With Women’s March momentum. Mount Vernon group questions 2 state legislators

MOUNT VERNON - More than 35 people - mostly women - packed into a Mount Vernon coffee shop Friday night. They were there to talk with two of their state legislators, Sen. Dan Zumbach, R-Ryan, and Rep. Louie Zumbach, R-Coggon.

Erin Krob, who organized the event, said the November election made her realize she needed to pay more attention to politics, especially to issues relating to women. She organized a bus to Des Moines to take part in the Iowa Women's March and now the group is aiming to remain active.

They asked questions about the legislative process, the legislators' opinions on what will happen with certain bills and pressed them on why they chose to vote yes or no on particular issues. For more than an hour they talked about a wide range of topics, from water quality to collective bargaining.

'We want to have the best school we can have,” said Sarah Fitzgerald, a teacher in the Mount Vernon school district for more than 26 years. 'We want to be respected. We want to have a seat at the table.”

At times, the exchanges got a little rowdy, especially when discussing Senate File 2, a bill that would cut some Medicaid funding for family planning services from Planned Parenthood of the Heartland because it provides abortions.

The bill, which would give up federal dollars and instead create a state-funded program, has passed the Senate and is now in House committee.

Many women in the room spoke of their personal experiences with Planned Parenthood, explaining that the organization provides compassionate, women-centered care.

'I had to go to Planned Parenthood. I'm a farmer, and I couldn't get cancer screening or get birth control,” said Emma Johnson, who lives in Central City, but was there with her parents. 'It was hard. I grew up in Iowa, I was made to think that Planned Parenthood was this evil place. I went there, and they took care of me. It made me think a lot differently about that organization.”

Both legislators were attentive and worked to have an open dialogue with attendees, even if they didn't see eye-to-eye on issues. And after Louis Zumbach had to wind down the meeting for another previous obligation, he promised to come back and continue answering questions at a later time.

And that was the whole point, Krob said - to get people more involved in politics.

'We want to learn more about what's going on, be more in tune with local politics and help vote for candidates who support what we support,” she said.

l Comments: (319) 398-8331; chelsea.keenan@thegazette.com