State candidates:

Transportation

State transportation officials say unfunded repair projects for roads and bridges across Iowa are piling up due to scarce resources. Iowa's bridges, for example, rank among the nation's worst.

Statehouse leaders haven't raised the per-gallon gas tax, the top source of state highway dollars, since 1989. Each penny of the tax raises about $20 million annually, and some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for an increase of 10 cents phased in over several years. We'll expect candidates to take a stand on the tax issue, and if they oppose an increase, their alternate, concrete ideas for funding our roads.

Water conservation and watershed management

Iowa has long opted for voluntary measures to encourage farmers and other landowners to adopt conservation practices to curtail runoff, soil erosion and pollution. Trouble is, those efforts have been notoriously underfunded, even as landowners line up to get matching dollars for buffer strips, cover crops and other measures.

In the meantime, Iowa loses precious topsoil and the impact of chemical runoff is felt from municipal water treatment plants in Iowa to the so-called 'dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. How can more resources be found for Iowa's efforts, and what other measures should the state take to preserve its soil and water?

Taxes

A number of Iowa politicians and business leaders contend that the state's tax climate is not competitive, especially with regard to corporate and individual income taxes. What creative ideas do candidates have for improving Iowa's tax system without slashing revenue necessary to fund education and other essential state services? If the state lowers taxes on all businesses, can it curtail or eliminate tax giveaways and loopholes carved out for individual businesses and interests?

Economic Development

Where should the state's economic development resources be focused? Should the state continue to chase big projects with massive incentive packages, or focus more of its energies on encouraging homegrown ventures and expansions? Should the state take the lead, or should local and regional efforts chart their own course?

Child poverty

Iowa ranks high among the states for child well-being, but the last decade also has seen the percentage of children living in poverty trend upward. We'd like to hear from state candidates why they believe more children are living in poverty and what steps the state can take to reverse the trends. Is there more the state can do to help these children and their families succeed?

Rural Iowa

Do candidates have any ideas for helping Iowa's struggling rural areas? Have existing economic development incentives been effective? Cost effective? Are such places worth saving? How should we handle the inevitable consolidation of counties and other services in our rural areas?

Education

With state-driven efforts to reform and reshape the teaching profession in Iowa still being in process, we're looking for candidates' ideas on how the state also can get out of the way and allow local schools try innovative methods and programs.

While the Statehouse searches for the next big, top-down education silver bullet, we've seen basic funding for the state's schools neglected. Urban schools are struggling to meet the more complex needs of its students, from mental health care to resources for English language learners. Rural school districts are struggling to remain vibrant in the face of declining enrollment. It may be that Iowa's new career ladder will make a difference for teachers, but what of the schools and districts they work in? How will schools climb out of a funding hole?

Inequality

The state has made gender balance a priority for local government councils, boards, commissions and other policymaking bodies, but as Iowa becomes more and more diverse, is that enough? Should the state likewise encourage or mandate additional diversity? Is it important for the children of Iowa to have role models and representatives who look like them and what's the state's role in encouraging that diversity?

Transparency

The Iowa Public Information Board has proposed extending open meetings requirements to include more advisory boards and panels appointed by governmental bodies to study issues and make policy recommendations. We'd like to know if candidates will support that effort. Also, should the state Legislature continue to exempt itself from the open meetings statutes that apply to local governments? Why?