Government : Council member Maynard files papers for Vinton mayor's race

Vinton Council member Max "Bud" Maynard became the third man to file an election petition for the mayoral election in the Nov. 7 city election. A life-long Vinton resident, Maynard had served on the council for 8 years, and stepped down about a year before the 2015 elections, saying during the 2015 campaign that he chose to step down so he could have some time to look at city issues from the outside. Maynard, a project manager for Garling Construction of Belle Plaine/Cedar Rapids, challenged incumbent John Watson in 2015, losing by a margin of 37 votes, 466-429. In May of this year,Mayor Watson appointed Maynard to fill the vacancy left when Zach Parmater resigned from the council in May, after Parmater moved outside of the 3rd Ward. Watson has said he will not run for mayor this year, but is considering running for City Council. Rich Hainstock and Dean Haack have also filed papers for the mayoral race. The deadline for filing for the Nov. 7 election is 5 p.m. Thursday. Offices up for election this year, in additon to the Mayor's seat, are:The At-large position now held by Brian Parr, the 1st Ward seat held by Ron Hessenius, and the3rd Ward seat held by Maynard. So far, the only candidates to file for city council seats are at-large candidates are Parr and Gary Garwood.