CEDAR FALLS - Jon Crews was a graduate student at the University of Northern Iowa when he started his first run at mayor in 1971.

Now the veteran will be challenged in the November election by a UNI student who wasn't even born until Crews had more than a decade of experience in the mayor's office.

Gage Rewerts, a 22-year-old junior, has filed papers for the Nov. 3 election. The Wellsburg native has served on the student government since his freshman year. His specialties there have been on shaping internal by-laws and policy issues.

Rewerts was inspired to run for office because he feels the students are frequently overlooked.

"There's almost a policy of students as second-grade citizens at City Hall," Rewerts said.

He thinks students have a lot to contribute to the city and would like to see the relationship improve between them and the city as a whole. He believes the city should learn to appreciate the students more and could find a good return on that change of attitude.

"Students at UNI are really undervalued resources. There's a large pool of fairly highly

educated talent that could help the city as interns or volunteers in a lot of ways," Rewerts said.

The religion and philosophy major found the sandbagging effort during last year's flood as a good example of what can be done. Many students lined the downtown flood wall to help save the downtown area.

"There's an ember that it just took that disaster to make the flame," Rewerts said of the students' civic efforts.

Rewerts hopes to get his message out during the election and let the chips fall where they may. He knows he faces a formidable challenge in a mayor who has served for 24 of the last 38 years.

"Even if we don't win, there's something in the doing that is valuable," Rewerts said. "I'm optimistic, but realistic."

Crews and Rewerts are the only two candidates to file for election to the mayor's seat at this point. The filing deadline is Thursday.