if he's elected mayor.