I believe that we have a council which consists of 9 adults who are beyond simple playground games and one upsmanship. I believe it will be about more than who is now on top and who is going to be the group that is "outsiders". The city council members are each elected by people of thier district to represent the people and interests of thier districts. The at large members are elected to represent all of the people in Cedar Rapids. Each city council member and the new mayor will remember that they have not been elected to stroke thier egos, advance thier own agendas or to dole out retribution for percieved or real slights. I chose to believe in the fact that each of these people cares more about our city than thier own personal gain. If that proves to not be the case, I am prepared , as a citizen to voice my concerns . I hope for the best ! I plan on not being dissapointed.

Podzimek said the current nine-member council has embraced to a person a vision for Cedar Rapids as a progressive, vibrant community that invests for future generations. And he said he’s not sure how that will square with what Podzimek said was Corbett’s campaign call for “cheap property taxes.”

I would like to think that the vision for Cedar Rapids is not something that will change drastically every time someone is elected. I believe that a vision is something that is not dependent on who is in power.
" Vision 2030 offers a look at the city in the future created by ac ommittee of 20 citizens, the city's diverse and growing economic economy helps guarantee a quality of life for all citizens based on broad educational, cultural, recreational opportunities. The vision statement includes growing out goals and objectives including a growing focus on regionalism and private partnerships."
What;s not to love in that vision statement.

We as citizens have a responsibility to hold our elected officials to a standard. I believe that when a careless statement is made- As citizens we need to not only comment on articles in the Gazette but go to the person and ask what they meant by the statement.
We do have to remember that he is entitled to a personal opinion on any matter, but he is a public figure and his words are weighed on a different scale.
I guess what I was trying to say is that we as citizens have a right and a responsibility to question our elected officials. We also have an obligation to come forward and sit on boards and commission and speak up for what we believe is important for the betterment of our community.We need to listen and observe and participate as decisions are made.
One such opportunity is Thursday night at 5pm at City Hall- the council will be holding a work session to discuss and gather information about the ne budget. I have heard citizens say that we should just cut the budget by 15% or lower property taxes or cut salaries and staff levels. Come and listen and be part of the process.

Very good question guardian- thank you for the opportunity to clarify. It has to do with the manner in which we interact with our elected officials. I have heard time and time again, since the change in government that " it used to be better in the old form of government" There was real leadership. I admit I am new to all of this as I was busy raising children and trying to make ends meet during that time. I ask your patience. Since we as a community voted for the change in goverment we now employ a professional city manager( defending the position- not a specific person). The idea was that this was not a political appointment, but rather a professional who had management experience in municipal operations, was knoweledgeable of best practices in business and in the managemnt of resources for a city this size. The person was not someone who was up for election every 4 years.

I believe we may be confused as to what the role of the city council is.There are 125,000 people in Cedar Rapids. There are non profit sectors, there are small business sectors, there are city staff and those involved in all walks of life. When we talk about " The city" doing...... do we mean the members of city staff who are employed for the benefit of the community, are we talking about the elected officials or are we talking in fact about something that is taken care of by the county staff and electeds. The city council has duties and responsibilities as outlined by the charter. So does the city manager. City staff are employees of the city of Cedar Rapids. Each group has to work together for the betterment of the community, the county and the region.

I believe that all people who serve on the council should consider it a temporary season of service. Perhaps two terms is too much for the average person . I would like us as citizens to have a discussion about what it is to be a part time city council person. I believe that people seek a council position because they want to help their community. The cold truth is that in most local elections no more than 40% of the general population chose to vote. The council fails to represent us .

IT is a perfect opportunity for people to get involved- it is of short duration, there is no money involved for the people who serve on it. I have put my application in as have a couple other people I respect.

Not to rain on this obviously pessimistic parade but we all have an obligation to make our city better. Running for office is one way- but the council is 9 people who are elected to represent the people. It doesn't mean they are the only venue for creation of ideas. There are myriad volunteer organizations that undergird local electeds. We all need to step up and stop b....g and start doing what we each can. Not everyone can run for council but everyone can choose to be civil and engage in the process.

That would be the board of supervisors who are paid full time salaries. The part time city council made 15,000 a year at it's inception and is only slightly higher now. They actually have many meetings scheduled this week. www.cedar-rapids.org .

well I guess I will repost comments.
There are so few candidates running because so many people see it as something that is beyond them.. Running for office is like having children or getting married. You are never going to be fully prepared or know all there is to know.. You are never going to be certain it is the right time to run. The truth is that running for office is not any different than applying for any other job. True your employer is the citizens of Cedar Rapids who each have their own opinions about what you should be doing and how it should be done. There are people who are looking to run in the future who need our support. Very few people will run without being asked to do so. Women especially do not in general, self promote. Some people are afraid of fundraising. Many people are well suited to governing but don't relish the campaign process. I want to see people push themselves a little, step out of their comfort zones and apply to be on commissions or boards. Find out what city council members do and learn about what it takes to govern. Running for office is something that comes to you in stages. If this is not the time to run- prepare for the next time. Join me as one of the first declared candidates for a future election. Together we can learn about what it takes to get people excited about city council not just during election season but throughout the year. Take a chance, learn all you can or help someone who is running if you don't feel comfortable running yourself.