May 31, 2007
All Parking Is Local
A number of Dem WH '08ers will head to the Crown Plaza Five Seasons Hotel in Cedar Rapids, IA, 6/2 for the IA Dems' Hall of Fame Dinner. But according to one Dem campaign, it looks like Hillary Clinton and John Edwards have some public relations work to do. The Clinton camp has reserved four blocks of parking space in front of the hotel for the entire day, while Edwards has rented a large parking lot across from the hotel for the entire weekend.
KCRG-TV9, Cedar Rapids' ABC affiliate, reported 5/30 this might pose problems for small businesses and Saturday Farmers Market attendees.
KCRG's Beth Malicki: "If you're headed to downtown Cedar Rapids for the Farmers Market this Saturday, good luck parking along First Avenue. ... The Cedar Rapids Coffee Company is located on First Avenue right across from the U.S. Cellular Center. They boast the best brew in town, but only if you can get there."
Cedar Rapids Coffee Company's Matt Ford: "We have a lot of drive through traffic they just stop in get coffee so they'll just go right on by us down the road to somewhere else."
Malicki: "The owner of a coffee shop called the city and complained and here's the compromise, they won't mark off these parking spots but there will be plenty other meters with hoods on them come Saturday" (5/30).
Clinton and Edwards should remember that all politics is local. Want someone's vote? Don't take away their parking space [KATHERINE LEHR].
Posted at 02:40 PM
Comments
Um, have you ever even been at this location? I have, and this really isn't a big deal. Cedar Rapids isn't L.A. and there's other parking besides this nearby.
I suspect Iowans will trade the Caucus-related economic boost for any minor parking inconvenience.
A lot of your posts impliedly make Iowans look petty and silly--they're not.
Joe Justice | 05.31.07 02:54 PM
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What?
I'm from New Hampshire. We get these minor inconveniences all the time. The guy in the coffee shop will have a thousand new walking customers to the 15 or 20 drivers he normally gets each day. With the media that arrives with the candidates, he'll have the best business he's seen in years.
If Iowa is going to be this whiney about political visitors, NH will happily take their political conventions from them.
Jan | 05.31.07 03:16 PM
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