Although the candidates campaigning for state offices did not see eye-to-eye on every issue, there was one that all three present at the Carroll Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum Wednesday night could agree on. Moderator and Chamber Legislative Committee member, Rick Hunsaker, asked each candidate to identify one issue from a list that would be most important to them in office.
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All three pointed to rural economic vitality as the leading issue. Candidates running for the District 6 Senate seat, Republican Craig Williams and Democrat C.J. Petersen, agreed with Republican House District 12 incumbent, Brian Best.
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Best is being challenged in the Nov. 3 election by Democrat, Sam Muhr, and Libertarian, Blake Johannes, but neither was present to outline their platform. Best answered questions from constituents in the 90-minute event that was moved to the virtual realm due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the topics circled back to the premise that rural vitality is the core to a majority of residents’ concerns. The very first question asked how our representative can bring parity to statewide economic development initiatives that appear centered on urban areas.
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Agriculture, is of course, a key factor in ongoing economic development efforts. Best says he will continue to support rebates to Iowa businesses utilizing biofuels. He is also pleased with federal mandates on renewable fuels.
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And for any rural area to remain vital, there needs to be adequate housing.
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These are just a few of the issues discussed at Wednesday night’s forum. Carroll Broadcasting will bring you more from all of the candidates in upcoming news reports.