Tonight I was pedaling down Market St., on my way to the community forum on the recent epidemic of assaults (which was a terrific event, I might add -- sad that we had to have it however). The forum was held at the beautifully restored Englert Theatre, a gem we almost lost, as a theatre, some years back.

But a block from home, at the corner of Dodge and Market, my eyes found a sad sight: yet another house in the Northside Neighborhood falling to the wrecking ball. That's two this week. As a confirmed Northsider, this bothers me for all kinds of reasons.

I can't count the number of times I've heard references to the "historic Northside Neighborhood". It is historic; we have some of Iowa City's oldest homes. My own dates from 1873, although it had a big remodel about 1905 (those crazy kids at the turn of the century!) It was in the same family from 1885 to 1968. Yet almost all of the "historic Northside" is in jeopardy of disappearing. Despite the rhetoric, the "historic" Northside (except for Brown and part Ronalds and connecting streets) isn't a historic district and anybody can bulldoze any home for any reason.

That ain't right.

We need to expand historic preservation into the Northside. If elected, one of my chief priorities is to do just that, and more. Other areas are in danger as well. Parts of Downtown, Goosetown, Melrose, each of these historic areas deserves local historic district designation and protection.

Study after study shows that historic preservation attracts people to a city; it also is a proven money-maker. Property values go up in historic districts. They become very popular neighborhoods.

Now not every building can or should be saved. But most can and should. Preserving our heritage is the right thing to do. Once it's gone, we can't bring it back.

Those who know me call me cheap if they like me, miser if not. I prefer to think of myself as frugal.

One reason that I ride my bike is to save gas money, and the parking fee of course. But I also ride because it's good for me and for the environment. Coming from Detroit, I've always been sensitive to the impact that cars have on the places we live, and one of the things I love most about Iowa City is it's bikeable scale.

There are things we can do to promote more biking here. Trails, possibly designated bike lanes, and more police bike patrols come to mind. The bike racks on city busses are a great idea. And my experience shows that we need more and better-placed bike racks downtown.

Running our busses on bio-diesel is another positive step the city has taken to become more environmentally friendly. I'd like to study the idea of running all heavy city vehicles on bio-diesel--garbage trucks, roads, fire trucks...

I'm convinced we also need to do everything possible to promote LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for new buildings in Iowa City. Certainly we must have this for all buildings in which the city has a funding say. LEED certification is based on a series of environmentally-friendly standards relating to design, construction, and operation of new buildings. LEED buildings are green in a big way.

Historic Preservation is also an environmentally friendly idea--instead of developing open space, preservation rehabs existing buildings and preserves the unique character of Iowa City neighborhoods. But, preservation can be hard work. Just ask me when I'm two stories up on a ladder repainting our 134 year old house...

I haven't been a good blogger. I keep running short on time, and maybe energy, honest. This is really hard work!

As a candidate for the first time I have gained an appreciation for for the energy level office holders who have been doing this for a while. I am excited to see friends like Regenia Bailey, Rod Sullivan, and Lonny Pulkrabek running for reelection. But I do wonder where they find the stamina for another campaign.

I guess you get a second wind, and I have found that having definite goals gives you the energy to knock on one more door or write one more letter. Rod Sullivan, who's been more than generous to me with his advice and support, announced that he will seek another term on the Boad of Supervisors last week. Rod really deserves it, and we really need him.

It's a truism in Iowa City that many people don't realize how many services the County provides--everything from rural law enforcement, social services, SEATS, to parks and road clearance. Anyway, I am glad to see Rod running again, I've learned a great deal from him and we also share strong interests in effective social services, environmental progress, and accessible government. I hope to be able to work with Rod, and the rest of the Supervisors, if I am elected to the Iowa City Council.

Now if I can just figure out how to knock on doors and hold on to Tank the pony dog I'd double my campaign time...

I visited the Iowa City Municipal Airport the other day, and it was good. Great, even. You could have knocked me over with a feather.

I had not been a supporter of the airport, mainly because, like a lot of other people, I thought it seemed like a big duplication of service with the Eastern Iowa Regional Airport just up the road. I was wrong.

Turns out it’s not duplication at all. Iowa City Municipal is the second busiest general aviation (as opposed to commercial) airport in the state. There’s a long waiting list for hangar rental, even though the rents tend towards the high side. There’s also an amazing (and I do mean amazing) research facility, the Operator Performance Laboratory, run by the University with a number of Federal and private co-sponsers.

And the City’s airport subsidy been going down. In other words the IC airport is doing a good job of paying for itself and even generating revenue. It’s one of our best-kept secrets, and that’s a shame. It's worth our support. Check it out.

As we roll through the Labor Day weekend, I recalled a bumper-sticker I saw a while back that’s stuck with me: “The Labor Movement: The Folks Who Brought you the Weekend.” Weekends and a whole lot more. Labor has been a presence in my life as long as I can remember.

I grew up in a union town in a union state. When he was a senior in high school in 1933 my dad wrote an essay in which he praised FDR and the labor movement because he knew they would stick up “for the little guy.” My police-officer mom, working vice out of Detroit’s First Precinct at 13th and Beaubien, was one of the earliest members (male or female) of the Detroit Police Officers Association, formed in 1944. The DPOA worked hard for their members, gaining hospitalization insurance in 1947 and a five-day work week in 1948. As for me, growing up in Michigan in the 1960s and 70s it would have been difficult to find somebody whose life hadn’t been improved by unions. I know many kids I went to school with whose college educations were made possible by the good union wages paid to their parents.

The labor movement has done a lot to improve life for everybody, union members or not. As we enjoy the Labor Day holiday, I invite my fellow Iowa Citians to take a minute and reflect upon just why we celebrate Labor Day. Whether it’s the five day work week, health care benefits, or decent wages, labor’s accomplishments are impressive and I say “Thanks! Keep up the good work!”