Candidate Comparison

Three of the most important issues the state is facing are economic issues, education and healthcare issues. Businesses continue to struggle to recruit and retain staff. As a small business owner myself, it is especially important to me to protect our local small businesses who do not always have the same opportunities as larger companies. Businesses need to have the means to provide a good wage and benefits package so that families can afford everyday expenses like food, housing and caring for their children. I will advocate for education by focusing on children from cradle to career. This includes making sure every family has access to an affordable quality early childhood setting for their child and that every Iowa child has a world-class K-12 education and is set up for success after graduation whether they go straight into the workforce, continue onto higher ed or start a trade program. All Iowans also need access to affordable and accessible healthcare. When individuals can take care of their health needs, whether that be physical, mental or emotional health, they can be more successful at work and in life. I will address these issues by continuing to work across the aisle and collaborating with colleagues to create legislative ideas to address these issues and keep the wellbeing of Iowans in the forefront of our decision making.

1) Inflation is preventing families in Cedar Rapids and Iowa from being able to thrive. We are having to spend our hard-earned money on groceries for the table, gas for our cars to get to work, and the houses we live in. I am committed to decreasing the tax burden on Cedar Rapids families and finding solutions for property tax relief. 2) Iowa was once known for its world class education, but we have seen the state quickly fall away from this excellence. Whether the students want to join the workforce, go to trade school, community college, or a four-year university; it’s our job to ensure that they receive the education they need to thrive. I will be a voice in Des Moines to fight for improving the schools in Iowa to prepare our children for a bright future. 3) We should not have to worry about our children walking home from school safely, whether we safely walk our streets at night, or worry about going shopping after dark. I will work to support our law enforcement and help them adapt to a changing environment. We need to remove burdensome government barriers and regulations that fail to protect our communities.

While I want to be a good steward of tax dollars, there are some areas that need more of an investment. Childcare and education is the first area I think of. Families are spending equivalents of college tuition to pay for childcare and that is for those that can actually find a slot for their child. There are still many families without care. We must continue to address childcare deserts and that will take more funding. When it comes to public education, class sizes are still too large, there are staff shortages in many areas, particularly support staff like bus drivers and paraeducators who need a larger pay increase. For those that want to continue onto college, tuition costs continue to rise and if we want students staying here in Iowa both during college and after they graduate, we must address tuition to make Iowa an attractive place to live and stay. Healthcare is also an area that needs more funding, adult mental health is underfunded, the children’s mental health system that was created awhile back was not fully funded and Iowans with disabilities are still sitting on waiver lists. We must do better.

Funding should continue to be increased at a reasonable level to support our educational system, healthcare, and law enforcement. A world class education is an important piece of our children growing up to become thriving adults. An increase in spending should be accompanied by an increase in transparency by the local school boards around how they are spending the money in plain English so that parents can understand how their children are being supported. With or without insurance, medical care can be expensive. Iowans will continue to need help receiving the medical care that they need. We need to move away from the “defund the police” talk and support our law enforcement. Our communities are feeling the impact of the open border here in Iowa with an increase of illegal drugs and immigrants flowing into our state. Iowans should feel safe to walk their streets at night and our children should feel safe walking home from school. Our first responders put their lives on the line each day and we should support them.

I do not believe using a hand-held mobile device while driving is safe and more drivers need to take personal responsibility while driving, however without seeing the exact legislation and how it may be written I cannot say if I would in favor of an outright ban.

We need to keep our roads safe and protect the lives of everyone using Iowa roadways. While crafting legislation to improve the safety on our roads, we need to be sure we don’t cause unintentional harm to Iowa jobs. From Instacart to Uber, we have become dependent upon mobile device to provide the services that we have come to depend on. These services have become a staple of our communities and local economies. Some people rely upon their devices to put food on the table, which is why we need legislation that balances allowing Iowans to utilize their devices in a safe way while driving responsibly to protect lives.

This is a personal issue for so many. I want to make sure loved ones receive the personal care they deserve (and pay for). Just like the childcare profession, care workers in other professions (like nursing home employees) are also lacking in the pay they receive. I would support providing incentives to nursing home staff. We also need to make sure that nursing homes have an adequate number of inspectors (which would require additional funding) to inspect the facilities to ensure it is a safe place for both the employees to work and for the residents.

We are seeing too many nursing homes fail to take care of our seniors. The corporations that are running these homes are choosing to accept understaffed homes. Staff members struggle to meet the physical and emotional needs of those elders in their care. I believe that we need to increase the funding for nursing homes, oversight of the health and safety of the residents, and the penalties that these corporations face. The corporations and their officers should be held accountable for failing to meet the current guidelines. The corporations who manage the facilities need to act quickly to improve their centers when problems are found by inspectors. Our seniors shouldn’t have to wait for years to receive the help they need.

My mother died of lung cancer in 2022. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. I spent the 2023 & 2024 legislative sessions going back and forth from Cedar Rapids and Des Moines going through chemo, surgery, radiation, and immunotherapy. I now have the personal experience of having had an immediate family member with cancer and going through it personally. Along with also having friends and coworkers go through cancer. Cancer is an issue that I believe touches every Iowan. You either have a friend or family member with it, have it yourself, or are concerned about getting it. We must address the high cancer rates. I absolutely support funding for cancer research, particularly for children’s cancer research which I learned more about this past legislative session. I support additional funding for screening and prevention programs. I have been working the past few years with a local cancer center and area advocates to advance legislation to address some of these issues.

Cancer is scary to every family in Iowa and its increasing rate in Iowa versus the rest of the nation is concerning. As the father of a son who had leukemia when he was 3 ½ years old I understand the pain that comes with a cancer diagnosis. We need to first gain a better understanding of what is causing the increase in cancer in our state so that we can attack the problem quickly and efficiently. While we work to understand the cause of the increasing cancer rates, we need also to educate Iowans on the importance of cancer screening and how they might improve the survival rate from cancer.

There are a variety of measures that need to be taken to address water quality. No Iowan should have to wonder if the water they are consuming is unsafe to drink. I have personally been following this issue from the cancer perspective through the Iowa Cancer Consortium who works with the Iowa Environmental Council and other organizations to address water quality as it relates to Iowa’s cancer rates. I have also supported the DNR on funding for their water quality projects, especially the ones through REAP. Further work from both sides of the aisle is needed when looking at conservation practices, buffer zones, urban & rural solutions and water quality improvement plans.

I desire clean water as much as every Iowan and we need figure out where the pollutants are coming from that we can control. While our farmers have improved their management of fertilizer run off from their fields, we have failed to understand how cities and our roadways have added pollution to our streams and ground water. By taking time to understand how all Iowans impact the quality of our water we will be able to make meaningful improvements with limited impact. Wouldn’t it be sad if we increased the cost of our groceries by enacting new regulations that focus on our farmers and fail to improve the quality of our water?

Iowa still does not have a true children’s mental health system. We created one when I first came into the legislature, however it was never fully funded. Working in a school and having children of my own who have required mental health services, I see firsthand how much this system is lacking. Lack of providers and facilities and lengthy waitlists. Iowa children and their families deserve a better system. When it comes to adult mental health there is room for strengthening that program as well. Linn County legislators recently held a mental health listening post to hear from families and mental health organizations who shared very valuable feedback. As a non-expert, I would consult with the mental health organizations in our state to determine what measures would be needed to determine the effectiveness.

Too many Iowans are suffering from mental health disease and are not receiving the care that they deserve. Even if they have insurance coverage, many are having to travel hours away from their loved ones to receive the care that they need while others don’t receive care at all. Iowans need the ability to receive the necessary care that they need in their local community, which in most cases involves long term behavioral therapy. Regulation over the growth of the mental health industry should be reduced so that every community can have the support that it needs to provide the necessary help to their residents in need.

Allow women to have bodily autonomy and make their own healthcare decisions.

I believe that everyone should have access to contraception to prevent pregnancy. The state should work with the county health departments and local agencies to remove the barriers that are preventing Iowans from accessing the necessary assistance. We should also look at providing access to alternative reproductive options like NaProTechnology to couples to help them manage their reproductive needs. I believe the legislature should look for ways to help expand access to in vitro fertilization for Iowa families struggling with infertility.

No. Allow individuals to make their own healthcare decisions.

I agree with 96% of biologists that life begins at conception. I do not believe that the legislature should have to redefine what has already been agreed upon in the scientific community.

To improve the delivery of public education in Iowa I would ensure that all Iowa public schools receive appropriate funding to keep up with their rising costs and give staff, including support staff, better pay. When schools are funded adequately, they can better invest in the children they serve. Expectations for students, particularly those in the early childhood years, should have schooling that is developmentally appropriate for their young age. When it comes to the legislature having a say in curriculum standards, I think we need to be mindful of unfunded mandates, ensuring we are using science based and not agenda driven curriculum and ensuring we are having open communication with our local school boards who know their districts best and have a direct line to the children, families, communities they serve. This should not be a decision solely made by the state.

Teachers need to be supported in the classroom. They need to feel safe and have the ability to keep their students safe so that they can focus on teaching and learning by the students. The legislature can work with the state board to create policies that local school board can implement to support teachers in the classroom. Also, local school boards need to increase their transparency with their community to help everyone understand the support that teachers and staff are receiving in the classroom. Support for students with special needs is still lacking in the state. The students and their teachers are placed in environments that don’t lend themselves to learning and can make them feel unsafe at times. Given the correct environment, our children will thrive when provided with a great learning experience. The public needs to have easy access to how the school is spending its money that can be understood by all members of the community. School boards need to be held accountable for how the money is spent. We should be able to ask questions about programs that are being over funded and those that are being under funded. Too often, additional high level offices are being created while classrooms lack the teachers and paraprofessionals that are needed to help our children thrive in school.

In Cedar Rapids, we are known as the City of Welcome. “Our city embraces its diversity and strives to create a community where everyone feels included”. Carrying this message across the state along with making investments in important infrastructure like roads, bridges, childcare, education, healthcare, and the workforce, will make Iowa a more attractive place for investment and growth.

Improving the education of our children will create a strong workforce to support continued growth in our state. Whether our children are going to join the workforce after high school, go to trade school, community college, or a 4-year university, we will see investment and growth from the strong workforce that we have. Lowering the tax barrier will put more money back into the pockets of Iowans so that they can invest in our state. Whether it is an individual with a great idea to start a business or the large business owner who is looking to expand, both will benefit from having the capital that is needed to grow their business. Also, businesses from outside of the state will look to expand into Iowa to take advantage of the lower tax rates and Iowans who take pride in the work that they do.