The June 7 Primary in Tama County features several contested Republican races while the Democratic challengers in all races are running unopposed. Look for a subsequent questionnaire that includes all the candidates in the lead-up to the General Election on Nov. 8, 2022.

Due to limited space, some questions were omitted from the print version of the North Tama Telegraph.

State Representative District 53 – vote for no more than one

Includes most of Tama County excluding Traer, Dysart, and Buckingham areas

David E. Maxwell

Age: 76

Residence: Rural Gibson

Profession: Drainage contractor; farmer; state legislator

Education: Montezuma High School; University of Northern Iowa and Iowa State University; U.S. Army (Viet Nam War)

Family: Wife Kris, four children between us, nine grandchildren, five great-grandchildren

What motivated you to run for elected office? I wanted Iowa to remain a great place to raise a family.

What do you see as the primary roles and responsibilities for the position you are running for? The primary role is to come up with legislation that improves the living conditions for the majority of Iowans and to stop legislation that becomes too intrusive to everyday life.

What challenges do you see small, rural communities like yours facing today as compared to larger cities and suburbs? What do you plan to do to help meet those challenges as an elected official? The major challenges are the limited economic opportunities and the loss of leisure time recreation venues. We need to encourage small businesses and our young people to find good jobs and use our community colleges to get the training that will curb labor shortages.

Where do you stand on funding for rural public schools like those in Tama County – is it adequate or otherwise? Also, what is your position on the Student First Scholarship Program (private school voucher bill) recently passed by the Iowa Senate and backed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa)? Funding for rural schools like those in Tama County is not any more than just adequate. Funding for the rural public schools in all of Iowa is barely adequate. That is why the idea of scholarships, education savings accounts, and private school vouchers are not good ideas because of the damage they can do to rural public schools.

The continuing development of corporate-owned, industrial wind energy projects in Tama County has become a hot-button issue in just the last six weeks. What is your position & why regarding A) a possible wind energy moratorium being enacted in the county – temporary or otherwise, and B) property rights as it relates to industrial wind energy projects? Poweshiek County went through this same issue several years ago and had limited problems. At this point in the discussion, most property rights have likely already been contracted with the wind energy companies. This issue is new enough that I have not had time to develop a solid opinion.

Why should people vote for you on June 7, 2022? I am intelligent, I have a lot of common sense and I work very well behind the scenes to ensure good government. My past record speaks for itself.

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Dean Fisher

Age: 65

Residence: Rural Montour

Profession: Electronics engineering and management, farming

Education: Bachelors in Electronics Engineering Technology, DeVry Institute of Technology

Family: Wife, Vicki

What motivated you to run for elected office? In 2010 I became fed up with the political situation under the Obama administration and wanted to do more to set things straight. I became the chair of the Tama County Republican party and when Rep. Horbach announced his retirement I viewed the opening as an opportunity to get more involved in helping Iowa.

What do you see as the primary roles and responsibilities for the position you are running for? Of course, as a legislator, the policy bills and the state budgets we pass are our fundamental responsibilities. Adhering to our U.S. and State Constitutions are also fundamental. I strive to keep Iowa free and prosperous as my primary role and responsibility.

What challenges do you see small, rural communities like yours facing today as compared to larger cities and suburbs? What do you plan to do to help meet those challenges as an elected official? The challenges in the rural communities are many. Two of our biggest challenges right now are similar to every other community – the negative economic impacts of the Democratic Presidential administration’s policies creating rampant inflation, record energy prices, and supply chain disruptions, and the shortage in our workforce which seems to have been exacerbated by the overboard reaction to Covid-19. Compared to our larger cities, we have shortages of housing which hampers our ability to attract and retain workers. As a legislator, this past session we took steps to increase the use of E-15 gasoline which helps Iowa’s agriculture economy and helps reduce the cost of fuel. We also passed a significant income tax cut that will also help Iowa retain and attract workers as well as retain and attract retirees who will continue to support Iowa’s economy. We passed a sales tax exemption for feminine hygiene products and diapers which will help fight inflation for younger families. We shortened the number of times Iowans can collect unemployment benefits from 26 weeks to 16 weeks to ensure the unemployment safety net becomes a reemployment system instead of a hammock. These are but a few accomplishments over the last ten years in the legislature that I’ve been a part of.

Where do you stand on funding for rural public schools like those in Tama County – is it adequate or otherwise? Also, what is your position on the Student First Scholarship Program (private school voucher bill) recently passed by the Iowa Senate and backed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa)? Yes, the funding is adequate. Since Republicans took control of the Iowa House public education funding has risen steadily, and appropriately. Our public schools get “the first bite of the apple”. Public education receives roughly 45% of our state’s budget, along with significant amounts of property taxes. Funding is not the issue. Spending is the real issue. We must continue to support and reward our best teachers and encourage the less capable to find other employment. A good example of this, and a program I helped pass, is the Teachers Leadership Compensation program which created a career ladder for teachers and encourages our best teachers to become mentors to the newer teachers. This program is credited with improving our test scores. However, many, Democrats in particular, wish to focus only on funding and seem to ignore the many other issues that have a far greater impact on our children’s education. The one issue that seems to be having the most negative impact is discipline. I’m hearing from many teachers and para-educators that many of our middle schools in particular have rampant discipline problems. Many teachers cite discipline as their reason for leaving education entirely. Another issue is that of many teachers and administrators who feel the need to use the public schools as a venue for political indoctrination and even the sexualizing of our children. The legislature passed bills last session aimed at preventing several Divisive Concepts from being taught, but this law is now being ignored. I’ve seen examples of art projects in one area middle school that blatantly promoted the Black Lives Matter agenda, including labeling law enforcement as racist. A Des Moines area school recently held an obscene “Drag Queen” show as part of an LGBTQ/Transgender club activity on school property. Parents have contacted me about their children being subjected to female students using the boys’ bathrooms. The Linn-Mar school board has voted to allow students to use bathrooms and shower facilities based on their “Gender Identity” instead of their biological sex. And of course this session the legislature passed a bill to bar male students from participating in girls’ sports. As I stated, funding is not the issue with our public education system. It’s not in the top five issues in my view. Harping about funding is simply a way of dodging the real and critical issues facing our public education system. I have, and will continue, to press for reforms.

I fully support the governor’s push for the Student First Scholarship Program. I applaud the Senate for passing a bill similar to the governor’s proposal, and I am upset that the House was not able to get 51 votes to pass any version of it. We must return a House majority that can pass this critical legislation that supports parental choice in education. The governor’s proposal was modest, only 10,000 scholarships statewide out of nearly 500,000 students, and the proposal was geared towards lower income families and students with learning disabilities. These students and parents deserve more choices so that they can select a school that best fits the need of the child.

The continuing development of corporate-owned, industrial wind energy projects in Tama County has become a hot-button issue in just the last six weeks. What is your position & why regarding A) a possible wind energy moratorium being enacted in the county – temporary or otherwise, and B) property rights as it relates to industrial wind energy projects? As a state legislator for the last ten years I watched the wind energy project southwest of Le Grand go up, the project near Gladbrook go up, and the start of the Salt Creek project East of Garwin without hearing much, if any, complaints. Then the Winding Stairs project by Traer recently and suddenly became very controversial, and seems to be now encompassing the Salt Creek project as well. I have worked to understand the differences that has led to this backlash against them. I’ve talked with folks involved with all these projects and have attended meetings about the Winding Stairs project to help me understand the issue better, and why the backlash has been so pronounced at this time. Some feedback I received indicated the company behind the Winding Stairs project may not be doing as good of a job working with the folks in that area as the other projects. Also, I understand that the Gladbrook project was managed by an organized group of landowners and citizens in that area that dealt as a body with the energy company, ensuring that everyone spoke with one voice and with benefit for all regardless of whether or not they had a windmill on their property. It’s also possible that we simply are reaching a saturation point where the folks living in these areas think we have enough, or perhaps the folks leading the opposition are simply more organized. My personal position on these projects is that I would not want one on my property, or near it, so I sympathize with those that don’t. I also have deep concerns about the efficacy of this technology, without significant tax breaks and subsidies they don’t seem to make financial sense. I also worry about the decommissioning of these windmills 20-30 years down the road. I don’t believe for one second that the energy companies will remove everything down to 4′ below grade as they claim. I fully understand the concerns about property rights, but I also understand that what one person does on their property can harm their neighbors. There is a reason we have zoning laws and ordinances in cities in particular, and the same issues exist in the rural areas to a different degree. I signed the petition asking for a moratorium for those reasons, I think it’s essential that we take a step back and evaluate what we have learned and the community’s reaction to these projects. At a minimum I would think we should understand the Gladbrook project’s landowner organization and how it helped manage the project with an eye towards making a similar organizational approach is part of any future project. Also, perhaps a process similar to the “Master Matrix” used for sighting Confined Animal Feeding Operations should be considered.

Why should people vote for you on June 7, 2022? I have served the previous district for ten years and have demonstrated that I truly represent the values of that district, and I will represent the values of the new District 53 as well. My background is broad, I was born and raised on a farm, went to college and earned an engineering degree then worked 26 years in the electronics industry in engineering, manufacturing and business management, then returned to the family farm. I can relate to working Iowans, farmers, and business owners alike. I have shown that I will take on the tough issues such as the difficulties with our public education system. I’ve shown that I will support freedom and prosperity for Iowa. I am highly regarded for my Pro-Life stand and for my Pro-2nd Amendment stand. I have demonstrated that I will support Iowa’s agricultural economy and help grow our industry. I’ve helped cut taxes and cut spending throughout my ten years in the House. Quite simply, I am a good fit to represent House District 53.