Voters should keep Stanerson in House

The race in House District 95, which includes much of northern and eastern Linn County and the southeast corner of Buchanan County, is a rematch of the 2012 campaign. Two years ago, Rep. Quentin Stanerson, R-Center Point, defeated Democrat Kristi Keast of Marion by just 200 votes, or less than 1 percentage point.

Both candidates are teachers, and we were impressed with their command of issues, particularly on education. But we think voters should keep Stanerson in the House.

Stanerson, a Marine Corps veteran who teaches social studies at North-Linn, said the Legislature's first priority next year should be to pass school funding for 2015-2016 within the first 30 days of the legislative session.

Stanerson also has worked for the passage of a bipartisan bill aimed at addressing school bullying, both on campus and on social media. During his two years in the House, lawmakers struck major compromises on commercial property taxes and Medicaid expansion.

'I think we've done a lot of good things,” Stanerson said.

Stanerson said district constituents tell him they want tax reforms, and Stanerson has listened, supporting Republican-backed legislation that would give Iowans a choice between paying under the current income tax law or a new flat tax.

He also supported additional funding for water quality programs intended to help farmers install buffer strips and other conservation measures, and he expressed disappointment that Gov. Terry Branstad vetoed that funding.

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