Tag: politics

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Living in Society

Letters To Elected Officials

Iowa State Capitol

Dishes don’t wash themselves, so I went to the kitchen and started cleaning up. Each of us in the household does their share of work, and I like nothing better than clean plates and silverware waiting for supper. Being a blogger is a lot like living with a family. Between now and the primary I will fill in for Dave Bradley on weekends while he takes care of family stuff.

My plan is simple: on Saturdays, write about my personal political activity the previous week, and on Sundays write about Iowa politics more broadly. Campaign season already started with competitive June 2, Democratic primaries for governor, U.S. Senate, and other races.

Veterans of Iowa politics, going back to our 2004 defeat, feel frustrated about how to approach organizing and activism in today’s world. It is no longer enough to harp about knocking doors, making phone calls, and sending mailings based on a central organizing principle. Most of the people I see on a daily basis are not Democrats. Even so, we have meaningful conversations about important things. How do we transition ourselves and our party to be more relevant?

I believe we must write letters to elected officials. Letters to newspapers remain important because political staff do read them. I had three active letters this week:

I received a response from U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley to this email message from Jan. 26, 2026:

I watched the videos of the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Major news media verified what I saw are real footage that depicts the killing of two U.S. Citizens who were no threat to federal agents. Good and Pretti were exercising their constitutional rights when federal agents killed them.

This can’t go on.

As our U.S. Senator I expect you to do something to prevent additional killings like this. I don’t presume to tell you how to go about that. The measure of whether you succeed will be the de-escalation of tension in states where federal agents have landed to address the administration’s concerns about immigration, including Minnesota and Maine.

As a U.S. Army veteran I am appalled by the apparent lack of training and control of these federal agents. Now is the time to put your experience in politics to work and do something most everyone can agree is the right thing to de-escalate these tensions.

Thank you for your service and for reading my note.

Senator Grassley’s response is here.

I reached out to elected officials twice. The emails are self-explanatory.

Vote No on Senate File 2293 – Feb. 21, 2026

Dear Senator Driscoll,

I live in your district and urge you to vote no on SF 2293 which is scheduled for debate in the full senate next week.. The bill changes Iowa Code to remove the requirement for a state history research center in Iowa City

My reasons are the same as when I wrote you Feb. 11: When I studied at the University of Iowa, I took advantage of the State Historical Society research center in Iowa City. It provided a different type of resource than what was available to me at the university. The availability of the staff, artifacts, books, microfilm, and other materials were important to my education and should remain in Iowa City for future students to use like I did.

That said, I am open to alternative solutions, such as incorporating the materials into the University of Iowa Libraries, in effect, making them the research center. I would be ready to have that discussion. 

Please vote no on SF 2293 should it come up for a vote this week.

Thanks, Paul

Impeach the president

Rep. Miller-Meeks

It is time to impeach President Trump and I ask you to take a leadership role in this effort.

The president seeks to usurp the power of the Congress in multiple areas, yet his claims about his authority to impose tariffs is so far out of line, even the U.S. Supreme Court overruled him. As you are aware, immediately after the Supreme Court ruled against the tariffs he imposed, he initiated new ones, and then revised those in a way that created chaos in international markets and among our allies.

Yesterday the Dow Jones Industrial average dropped 1.6 percent in reaction to the president’s tariff vacillation. This is no way for a government to run, hence my request the U.S. House draft articles of impeachment, approve them, and send them to the U.S. Senate for trial. Thank you for reading my message.

The congresswoman replied with a form message within an hour. That tells me someone is reading these missives, even if I don’t like the answer.

I don’t know if I will change any minds, yet we have to do something. We’ll see what else I come up with between now and the June 2 primary.

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Living in Society

A Church Gloms On

Soybean Field

A front-page headline in the Feb. 26, edition of the Solon Economist read, “City Council Debates with Jordan Creek Church Over Water and Sewer Services.” You didn’t need to be Jeane Dixon to see that one coming. The city made it clear a year ago that for the church to glom onto city infrastructure, the property must be annexed. No application for annexation has been submitted, according to the article. The 11.23 acres in question sits in the Solon “fringe area.”

Can’t we just hook on to the line you ran right past us to Gallery Acres West, a church representative suggested. The city is not having any of it. City council would have to approve connection to the Gallery Acres West line, something they would not consider without annexation. “We’re not in the business of just providing water and sewer for people who don’t want to be in city limits,” Mayor Dan O’Neil said.

Actually, the city is in that business to an extent. On Dec. 20, 2017, city council voted 4-1 to provide public water service to a subdivision called Gallery Acres West located west of Solon on Highway 382. The difference between Gallery Acres West and Jordan Creek Church is the houses were already built in the former, then the standards for arsenic contamination in public water systems changed and they did not own sufficient land to install a treatment facility. Running a water line to Solon was the best solution they could come up with. The site for the new Jordan Creek Church is presently a vacant field. The subdivision invoked “moral arguments” for the hook-up, yet there are no reasonable moral arguments for the church that hasn’t been built.

In June last year, the Solon Economist reported, “The city’s support for the Jordan Creek Church and their desire to build was stated by Mayor Dan O’Neil who noted the City’s concerns aren’t with the proposed church but rather to maintain “orderly growth and expansion of the city” while avoiding burdening the taxpayers by providing infrastructure the development (church) should fund itself.” The key word here is “orderly.” Implied is “who pays for infrastructure?”

Some members of council changed in the last election, but overall, council’s position has not. It is right for Mayor O’Neil to call for an orderly process in resolving infrastructure needs of the church. The city is open to receiving Jordan Creek Church’s request for annexation.

I spent more than 30 years dealing with small community public water and wastewater systems. When I saw the sign announcing the future home of the church, the first question I asked was about water and sewer. It seems clear from the news story, church leaders did not, and there’s the problem.

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Living in Society

Trip to the County Seat

Photo by Edmond Dantu00e8s on Pexels.com

I’m from the government and I’m here to help. Now that I on-boarded with the county auditor to be a poll worker, I can truthfully say that. Ronald Reagan made a joke about those nine words, yet voting is no laughing matter.

On-boarding consisted of driving to the county administration building, locating the appropriate area, entering data on their system, and providing my I-9 documents for photocopying. I completed a time sheet with ten minutes and 20 miles. Easy-peasy.

About eight of us used IBM Think Pads for data entry. IBM sold that business line in 2005 and the company that bought it soon discontinued the product. I’m glad to see our county government using technology to get every last penny from the investment. I had forgotten how to use the track pad, so needed help.

As is usually the case, I ran into people I know from politics. I maintain a friendly relationship with everyone I helped elect at the administration building.

I made two other stops while in the county seat.

On the way in, I stopped at the used book store to see if they had certain titles by John McPhee whose Draft No. 4 I just finished. They had a McPhee reader with parts of the essays I sought for five bucks. A while ago, I had asked them if they had a copy of Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. I gave my copy to our child and wanted a replacement. When they said they didn’t have it, I procured it elsewhere. On Friday, they had been unexpectedly holding a copy for me. I declined it in person, yet on the way home, reconsidered it. Surely I could find a home for it. I emailed I would buy it if they still had it.

The other stop was at the grocer. It is conveniently located on Highway One which leads to our home near the lake. It has long been a stop when I have something to do in the county seat. I like the wholesale club better, yet they don’t have the granularity of item selection a home cook needs to run a kitchen. This produce section is particularly loaded with organic fruit and vegetables, all in a single location with non-organic. Too, when I fill my cart, the total is usually less than $100. At the wholesale club it can be double or triple that with less items overall.

I won’t be lording my new government employee status over too many people. The small bit of income will easily find a home in our budget. In fact, even though the general election is not until November, the money is already spent.

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Living in Society

Dooley or Jones for Secretary of Agriculture?

Susan Jutz, Carmen Black, Paul Pisarik, Bobby Kaufmann, and Bill Northey at Local Harvest CSA Sept. 24, 2015.

It may be futile to pick a candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture in the June 2, Democratic primary. Running are Wade Dooley a sixth-generation farmer and Practical Farmers of Iowa member, and Chris Jones a scientist, former University of Iowa research engineer, and veteran of the Des Moines Water Works. The problem for Democrats is Republican incumbent Mike Naig is expected to win the general election.

To the extent Big Ag controls this race, Naig — a former Monsanto lobbyist — has the inside track. Whether any Democrat can overcome that advantage is an open question.

Either Dooley or Jones would be outstanding secretaries, with a focus on things that matter to all Iowans, not only farmers. There is no reason for me to pick a horse in this race in February, so I won’t. I will post the about page of the two Democrats to use as a reference and return to this topic if something newsworthy happens. In alphabetical order:

Wade Dooley

Wade Dooley is a sixth-generation Iowa farmer who has spent his life working the land along the Iowa River northwest of Marshalltown. He’s been farming since he was 14 years old, and after graduating from Iowa State University and working in the seed industry, he returned home to farm with his father on their family’s Century Farm in 2008. Over the past 18 years, Wade has focused on building a more profitable and sustainable operation, implementing conservation practices including diverse prairie restoration along the Iowa River and using no-till farming and cover crops across all his acres.

Wade believes that strong communities are built when people work together toward common goals, and he’s put that belief into action throughout his life. He currently serves on six local boards and committees, and was recently a board member of Practical Farmers of Iowa, a non-partisan organization focused on farmers helping farmers. Whether it’s speaking to local leaders about conservation practices or working with neighbors to solve problems, Wade has always believed in the power of listening to each other and finding solutions that work for everyone.

Wade is running for Secretary of Agriculture because he believes Iowa’s farmers and communities deserve leadership that puts their needs first. He’s seen firsthand how the right support can help family farms succeed and small towns thrive, and he knows the Department of Agriculture has the resources and expertise to scale solutions for communities across Iowa. As Secretary, Wade will bring a practical, results-focused approach—willing to try new ideas, measure what works, and change course when something isn’t working—while working across differences to get things done for Iowa.

Wade lives in Albion, Iowa with his wife, and they are preparing to welcome their first child.

Chris Jones

A leading advocate for environmental justice in Iowa, Chris Jones has studied the state’s water quality for decades. At the University of Iowa, he worked as a research engineer, studying contaminant hydrology in agricultural landscapes. Prior to that he worked for the Des Moines Water Works and the Iowa Soybean Association. He has a PhD in analytical chemistry from Montana State University and a BA in Chemistry and Biology from Simpson College in Indianola.

In 2023, Chris published The Swine Republic: Struggles With the Truth About Agriculture and Water Quality, which was selected by the Library of Congress as Iowa’s representative in the 2024 National Book Festival. He continues to write about water quality and related issues on Substack.

Chris was born in Monmouth, Illinois, where his father worked as a clerk for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The family returned to Iowa in 1967, where his father continued his railroad career. He spent his childhood in what was then the sleepy town of Ankeny. His mother worked as a secretary for the U.S. Postal Service, which included a stint as the secretary for the Des Moines Postmaster.

Chris has three adult daughters: a physical therapist, a statistical biologist working for the CDC, and an atmospheric chemist working in Colorado. He enjoys fishing, hunting, and tending his garden and orchard. He lives in Iowa City.

Postscript: If one blows the other out of the water on fund raising, that may influence my vote.

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Living in Society

Close the Casino Loophole

Iowa State Capitol

Following is an email sent to my State Representative Judd Lawler on Sunday, Feb. 8. A subcommittee advanced HF 781 last week and there is debate about whether it is right for Iowa in 2026. Of course it is.

Dear Rep. Lawler,

I live in rural Solon in your district. I appreciate receiving your legislative updates and read them all. Not too many, and not too few of them. Thank you.

I am writing today to ask the House Commerce Committee take up HF 781 which was passed out of committee last week. As you know, the bill seeks to close the loophole regarding smoking in casinos left open to pass the Iowa Smokefree Air Act. 

I was on the Johnson County board of health when the law went into effect on July 1, 2008 and it was important for all the good things the law does. At the time I felt if compromise was needed to receive the positive benefits of the law, then so be it.

However, since then, there is new, discouraging information about the frequency of cancer in Iowa. Second hand smoke is a known carcinogen, and limiting or removing it from casinos is a proposal whose time is right. We owe it to casino customers and workers to do this.

When I managed some trucking fleets in Pennsylvania I brought my managers into the Philadelphia area and we visited the Trump casinos in Atlantic City one night. The air was clean inside them. The future president fought regulation of tobacco smoke inside his casinos because he felt customers would seek gambling in nearby Pennsylvania. Of course, that argument is less relevant in Iowa today since of the surrounding states, only Missouri permits tobacco use inside casinos. 

I wanted to let you know this is a long-standing issue for me. I urge you and the Commerce Committee to take up the bill before the first funnel and pass it to the floor for debate.

Thank you for reading my message and good luck this session.

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Living in Society

Two Caucus Speeches

Iowa Caucus Goer

At our consolidated Democratic precinct caucuses on Feb. 2, I gave two speeches supporting candidates. Here they are, prepared for delivery.

Nate Willems, Iowa Attorney General

I’m proud to endorse Nate Willems for Iowa Attorney General.

I worked with Nate, as many of us in the room did, when he ran for Iowa House after Rep. Ro Foege retired. People in our district know him because he represented us.

For nearly 20 years, Nate has fought for workers as a labor attorney — including his recent winning of a major wage-theft case that returned millions of dollars to Iowans who had been cheated.

That record is why Nate is endorsed by former Attorney General Tom Miller and the Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO.

Nate is a life-long Iowan who understands that the Attorney General’s job is about protecting victims, prosecuting violent crime, and holding powerful interests accountable.

I trust Nate Willems to do that job for Iowa.

Jon Green, current Johnson County Supervisor

I’m proud to endorse Jon Green for County Supervisor.

Jon showed up in our area, canvassed with me, and listened — which tells you exactly the kind of County Supervisor he is.

One of the hardest issues we face is the jail. Jon understands we need a solution that works for the county, for county employees, and for the people who are incarcerated there — and that means real leadership, not delay or division.

As chair, Jon has proven he can lead in difficult moments. He builds coalitions, believes in transparency and debate, and makes sure every voice is heard.

At a time when local communities are often caught between state and federal pressures, Jon will stand up for this county.

We need local leaders who understand not only what the law requires, but what the people demand.

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Living in Society

Hope Ahead for Iowa Democrats

Iowa Caucus Goer

Iowa Democrats have a rare opportunity for party building before the 2026 general election. Our governor is the least popular in the nation and Republican activists don’t really like their field of primary candidates, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette. That includes Randy Feenstra who hails from the most conservative part of the state and is the current favorite in their gubernatorial primary. Lack of talent and personality never stopped Republicans, though.

Our neighbors in Minnesota are largely driving the opportunity I see. People just don’t like how federal agents are on the streets terrorizing U.S. citizens. Dislike is turning into action with more public demonstrations against the Trump and Reynolds administrations during the last year than I can count. Led by large, national groups, as well as by locals, millions of people across the country are being activated in the political process, including in Iowa. Not only are people participating in demonstrations and direct action, some of them showed up at our party caucus for the first time on Feb. 2.

I served as site leader for seven precinct caucuses and going in, I knew no one from my precinct who planned to attend. We did manage 32 people for seven precincts. I was surprised when three voters I did not know appeared in my group.

With the City of Solon’s annexation of a large, new subdivision, when the precinct lines were redrawn after the 2020 U.S. Census, we gained some neighbors. To a person, those who caucused with us were trying it out to see what local Democratic politics is about. That has been rare in my political life and is the reason for my optimism about party-building. I had to tap the deep well of memory to remember why we have precinct caucuses and explain the statewide process meaningfully.

I don’t know the future of Iowa politics, but Democrats are on the cusp of something big. The first step is to recognize the opportunity. Do that and hope remains for Iowa politics.

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Living in Society Writing

Flashback 2008

Vote Early in 2008 — Provenance unknown.

What characterized the 2008 presidential election for Democrats was the systematic use of nearly every procedural, legal, organizational, and technological lever within the electoral process to bring people to the polls that were previously infrequent voters. The Obama campaign innovated within the existing electoral system, integrating policy, organizational structure, data analytics, and ground tactics into one single, continuous outreach to voters. The results speak for themselves. Obama won — decisively.

I have living memory of that campaign, and it is worth examining how the underlying process has changed since then. In 2008, the focus was on persuading people to vote and vote for Obama and other Democrats. In the years since, a series of Republican-led changes in election law shifted the challenge away from persuasion and toward altering how voters participate in elections. These shifts in process are making a difference, particularly for the kinds of turnout strategies used by the Democratic campaign in 2008.

In Iowa, these changes took concrete form in the voting restrictions enacted by Republicans in 2021. The law signed by Governor Kim Reynolds redefined key elements of the electoral process in ways that made voting more difficult. I list the provisions of the law here in full because this post is intended as a reference. Taken together, these changes make campaigns like the one Obama ran in 2008 significantly harder to execute. The new laws must be followed, and campaign leaders have adjusted accordingly.

According to the Iowa State Association of County Auditors, the law required the following changes:

  • Voters must register to vote 15 days or more before the election to appear on the voter register on election day (formerly 11 days, and 10 days for general elections). Voters may still register to vote on election day, or when voting absentee in person, with both proof of identity and proof of residence.
  • A voter who has moved and has therefore been sent mail by the County Auditor to inquire of their proper address, and who did not vote in the most recent general election (formerly the last two general elections), shall be marked inactive (unless they were not 18 years old at the time of the most recent general election). Registrations of inactive voters will not be cancelled until two more general elections pass with no voter activity. 
  • Polls close at 8:00 pm for all elections (formerly 9:00 pm for primary and general elections). 
  • When a registered voter is attesting to the identity and residency of a voter unable to present required forms of identification, the attesting voter must present his/her own required form of identification. 
  • For a provisional ballot to be counted, the voter must either provide the necessary identification at the polling place before it closes at 8:00 pm, or provide it at the Auditor’s Office by noon on the following Monday. If the canvass by the Board of Supervisors will be held earlier than the following Monday (for cities with possible runoff elections), the identification must be provided before the canvass. (The post-election deadline was previously unclear.) 
  • Employers must allow employees two consecutive hours to vote on election day, if they do not already have two consecutive hours off during the time the polls are open (formerly three hours).
  • The first day to submit an absentee ballot request form to your County Auditor is 70 days before an election (formerly 120 days). 
  • The first day County Auditors may mail absentee ballots to voters is 20 days before an election (formerly 29 days). 
  • The first day to vote absentee in person at the Auditor’s Office is 20 days before an election (formerly 29 days). (If you have requested a ballot by mail prior to this, your ballot will go out in the mail on this date.) 
  • The first day to vote absentee in person at a satellite location is 20 days before the election (formerly 29 days), and satellite voting locations may only be established by a public petition with a minimum of 100 signatures (formerly County Auditors could establish satellite locations on their own motion). To learn how to request one, click here.
  • Absentee ballot requests for voting by mail must be received by 15 days before the election (formerly 11 days, and 10 days for general elections). Exception: If a voter is admitted to a health care facility, dementia-specific assisted living program, or hospital 14 or fewer days before the election, the voter may request an absentee ballot by telephone no later than 4 p.m. on election day. 
  • Absentee ballots must be received by the county auditor by 8:00 pm on election day. (Previously, ballots were valid if postmarked before Election Day and received by the Monday following the election.) Postmarks or bar codes printed on ballot envelopes will no longer make a ballot received after election day valid, except in these cases:
    • Ballots from participants in the Safe at Home program received by the Secretary of State in time to be transmitted to the County Auditor by noon on the Monday following the election. 
    • Ballots from uniformed and overseas citizens received by noon on the Monday following the election. 
  • If an absentee ballot affidavit envelope is not signed by the voter, the County Auditor shall contact the voter, who may then:
    • Request a replacement ballot and return it by 8:00 pm on election day (changed from postmarked the day before the election or earlier). 
    • Vote at the polls on election day.
    • Sign the affidavit in person at the county auditor’s office by 8:00 pm on election day (changed from 5:00 pm the day before the election).
  • Absentee ballot requests for voting by mail must be received by the County Auditor 15 days before the election (see exceptions above). 
  • Must include the date the request is signed. 
  • May not be sent to voters by County Auditors unless a voter requests one. 
  • May not be sent to voters by the Secretary of State unless directed to do so by the state legislature in the event of a public health disaster declared by the governor. 
  • May be sent to voters by candidates, political groups, and other private organizations, but no fields on the request form may be prefilled except for type and date of election.
  • The only people who may return a voted absentee ballot other than the voter are:
    • Someone living in the voter’s household
    • An immediate family member
    • The two special precinct election officials who deliver a ballot to the resident of a health care facility, dementia-specific assisted living program, or hospital
    • Voters unable to return a ballot due to blindness or other disability may use a “delivery agent” to deliver their ballots
    • Absentee ballots may be returned via designated ballot drop boxes (unless returned by a “delivery agent”), which if available must be located on the grounds of or within the building where the County Auditor conducts in-person absentee voting. (Auditors are not required to provide drop boxes.)
  • In the case of a voter unable to return a ballot due to blindness or other disability, the voter may ask a “delivery agent” to deliver their ballot. “Delivery agent” is defined as follows:
    • If a voter with a disability designates a delivery agent, the voter must complete and sign a designation form prescribed by the Secretary of State.
    • A delivery agent shall return no more than two absentee ballots per election.
    • The delivery agent shall fill out a receipt in a form prescribed by the Secretary of State and shall leave it with the voter.
    • The delivery agent shall collect the voter’s designation form at the same time as collecting the ballot, and shall deliver the ballot and designation form to the County Auditor at the same time. The delivery agent must:
  • Deliver the ballot in person to the County Auditor, not by mail or drop box.
  • Provide to the County Auditor the same identification as a voter at the polls. 
  • Provide the following on a form prescribed by the Secretary of State:
    • Full legal name
    • Residential address  
    • Phone number
    • Email address, if applicable 
  • Sign a statement (prescribed in the law) certifying under penalty of perjury that the delivery agent has complied with the law.
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Living in Society

Day Of Rest, Sort Of

Sunrise on Jan. 31, 2025

There is lots to do to get ready for Monday’s precinct caucus so I am writing this short post and adding a photo. May we focus on the rising sun of each new day.

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Living in Society

It’s Caucus Time

Iowa Caucus-goer signing nominating petitions.

On Monday, Feb. 2, beginning at 7 p.m., the Iowa Democratic Party precinct caucuses begin the trek to the 2026 midterm elections. We will talk about issues, sign candidate nominating petitions, elect members of the county central committee, and pick delegates to the county convention. In the turbulence that has been the last 12 months, it is difficult to predict turnout. As a precinct captain, I am concerned about that.

It seems obvious our politics is moving away from political parties. A person does not need to be a Democrat to be outraged by the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Likewise, showing up at a memorial or demonstration is speaking up against our government in what can be a non-partisan way. The caucuses are where the rubber meets to road in politics, and if people believe they no longer need a political party it has consequences.

One of my favorite movie lines is from Casablanca, in which Captain Renault says, “Major Strasser has been shot… round up the usual suspects.” From years of working in local politics, I know most of the usual suspects who will show up on Monday night. Here’s hoping they and others do. Regardless of who shows, we will get the engine rolling toward the midterms.

A group of us met to do a walk through of the elementary school where our group of seven precincts will hold caucuses. All of us have been working on Democratic politics for a long time, including one person who started during the 1972 Iowa caucuses. Experienced hands can make the process go smoothly. The weather is forecast to be warm, our leaders are energized. It should be a good night.