Good Friday and April 22, 2011 ...

This year, we celebrate a late Easter, with Good Friday on April 22 ...

• On April 22, 1912, at the recommendation of President William Howard Taft, the U.S. Chamber was established to be the voice of the American business community before Congress, the White House, and regulatory agencies.


• On April 22, 1970, Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in.

We are looking forward to celebrating the Easter weekend as a family. We want to wish you and yours a safe and enjoyable Easter 2011.

Robin Tucker

Robin Tucker was appointed as one of the 13 members of the Cedar Rapids Charter Review Commission ...

The City of Cedar Rapids at the recent regular City Council meeting on April 12, 2011, during the the consent agenda [PDF], appointed 13 members to serve on the Cedar Rapids Charter Review Commission. Section 7.02 of the Home Rule Charter [PDF] calls for a Charter Review Commission in the year 2011 and every ten years thereafter.

The Resolution appointed Paul Pate (co-chair), Kay Halloran (co-chair), Nancy Bruner, LaNisha Cassell, Monica Challenger, James Craig, Patricia (Tricia) Miller, Mary Nelson, Fatima Smejkal, Scott Overland, Robin Tucker, Nancy Welsh and Carleton Whiting (terms effective through 08/15/11) to the Charter Review Commission. Many of the Commissioners were taken from applications.

Background: The City’s Home Rule Charter Section 7.02 requires that a Charter Review Commission be established in 2011. The commission shall review the existing charter and may recommend any charter amendments that it deems appropriate to the council. Mayor Corbett along with all Council members each chose one individual and four at-large individuals to serve on the Charter Review Commission. The group’s final report should be submitted by 08/15/11. Recommendations by the charter can either be approved by the Council or submitted for voter approval. Ballots are printed in September for the November election and therefore recommendations from the Charter Review Commission must be submitted by August.

In 2004-05, the local Home Rule Charter Commission was formed, as 15 member commission to recommend to the voters an alternative form of goverment to the the current Commission form of government, at the time. In May 2005, the Home Rule Charter was constructed and presented to Mayor Paul Pate and the City Council. In June of 2005, by a vote of 69% support, the City of Cedar Rapids voted to move to Home Rule. The City had been under the old Commission form of government from 1908 to 2005. Cedar Rapids was one of the last cities above 100,000 still using the Commission form.

Today, the City of Cedar Rapids operates under the Home Rule Charter form of government as prescribed by Chapter 372 of the Code of Iowa. As section 4.01 as the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Code of Ordinances points out: The Home Rule Charter ("the charter") is set forth in this code as an unnumbered chapter. The Home Rule Charter [PDF] draws from the popular Iowa form of government: the Council-Manger form, along with some of the traditions of local government in Cedar Rapids, such as "citizen participation" in boards and commissions, which was a popular part of our commission form of government.

Nancy Bruner and Robin Tucker served together on the Home Rule Charter Commission in 2004-05. Ms. Bruner served as one of the co-chairs, while Mr. Tucker served as drafting chair on that previous commission. I look forward to the opportunity to serve with Nancy again, along with the other members who have been appointed the Commission.

The two co-chairs of the recently appointed Charter Review Commission are the most recent outgoing mayors for the City of Cedar Rapids. Mr. Pate was the last Mayor under the previous form of government, while Ms. Hollarn was the first Mayor elected under our Home Rule form of government. The other nine members of the Commission appear to represent a cross section of our community. Commission work is schedule to begin on May 5, 2011 and the Mayor and Council have instructed the Commission that they have until August 15, 2011 to compete the work of the Commission.

Robin Tucker

Where do you stand on the upcoming May 3 Local Option Sales Tax for Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha, Robins, Fairfax and Linn County, Iowa?

Signs are going up around Cedar Rapids. The professionally made "Vote Yes May 3" signs from Protect Cedar Rapids Committee campaigning for support of the May 3 Local Option Sales Tax. Of course, others are creating there own "Vote No" signs and sticking in their yards.

It is an important ballot measure for Cedar Rapids. The Pro-Tax group is conducting neighborhood meetings throughout the month of April, ahead of the May 3rd vote.

In the City of Cedar Rapids, the ballot language is as follows:

For the City of Cedar Rapids: Ten percent (10%) for Property Tax Relief; The specific purposes for which the revenues shall otherwise be expended are: Fifty percent (50%) to establish and maintain a flood protection system on both the east and west side of the Cedar River; and forty percent (40%) for existing street improvements. - Cedar Rapids - sample ballot for Metro area [PDF]

We encourage voters in Linn County to read the ballot language and get out and vote. For citizens outside the Metro Cedar Rapids area, here is the link to your ballot language.

The five communities of Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha, Fairfax and Robins will vote as a block. The use of the tax will be different in each City, but they will vote it up or down together.

Robin Tucker

Happy April to you all, as the Final Four tips off on Saturday in Houston ...

It's nice to see the signs of Spring, as the sunshine is out and a temperature of 55 degrees is expected on Saturday, April 2Nd in Cedar Rapids.

Saturday morning, I woke up early, so I enjoyed a podcast from On Iowa from The Gazette.

Podcast: ‘On Iowa’ tackles spring football, basketball recruiting - The Gazette The On Iowa podcast with Marc Morehouse and Scott Dochterman discusses Iowa's spring football depth chart, updates Iowa basketball recruiting and answers...

Last night, the end of the season came for Creighton basketball and first year head coach Greg McDermott, who moved back to The Valley this year, after four years at Iowa State. Sadly, the half court line at Oregon served as a sixth defender in the final half-minute, in a 69-71 loss by the Jays to the Ducks. The Dana Altman era is finally over. Ironically, Creighton played a best of three vs. Altman's Oregon Ducks to close out an extra month of basketball playing in the CBI Tournament sponsored by Zebra Pens.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/LLXEfju9b8U - Hopefully, this link will work, since I could not embed for some reason into our blog post. Here's a photo (see right) from the Rivals Network showing the unique nature of the half court line at the University of Oregon's new basketball arena.

Hey, how good are Zebra Pens? It's ironic that the markings on the court are lighter than a pen mark! As Creighton's coach Mac said, he couldn't see the half court line from the coaches box. If the NCAA is going to allow this type of court markings, maybe the coaches box should be equal in marking or at minimum expanded, so the head coach for each team can clearly know where the half court mark is.

Next year, the University of Nebraska will join the Big Ten Conference in all sports, so the Wells Fargo game between Nebraska vs. Iowa has been changed. Now, Creighton vs. Iowa will tip off at Wells Fargo in the 2011-12 basketball season. After the final month of extra basketball in the books for the Jays, the game should be a very good one. Don't count the Jays out, despite the departure of four seniors this year. Creighton's top three players are back and all-Freshman and all-Valley first teamer Doug McDermott will likely be the third option, after sophomore center Gregory Echenique and junior guard Antonie Young who developed clearly as the first two options in McDermett's offense. This should only make Creighton stronger as a Valley title contender and team capable of making a run for the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga transfer Grant Gibbs, a sophomore out of Marion should be on the roster for 2011-12 season.

The Final Four tips off this evening, 5 p.m. CDT, from Houston on CBS. For the second year in a row, the Championship Game will pit a major conference program (Duke in '10) vs. a mid-major program (Butler in '10). In my bracket picks back in March, only UConn remains on my sheet in the 2011 men's basketball tournament:

• Kentucky - Wildcats beat UNC for the first time in the NCAAs and made the Final 4


• UConn - like the UConn women, the Huskies are in the Final Four, as well


• VCU - from "First Four" to "Final Four" ... simply a great 11Th seed story this year


• Butler - back for the second straight year under fourth year coach Brad Stevens

The new format of 68 and new television line up with CBS, TBS, TNT and Tru have turned out very exciting. Clearly, there are some mid-majors that should have been considered for at-large, but we will always see a continued debate, as long as there are at-large teams for the NCAA Tournament.

Spring Football is going on throughout the Big Ten. The University of Iowa should be an exciting team in 2011. However, as Marc Morehouse and Scott Dochterman out in the podcast, Iowa needs players to step up on special teams with 22 seniors departed. Recruiting has been strong in Iowa City lately. Kirk Ferentz and his staff are adapting to the changing Big Ten landscape. The new division play format with 12 teams now should be very exciting for Iowa, Nebraska and the rest of the Big Ten.

In closing, love the future at Iowa, under first-year coach Fran McCaffery. Iowa was only 11-20 in 2010-11 in McCaffery's first season, but they were far more competitive, then the past couple of years under departed head coach Todd Lickliter. Sadly, it appears finding a low-level Division I job is going to be more difficult for Lickliter, only five seasons removed from a Sweet 16 run at Butler and winning the National Coach of the Year award.

Robin Tucker