Be the Poll — CR Mayor

Yeah, I know it’s only May. But the race for mayor in Cedar Rapids is starting to get interesting.

So here’s a non-scientific chance to weigh in on your early favorite.

Leftovers — The Week’s Quotables

Emptying out the notebook at week’s end. Here are a few quotes that didn’t make it into print.

“Generally, you don’t do these jobs for the money,” said Linn County Supervisor Linda Langston, who is thinking about running for mayor of Cedar Rapids this fall. Becoming mayor would mean a big pay cut from her current $70,000 gig.

Speaking of salaries, Langston said she’s surveying local voters before making a final decision, and that includes asking whether they’re still miffed about her prominent role in the supervisors’ salary train wreck back in February.

“It was not particularly well-handled,” Langston said of the salary issue.

Ron Corbett is the lone announced candidate for mayor. And Langston is impressed by his early full-court, multi-media effort.

“My God, look at what Ron is doing. He’s on YouTube,” Langston said.

***

“I’m out to set the pace and run a strong campaign for mayor,” Corbett said when I asked him if he thinks his big early push is scaring off potential rivals. Several are mulling runs, but no one else has taken the plunge.

Corbett, a Republican and former speaker of the Iowa House, said he’s not going to play up his partisan ties while seeking the non-partisan mayor’s post. Previous mayors, he said, have gotten burned by forays into politics. He pointed to Lee Clancey’s endorsement of Al Gore in 2000.

“It can backfire on you,” Corbett said.

***

“A lot of folks got some of what they wanted,” said Rep. Tyler Olson, D-Cedar Rapids, talking about Senate File 457.

One very big “some” gives authority to flooded counties and cities to issue tens of millions of dollars in bonds for recovery projects without a public vote. Cedar Rapids officials really, really wanted that change, hoping to avoid having to ask voters every time they needed to float some rebuilding debt.

Voters can still call for a “reverse referendum” on any bond issuance over $3 million, but they would have to collect 13,000-plus signatures on petitions (20 percent of local presidential election turnout) to force an election. That’s a pretty tall order.

The bill passed without opposition, mainly because it also included property tax exemptions and housing tax credits that everyone likes. Still, I’m a little surprised Republicans handed localities that kind of new spending power without raising any ruckus whatsoever.

Gov. Culver still has to sign it before it becomes law.

Have a good weekend. And remember, never waste leftovers.

Friday Reads — Ch Ch Ch Changes

Change is inevitable. And this morning, it’s in the news.

Clark Kauffman over at The Register reports on the interesting saga of an Oakdale state corrections officer who is now out of a job. Derek White of West Brachwas under investigation for reportedly bringing a cake to work to celebrate the death of an inmate. That was cleared up, but what finally took the cake were some bumper stickers he affixed to his ride:

But when White returned to work, his vehicle bore a sticker that said “Cake Scandal Survivor.” There also was a sticker that said “F##K Joakdale. I like real prisons.” A third sticker featured a likeness of Calvin, from the “Calvin and Hobbes” comic strip, urinating on the word “Joakdale.”

According to White, he gave about 80 of the custom-made stickers to his fellow employees, some of whom displayed them on their own vehicles at work.

That Calvin, always peeing on something. Officials asked him to remove them. He said freedom of speech. They disagreed. He’s canned.

Elsewhere…

The Quad-City Times’ Ann McGlynn reports that state court officials are considering replacing court reporters with digital recording devices. A panel will study the idea with an eye on cost savings. It’s sure to be controversial.

Over in Waterloo, termites are changing the Waterloo Public library into sawdust. The Courier reports that library staff knew things were getting worse when they saw the little buggers flying around. Pest controllers estimate 15,000 to 20,000 termites are checking out the library. So far, books have not been chewed.

Iowa tourism is changing. The Iowa-City Coralville Convention and Visitors Bureau is launching an ad campaign aimed at attracting gay couples who want to get married. KCRG TV in Cedar Rapids has the story.

And we’ve been told for years that if you’re caught by a tornado in your car, you need to get out and head for the ditch or another low spot. Now, The Omaha World-Herald reports that the American Red Cross and the National Weather Service are at odds over whether that’s good advice.

The Red Cross now says it’s better to stay in your vehicle. The NWS says no, get out. The sides met Thursday in DC and essentially “agreed to disagree.”

Some people who abandoned their vehicles have been killed by debris. But stats indicate that more people are killed in vehicles:

About 9 percent of tornado deaths are people in vehicles, while about 4 percent are those caught in the open. The largest share of tornado deaths, 44 percent, are in mobile homes. About 32 percent of deaths occur in houses, and 8 percent in schools, churches or businesses.

Last year, more than one-third of the 23 people killed in a single tornado that hit Missouri and Oklahoma were in vehicles.

The danger in a car, Ferree said, is that debris will pierce it or the vehicle will be picked up, mangled and slammed back to the ground.

Really, the best defense is to remain in a reinforced concrete bunker until Dec. 1.

Good news, no severe weather is expected today. So leave the bunker and enjoy your Friday.