Well kids, this is interesting. One of my chief gripes about the City Council has been it's long standing insistence (or at least perception or possibly suspicion of that insistence) in protecting certain interests in the downtown business community before the needs of the broader community. The ridiculous 20 story monstrosity that's undoubtedly coming for us on the corner of College and Gilbert Street- the one plan out of many fine, fine plans that didn't include the New Pioneer Co-Op only served to underline what I think an increasing number of people in Iowa City are starting to believe: we need a City Council that casts a wider gaze across the entire community and not just downtown and nearby neighborhoods.
Maybe that's an unfair judgment against the current City Council but I don't feel like it is. Ordinances against panhandling (not that big of a problem) and now homeless people sleeping on benches downtown (a problem magnified, I think, by current construction on the Ped Mall) were passed under the current Council at the urging of two of the members who are downtown business owners. That irks me. Were these problems really that pressing? Or did it just 'bother' the right people, so something had to be done?
It's the Co-Op thing that really bugs me though. I know the City Council was under no obligation to give the Co-Op a damn thing but there's something to be said for loyalty. New Pi has been a mainstay of downtown for decades- when plenty of other businesses up and left for the more lucrative, TIF-fueled retail environment of Coralville. That 20 story monstrosity is the wrong decision for Iowa City and for downtown and, no surprise, I'm endorsing a clean sweep- out with the old and in with the new!
At Large:
Rockne Cole: Gets props for actually having a website. I like that... my eyebrow raised a bit when I saw that the slogan on his yard signs was 'let a hundred flowers bloom' or something pretty close to that. I wonder if he knows where that reference comes from... hmmmm... about as different from anyone on the current City Council as you can imagine, I got nothing against cooperatives, sustainability and making the city more walkable. Hopefully he can put some of these ideas into action. He's got my vote.
Kingsley Botchway: Impressed me with this interview in The Little Village. His answers were thoughtful and it's obvious this guy is really smart and committed to making a positive impact for everyone in our community. I like that. He's got my vote.
District B:
Royceann Porter: I don't have a link to her interview in The Little Village yet, but I've read it (so grab the latest copy and check it out!), it's good! But even if it wasn't that good-given the fact she's running against Terry Dickens for the District B Seat makes her 'not Terry Dickens' and therefore, worthy of my vote. She's got my vote.
My Prediction: The depressing part about living in such a supposedly progressive town is that really and truly, when you pop the hood of this place, you find just another small town in Iowa. And in small towns in Iowa, the more you think things are going to change, the more they usually stay the same. I'm saying Champion, Mims and Dickens. And if that does turn out to be true, it'll be a very depressing election night indeed.
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