Hogg prepares to lead Iowa Democratic Senate caucus

CEDAR RAPIDS - As the first new Democratic leader in the Iowa Senate in 20 years, Minority Leader Rob Hogg is letting colleagues know there will be changes when the Legislature convenes in January.

'I'm not the same as Mike Gronstal,” Hogg said in comparing himself with the Council Bluffs lawmaker who already had been leading Senate Democrats for 10 years - in majority and minority - by the time Hogg arrived there after four years in the Iowa House.

Corridor Sens. Wally Horn of Cedar Rapids and Bob Dvorsky of Coralville are the only members of the 19-member Democratic caucus who have served with any Senate leader other than Gronstal.

For one thing, Hogg, 49 of Cedar Rapids, told colleagues he doesn't plan to hold the job 20 years.

'I'm signed up for two years,” Hogg says about his selection to the post, which was unanimous. After that, it will be up to him and the caucus if he remains leader.

That's indicative of the collaborative relationship Hogg said he wants with the caucus.

Q. Gronstal often was referred to as 'governor” and often was the voice of Iowa Democrats. Is it daunting to step into those big shoes left by his departure?

A. 'Sen. Mike Gronstal was a unique leader. I didn't always agree with Mike, but he was a great leader. He had a good sense of humor. He was able to keep a very diverse group of Senate Democrats together.

He called Gronstal's 20-year run as Democratic leader 'extraordinary” and speculated that had he been re-elected, Gronstal would have been re-elected caucus leader.

'We had confidence in him,” Hogg said. 'At some fundamental level, we trusted his judgment knowing that all of us disagreed with him at times.”

Q. You said you're not the same as Gronstal. Will you make wholesale changes as you look to play defense against a Republican Party than now controls the governor's office and both legislative chambers?

A. 'We've already had that discussion. I have been very upfront that the caucus is going to be run differently. I expect we will be finding ways to spend more time as a group talking about issues. I think my members are already learning that I am trying to listen and be as responsive to their input as I can be.”

Hogg noted that his first decision was to retain the current Senate Democratic caucus staff because he didn't think the caucus needed staff turnover after going from 26 seats to 19.

However, he did make changes in committee assignments.

Q. What changes in leadership style will your members see?

A. 'I've been trying to be very collaborative in my approach in these issues” in part because about half of his members have never served in the minority.

'Maybe much more so than Sen. Gronstal, I want all of our members to be more actively engaged in management of the Senate Democratic caucus.”

One reason for that is he doesn't plan on being in the leadership post as long as his predecessor.

'It's a challenging job and I want to share those challenges with my other members in part because it's very likely someday one of them will be the leader of the Senate Democratic caucus.”

Q. Why did you take the position? Was it something you sought?

A. 'I never saw myself in this role. I never thought about being a legislative leader. I really had no interest in it.

Sen. Horn, the Legislature's longest-serving member, was the first to encourage Hogg to take the job.

'Wally is someone from who I've gotten wonderful advice over the years. He's seen everything” in his 40-plus years in the Legislature.

'My immediate response was ‘No.' I didn't necessarily want to do it, but I thought about who was in the position to do the job now … and it occurred that I was a person in a position in my life that I could dedicate myself to it. Not every other member was in that position.”

Q. Can you serve your caucus at the same time you're negotiating with the GOP majority to input into their legislation?

A. 'I've always tried to work with people across the spectrum. That's hard because in this day and age there are a lot of people who want to stake out a position and if you're not with them you're against them.

'I've tried to have my priorities and policy positions and advocate for them without burning bridges. I'm not going to say I've been 100 percent successful, but I think I've been able to do that in large measure.”

Q. Are you at all intimidated by the responsibility of the job?

A. 'I take that responsibility very seriously. I have to do a good job.

'The hardest thing in this business is when you feel responsible for something and you either don't do it well or you can't get it done.”

Hogg noted that in confessing their sins, he and fellow Episcopalians acknowledge failing not only in 'thought, word and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.”

'I sometimes feel guilty for the things I've unthought, the things I've failed to think of. I take this responsibility very seriously. I'm hopeful I can do a good job. I'm hopeful I can do good for the state.”

l Comments: (319) 398-8375; james.lynch@thegazette.com