By Shane Goodman shane@dmcityview.com

Creating a better Central Iowa

Over the years, Cityview has been quick to criticize others when they make mistakes. And the criticism is often quite brutal. We are certainly keeping the knife sharp, but we also want to provide kudos to those who are making a positive difference in Central Iowa. We are not going to write about the self proclaimed leaders who continue to tell everyone how great they are, but we will rather share the good deeds of those who you won’t necessarily read about in the chamber newsletter or the daily newspaper (we get the two confused). These are honest to goodness, salt of the earth folks who deserve our thanks. They share the common goal of making Central Iowa a better place to live, work and play. And although there are certainly hundreds who we could profile that would fit this description, we chose five who are close to our hearts. They are John and Barbara Long, volunteers for the Eddie Davis Community Center in West Des Moines; Danielle Wirth, an environmental ethics professor at DMACC and Iowa State University; Scott Stilwell, the coordinator of Lighthouse Coffeehouse; Ken Auge and Colleen Kelly, STAR 102.5 radiothon DJs for the Children’s Miracle Network; and Susan and Carl Voss, East Village activists and volunteers. We enjoyed their stories, and you will, too. And, no, we didn’t ask Mr. Long to wear an I-Cubs hat.

Best of Des Moines voting update
The votes are pouring in for this year’s Best of Des Moines contest, a well-known, often imitated contest to recognize our readers’ favorite establishments in Central Iowa. With our Jan. 12 deadline approaching quickly, be sure you cast your ballot soon. We simplified the process this year by making all voting online. Simply visit www.dmcityview.com, click on the red banner on the right hand side and tell us what you think. You can vote in as many or as few categories as you choose but will only be allowed to vote once. Vote for your favorite restaurants, shopping, culture and nightlife, media personalities, sports, recreation and more. The results will be published in the Feb. 23 issue of Cityview. Make your voice be heard.

Welcome, Andrew
Those of you who have followed our Center Stage and Film Review columns know the work of Andrew Brink. He has provided freelance work for Cityview for the past year, and we are pleased to now bring him on staff as a full-time reporter and writer.

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