Former Cedar Rapids council member seeking Iowa Senate seat

CEDAR RAPIDS — Former City Council member Kris Gulick is challenging a longtime state lawmaker in a new legislative district covering Robins, Hiawatha and parts of northwest, northeast and southwest Cedar Rapids.

“I’m running because the area needs a voice in the Iowa Senate majority,” said Gulick, who is running in the November general election as a Republican against Democratic Sen. Todd Taylor. Senate District 40 covers much of the territory Gulick represented on the council from 2006 to 2018.

“Our metro area is the second-largest in the state, and our residents need representation within the party that currently controls the Iowa Legislature,” Gulick said. “Whether it is gaming legislation, economic development policy or infrastructure funding, we need a seat at the table when discussing issues that impact our urban area. We currently do not have that representation.”

Economic development, education and fiscal responsibility would be priorities for Gulick, 63, who is a small-business owner, certified public accountant and adjunct professor in the business schools at the University of Northern Iowa, University of Iowa and Mount Mercy University.

His priorities are interrelated. A successful educational system is a key component to retaining businesses, attracting new enterprises and developing workforce attraction and retention strategies, Gulick said. Lawmakers must be fiscally responsible with taxpayers’ money in planning for present and future needs. With bachelor’s and master’s degree in parks and recreation, he said understands what it takes to create a place where people want to live, work, and play.

The former president of the Iowa Leagues of Cities and member of the National League of Cities executive board said he understands the needs of both urban and rural communities. A resident of Cedar Rapids since 1980, he grew up in rural Benton County and still maintains the family farm there.

He lives in northeast Cedar Rapids with his wife, Debora. They have two adult children.

Taylor, 56, is seeking re-election to a second Senate term after serving 12 terms in the House. He serves on the Senate Appropriations, Ways and Means, Transportation and Labor and Business committees. He is the ranking Democrat on the Justice System appropriations budget subcommittee, working on public safety and criminal justice issues.

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