Last night’s (Wednesday) Carroll Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum featured 10 local candidates appearing on the Nov. 8 ballot, including the Republican and Libertarian nominees for Iowa District 6 Senator. Republican incumbent Jason Schultz of Schleswig faces Libertarian David Davis of Harlan. One of the first questions posed to these two is what more the state can do to address rural Iowa’s labor shortage. Davis says he sees unnecessary regulation as the primary bottleneck for employers.
Schultz argues the state needs to remove the incentives for Iowans not to work and says that is precisely what he has been working on while in office.
The new Senate District 6 includes Ida, Crawford, Carroll, Shelby, and Audubon Counties, and a small portion of northeastern Pottawattamie County. The district is almost entirely rural, and candidates were asked how they would ensure rural Iowa is not left behind. Schultz says that is what Republicans in Des Moines have been working toward in recent years.
Davis says urban areas do not need the same support as rural places, so legislators must ensure bills do not benefit one demographic at the expense of the other.
One of the final questions posed to the senate candidates asked how they felt the recent tax cuts might impact state priorities, chiefly education funding. Davis says the state provides nearly $10,000 per student to schools annually, but taxpayers do not see that value in the classroom.
Schultz disagrees with the belief that Iowa underfunds education, citing that it takes up more than half of the state’s general fund budget. He says schools must return to their original scope: math, science, and reading.
Full video from Wednesday’s Carroll Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum is included with this story on our website. Other candidates participating include: District 2 Supervisor candidates, Dean Schettler of Breda and Michael Andersen of Breda; County Recorder candidates, Susie Boles of Breda and Ashten Wittrock of Carroll, Brian Best of Glidden for District 11 State Representative; Stephanie Hausman of Carroll for District 4 County Supervisor; Lisa Wagner of Carroll for County Treasurer; and John Werden of Carroll for County Attorney.
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