Vander Plaats campaign sinks into the abyss; could he be looking at a different post?

Politicos and pundits are closely monitoring the financial situation of candidates in both gubernatorial primaries, with Chet Culver first out of the gate and claiming a million raised, and Jim Nussle announcing a few weeks ago his own $2 million. The focus is often on where the rest of the crowded field of Democrats will end up, and everyone will find out Jan. 20 when official fundraising results are made public. Lost in the shuffle, however, is former Republican also-ran Bob Vander Plaats who is giving it another go despite little if any traction, little press coverage and a flailing organization that has led some local GOP organizers to wonder just how bad of shape he's in. "I'm guessing that when the number hits, Bob is going to be in much worse shape than he was when he went up against Doug Gross," a top Republican source told us. "Not to mention, where is the guy?" Vander Plaats had the unfortunate story circulate about his campaign's lack of postage on a mailer, but other than that, he's pretty much gotten lost during the critical period when campaigns should be heating up, our source said.

So what gives? Well, two things are known about Vander Plaats. First, legislators and party leaders don't think he's paid the dues to even contemplate a run for governor, let alone do it twice. And second, his ego doesn't let him "hit singles," our source said, so he essentially ignores the first point. "The guy is a first pitch, swing-for-the-fence guy. And he's ambitious. But is he the answer, or is he just the guy who keeps running for an office he'll never realize?" Our source told us it appears to be the latter. However, there have begun some party rumblings that may appease both sides: have Vander Plaats run for Secretary of State. "He has name recognition and it could be the step he needs to take if he really wants to be governor someday. He won't beat Nussle, and all we (Republicans) have is the foot guy (Des Moines podiatrist Chuck Allison) who can't beat Mike Mauro for Secretary of State. Vander Plaats could. And this could be a win-win." Whether Vander Plaats is even entertaining this option is up in the air. But, we're told, if the money hasn't come pouring in come late January, top party folks are going to put the heat on Vander Plaats to "do what's best for the party," which means not forcing Nussle to blow a bundle on a primary instead of what is shaping up to be a formidable battle with Culver.

Now that the dust has pretty much settled over who will get the bid to reshape a good chunk of Court Avenue - and many downtown types are pissed that George Sherman didn't make the cut ("He didn't think big enough, and a movie theater will never work," we were told, despite his project having overwhelming support from a Downtown Community Alliance poll) - what has yet to be made public is that although inPlay, 5C, Nelson Construction and the Terrus Group will be the entities brought together to devise a new plan, there will be no inPlay game center on Court, nor will there be a hotel. What it will have is a Court Avenue-like, mixed-use design with Terrus likely moving its offices into the as-yet-to-be-determined development on the corner of Fourth and Court. We've also been told that attorney John Shors has been lobbying to get the inPlay game center in his old brewery building near Principal Park and "they are close."

As far as who put the Court Avenue deal together, the nod (or jeers, depending on where one stands) goes to interim Des Moines City Manager Rick Clark, who continues to impress city and business leaders alike. But will that equate to Clark taking over his temporary position full time? We learned late last week that he's in the running. Clark, if you will remember, said he wasn't interested in formally applying for the position after Eric Anderson left for Tacoma, Wash., but that doesn't mean he's not interested in being given the reigns on a permanent basis. On Dec. 12, consultant Jerry Oldani delivered the names of 14 candidates to the city council. The council reduced that number to eight (including Clark) for Oldani to do in-depth interviews and background checks on, and those have been completed. As early as Jan. 20 and no later than Jan. 30, four of the eight candidates will be invited to town, and the process, from that point on, will be a public one. But will one of the four candidates be Clark? That's where it gets tricky. Because while the council continues to ask Clark to be part of the process, Clark, we're told, only wants to be among the finalists if he has four or five council members who want him. "He doesn't want to lose the job he has and then go back to his old job in a public fashion," a city official told us. "So if he has a legitimate shot, he'll try for it. If he doesn't, he'll go back to the original plan." So far Christine Hensley is anti Rick Clark, Archie Brooks is "luke warm" and, our source said, "Chris Coleman is pushing for him hard."

Lastly, word is that West Des Moines advertising exec Mike Schreuers is thinking about jumping into the Republican primary for the Iowa Senate seat that Ankeny Republican Jeff Lamberti is giving up to run against U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell. Schreuers has put together ad campaigns for the likes of U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, but one insider told us Schreuers should think long and hard before changing hats from spin doctor to candidate. Why? Because Larry Noble, the former top dog at the Iowa State Patrol, has already announced for the seat and he has the backing of some big names, including former Govs. Bob Ray and Terry Branstad. Democrats, however, are thrilled that Schreuers' entry in the race would force the Republicans to spend big bucks in a primary and hurt their chances to hold onto the seat in a Senate that's already tied 25-25. CV

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