School Board Elections in Cedar Rapids and throughout State of Iowa on Tuesday, September 13

Received the following e-mail on the Cedar Rapids Community Schools School Board Election:

http://creaonline.org/CREA.html

This has been under wraps by local media, but lots of folks are talking about it. Flyers with all 4 union-backed candidates are being distributed. Ring-leader, and conveniently not running, is Gary Anhalt, former CREA president and current CR school board member (elected unopposed in 2009 for a four year term).

ALL VOTERS VOTE FOR ALL RACES, but candidates running in districts must live in those districts.

5 people are running At-Large for 2 spots; 2 are running in District 1 and 2 running in District 4.

FUNDING of the union backed candidates:

At-Large CREA Kathy Ulrich: https://webapp.iecdb.iowa.gov/PublicView/county/Linn/School_Board/Ulrich_Kathleen/2011-09-08__DR2_Summary.pdf

At-Large CREA Karen Hartlep: https://webapp.iecdb.iowa.gov/PublicView/county/Linn/School_Board/Hartlep_Karen/2011-09-08__DR2_Summary.pdf

District 1 Iron Workers Dustin Weiland: https://webapp.iecdb.iowa.gov/PublicView/county/Linn/School_Board/Weiland_Dustin/2011-09-08__DR2_Summary.pdf

District 4 CREA Sunny Story: https://webapp.iecdb.iowa.gov/PublicView/county/Linn/School_Board/Story_Sunny/2011-09-08__DR2_Summary.pdf

Interesting recent links of 3 of these union candidates:

At-Large CREA Kathy Ulrich and District 4 CREA Sunny Story KCRG March 8 2011: http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Labor-Supporters-Speak-Out-at-Collective-Bargaining-Hearing-in-Des-Moines-117565038.html ; (at :56 for about 20 seconds on the video)

Also, halfway down the homepage of the CREA (http://creaonline.org/CREA.html) has a picture supposedly in Madison on March 12 2011 with what looks like At-Large CREA candidate Karen Hartlep (in black at left) and Gary Anhalt (in red on the right).

Our recommendations in Cedar Rapids on September 13:

Please vote to retain or elect these candidates...

Mary Meisterling (incumbent District 1)
John Laverty (incumbent at-large and current President of the School Board)
Ann Rosenthal (incumbent at-large)
Allen Witt (seeking to fill vacancy by Melissa Kiliper-Ernst, who is not seeking re-election)

Polls in Linn County are open Noon to 8 p.m.

P.S. - We support the Kirkwood Community College bond extension for facility upgrades and three new buildings around the Kirkwood CC district, including a new center to serve Cedar Rapids/Marion.