Campaign reports reveal spending on failed Cedar Rapids School District bond measure

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — While the Cedar Rapids Community School District bond referendum narrowly failed at the ballot box, at least one entity appeared victorious.

Spending on the bond measure by the Believe in CR Schools committee topped $350,000, the majority of which — $280,959 — went to Victory Enterprises of Davenport.

The political and corporate consulting and communications firm was founded by former Iowa Republican Party chairman Steve Grubbs and has previously worked with the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, the “parent entity” of Believe in CR Schools.

According to campaign reports filed in July and October, Victory Enterprises was paid for consultant services beginning June 4, which continued throughout the summer and early fall.

The firm provided a number of services, such as campaign mailers, which inundated voter mailboxes in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 4, 2025, election. The $117 million bond measure received a majority of support, but was just shy of the 60 percent approval required to pass, garnering 59.28 percent, with 13,537 “yes” votes to 9,299 voting against the measure.

That failure prompted Iowa state Sen. Molly Donahue to call for the resignations of three Cedar Rapids School Board members, including president Cindy Garlock.

According to finance reports filed by the candidates, Garlock contributed to the campaign of newcomer Ashley Burns, who ousted school board incumbent Jennifer Borcherding in the race for District 3.

Garlock contributed $100 to the Burns campaign and also provided an in-kind contribution of voter lists from the Linn County Auditors Office, according to the reports. She did not contribute to Borcherding’s campaign.

Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell also contributed $100 to the campaign for Burns, as well as for Scott Drzycimski, who was victorious in a three-way battle for the seat currently held by Nancy Humbles, who chose not to run for reelection.

O’Donnell contributed $200 to the campaign of newcomer Laura Zimmerman, who ousted current School Board Vice President Marcy Roundtree. Roundtree did not file a campaign finance report.

Zimmerman used Victory Enterprises for yard signs, while Drzycimski, who received the most campaign contributions at $7,314, used the Davenport firm for text messaging. Other candidates averaged $4,000 to $5,000 in contributions, while David Chung, who lost to Drzycimski, received $1,040.

Jen Neumann, one of the current School Board members also asked by Donahue to resign, contributed $100 to Drzycimski’s campaign. City Council members Dale Todd and Tyler Olson also contributed to Drzycimski’s campaign.

Sen. Donahue contributed $53 to the campaign of social justice activist Mimi Daoud, who lost to Drzycimski.

In its filings, Believe in CR Schools reported a total of $378,693 in contributions and $352,353 in expenditures as of Oct. 28.

Its top contributor was McGrath Chevyland, which provided $30,000, followed by John Smith, William and Rachelle Shepard, and DSD Realty, Inc., who each contributed $25,000.

Hawkeye Electric contributed $20,000 to the Believe in CR Schools committee, as did Anton and Magdalena Golobic.

Other contributors of note included Cedar Rapids School District Superintendent Tawana Grover and John Lannin, at $1,000, and School Board members Jen Neumann; Kaitlin Byers and David Tominsky, who each donated $250.

Tominsky was also asked to resign by Donahue, but Byers was not.

Donahue has since started a petition drive calling for the ousters of the three board members, which has garnered less than 50 signatures as of Nov. 8, 2025.

Neumann’s firm, de Novo Marketing, provided in-kind services of $2,500 to Believe in CR Schools for creating a campaign logo back in May, according to the campaign reports.

In addition to the expenditures to Victory Enterprises, Believe in CR Schools made donations to Parent-Teacher Organizations and school booster clubs for gathering signatures to place the bond measure on the ballot.

The committee reported paying $60 to the state of Iowa in civil penalties for missing deadlines.

More: See Cedar Rapids election results for Nov. 4, 2025