Kris Gulick, Art Staed running for open Iowa Senate District 40

CEDAR RAPIDS — A seven-term state representative and a former Cedar Rapids City Council member are running against each other for an open seat in Iowa Senate District 40, which represents Robins, Hiawatha and parts of northwest, northeast and southwest Cedar Rapids.

Kris Gulick and Rep. Art Staed, both of whom are former educators and small-business owners, will face off in the Nov. 5 general election.

Republican Gulick, 66, previously ran for Senate District 40 in 2022, but he was defeated by incumbent Democrat Todd Taylor. Last December, Taylor announced his campaign for Linn County Auditor, leaving the seat open.

  Buy Photo

Gulick, who was registered as an independent until 2021 when he switched to the Republican Party, said he’s running for Senate this year because he sees “a need for Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha and Robins to have representation in Des Moines in the majority party.”

Democrat Staed, 75, told The Gazette in December that, if elected, he intends to continue the work Taylor did in the areas of “education, labor, worker rights, justice and the well-being of Iowa families.”

“I want to help rebuild a stronger Iowa, with broader prosperity,” he said.

The two agree on a number of issues, including a ban on the use of hand-held mobile devices while driving; the need to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates; support for incentives that expand child care availability; and funding for cancer screenings, prevention and research.

Both oppose Iowa’s abortion restrictions

Gulick and Staed also find common ground in their opposition to Iowa’s law banning abortion once cardiac activity can be detected, which typically is at six weeks of pregnancy. The law, which was passed during a special legislative session in 2023, includes some exceptions. Previously, Iowa law allowed abortions until about 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Staed said the current law should be repealed.

“Iowa women deserve the right to make their own reproductive health care decisions with their medical team and family,” he said.

Gulick advocates for providing education, family planning and access to contraception, as well as “easily accessible” in vitro fertilization, or IVF. He called the current law “too restrictive and unreasonable” and said the issue should be put to a vote.

“I respect those that believe further restrictions should be made, as well as those that feel our laws are too restrictive,” Gulick said. “Regardless of my personal beliefs, any further restrictions or loosening of restrictions should be determined by a vote of the people of the state of Iowa rather than any legislative or judicial governmental action.”

Candidates support public schools investment

Staed, who spent much of his career in education as a teacher, principal and administrator, said Iowa must correct a “decade of poor investments” and make public schools a priority.

In addition to passing a state supplemental aid increase that’s greater than the rate of inflation, the Iowa Legislature should set public school funding three to five years into the future “so that public school districts can plan for staffing, offerings and innovation,” Staed said. He also supports universal preschool and full-day kindergarten.

  Buy Photo

Gulick, who in addition to being a CPA, taught auditing and entrepreneurial finance at the college level, said a “strong education system” is key to meeting Iowa’s workforce needs.

“Costs for education continue to rise so we need to make sure that our educational system is adequately funded so that it can achieve the best outcomes for students,” Gulick said.

Asked what he would do to improve public education in Iowa, Gulick said he supports increasing the number of teaching days, although he said that does not mean increasing teacher contract days.

Gulick and Staed agreed that it’s not state lawmakers’ role to set curriculum standards.

“Parents in collaboration with teachers and school boards at the local level should be the ones making these determinations,” Gulick said. “There should be an appeals process established that allows parents to appeal decisions by a school board up through the channels of the state school board of education and department of education.”

Staed called educators “the backbone of the education system” and said they should be empowered to make curriculum decisions.

“Vetting curriculum standards and guiding what students are taught should be left in the hands of local communities where students’ needs can best be served,” Staed said.

Rivals differ on approaches to improving water quality

When it comes to water quality in Iowa, the two candidates differ in their approach to how it can be improved.

Gulick, who grew up on a farm in Benton County and continues to manage the family farm, said he’s taken steps to reduce runoff, including establishing riparian buffer strips and planting cover crops and trees. He said he supports providing incentives and cost sharing for “proven water quality programs.”

Staed said the state should work with the “largest contributors” to nitrate pollution, and fund projects proven to improve water quality.

On the issue of animal confinements, Staed said the Legislature should give the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and counties more authority over manure management plans and the siting of new and expanded confined animal feeding operations that pose a threat to the environment.

He said the voluntary Nutrient Reduction Strategy — a 2013 plan that set a goal of reducing total nitrogen and phosphorus pollution by 45 percent — “is not sufficient.”

Comments: sara.baranowski@thegazette.com.