2008 Woodie Awards
A literary life awaits Elliott
Kelli Shaffner - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 12/11/07 Section: Metro
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Iowa City City Councilor Bob Elliott has been called everything from a flaming liberal to a conservative Republican - but he said he finds himself somewhere in the middle.
The one-term city councilor said he can understand both sides of an issue, and that was one of the reasons he was elected in 2003.
"People kind of resonated to what I said," he said.
Elliott noted that he's had friends who have said, "Hell, Bob, you're not a moderate. You just can't make up your mind."
And while he said he doesn't agree with that statement, he does think "almost nothing is ever black and white."
He chose not to run for the council again in the November election, and Councilor Amy Correia said his decision to move on after one term was admirable. But Elliott said it was simply his age.
"I'm too old," he said, adding that he has no definite plans for the future except to write more. "If I were 50 years old, I would have probably tried to run again."
The 72-year-old said he was never really interested in running; rather, he was more focused on working for other campaigns, such as City Council, Board of Supervisors, and the state Legislature. He's worked on approximately eight or 10, starting in the 1970s.
"And finally, I got tired of trying to talk people into running for City Council and thought, 'What the hell, I'll do it myself,'" he said. "So I did. It was a great experience."
Matt Berry, Elliott's grandson, said there was a lot of support for his campaign because he knew so many people.
Bob Elliott won with 68 percent of the vote.
Berry said that without fail, every time he goes out with his grandfather, there is always someone who knows him. But when the UI journalism alum cleans his desk in January of all the documents and papers he has had to keep because of council business, his feeling probably won't resemble a sense of longing for more.
"I'm looking forward to dumping a bunch of that stuff," Elliott said. "Cleaning out my office."
The one-term city councilor said he can understand both sides of an issue, and that was one of the reasons he was elected in 2003.
"People kind of resonated to what I said," he said.
Elliott noted that he's had friends who have said, "Hell, Bob, you're not a moderate. You just can't make up your mind."
And while he said he doesn't agree with that statement, he does think "almost nothing is ever black and white."
He chose not to run for the council again in the November election, and Councilor Amy Correia said his decision to move on after one term was admirable. But Elliott said it was simply his age.
"I'm too old," he said, adding that he has no definite plans for the future except to write more. "If I were 50 years old, I would have probably tried to run again."
The 72-year-old said he was never really interested in running; rather, he was more focused on working for other campaigns, such as City Council, Board of Supervisors, and the state Legislature. He's worked on approximately eight or 10, starting in the 1970s.
"And finally, I got tired of trying to talk people into running for City Council and thought, 'What the hell, I'll do it myself,'" he said. "So I did. It was a great experience."
Matt Berry, Elliott's grandson, said there was a lot of support for his campaign because he knew so many people.
Bob Elliott won with 68 percent of the vote.
Berry said that without fail, every time he goes out with his grandfather, there is always someone who knows him. But when the UI journalism alum cleans his desk in January of all the documents and papers he has had to keep because of council business, his feeling probably won't resemble a sense of longing for more.
"I'm looking forward to dumping a bunch of that stuff," Elliott said. "Cleaning out my office."
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