Mathis to seek Iowa Senate District 34 re-election

CEDAR RAPIDS - State Sen. Liz Mathis, D-Cedar Rapids, is running for a second term in the Iowa Legislature.

Mathis, first elected in a 2011 special election, has filed for re-election in Senate District 34, which covers all or parts of Marion, Hiawatha, Robins, Cedar Rapids, Bertram, Ely and southern Linn County. She was re-elected in 2012 with about 60 percent of the vote.

Mathis, a broadcast journalist for 27 years who is now employed by a child welfare and behavioral health agency that helps troubled kids and their families, said she wants to 'continue to work hard to address more economic growth and good jobs, better public safety and advanced agricultural practices for family farmers.”

'I am running for re-election to the Senate to make certain our children get a great education, our small businesses thrive and all people have access to good health care,” Mathis said.

She's likely to face a challenge from Linn-Mar school board member Rene Gadelha, a former teacher, who last summer announced plans to run in the district where Republicans have a 33 percent to 31 percent voter registration advantage.

Mathis, 58, is chairwoman of the Senate Human Resources Committee, vice chairwoman of the Veterans Affairs Committee and serves on the Appropriations, Commerce, Economic Growth and Education committees.

As a senator, Mathis said, she has supported stable school funding, adequate funding for the disabled, elderly, children and mentally ill, and holding down tuition costs at Iowa community colleges.

She backed the largest tax-cut in Iowa history by reducing property taxes on all businesses without shifting the burden to residential property owners. She also supported incentives to boost production of renewable energy.

Mathis and her husband, Mark, own an advertising and consulting firm with about 50 employees in Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and Bettendorf. They have two adult children.

Senators serve four-year terms and are paid $25,000 a year.