5 vie for 3 seats on Cedar Rapids City Council election

CEDAR RAPIDS - Three candidates are vying for two at-large seats, and a district incumbent has drawn a challenger, in the Nov. 5 Cedar Rapids City Council election.

For the two at-large seats, union leader Pat Loeffler, 53, incumbent Ann Poe, 67, and Jorel Robinson, 32, an employee at GoDaddy and a community advocate, met the deadline for filing paperwork. The other at-large incumbent, Susie Weinacht, is not seeking reelection and has not announced future plans.

Additionally, Sofia Mehaffey, 35, a Horizons executive, is challenging incumbent Scott Overland, 56, a financial services executive, in District 2, which includes parts of the southeast and northeast quadrants.

Scott Olson, 73, a commercial broker, is running unopposed in District 4, which encompasses much of the northwest quadrant and a portion of the southwest quadrant.

Five other seats on the nine-member board are not up for election this cycle.

Conservative activist Gage West had announced his candidacy for an at-large seat in June, but did not file paperwork by the deadline last week, according to the Linn County Auditor's Office election services website.

In-person early voting begins Oct. 7 and continues through 5 p.m., Nov. 4. Absentee ballot request forms must be received in the auditor's office, 935 Second St. SW, by 5 p.m., Oct. 25.

Candidate forums are scheduled for Thursday at CSPS Hall, 1103 Third St. SE, for the competitive races. The forum for the District 2 race is set for 6 to 7:15 p.m., immediately followed by the forum for the at-large races from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. The forum for the District 4 race was canceled since Olson does not have a challenger.

In Cedar Rapids, candidates must receive at least 50 percent of the vote to win without a runoff. In the case where two seats are on the ballot in an at-large race, a candidate must receive at least 25 percent of the vote to win without a runoff. The part-time council position pays $18,391 annually and the four-year terms begin in January 2020.

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