A Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives District 12 seat has come forward, saying that it is time for Iowa’s legislators to focus on “kitchen table” topics, instead of being distracted by the headline-grabbing ones. Peter Leo, who lives in Manning and practices law in Denison, says that the way the abortion and death penalty debates are taking place today are not productive. Pointing fingers and calling each other hypocrites is not the way he solves problems in his daily life. We can use a dose of common sense problem solving skills and conflict management right now to re-center the focus, he adds.
But what legislators need to be doing, he says, is working to identify areas where we can build consensus and we can listen to each other. The priorities he identifies for Iowan’s include the Managed Care Organization (MCO) takeover of the Medicaid program.
When it comes to community college and university funding, he says the state needs to explore the idea of sunsetting the tax incentives to companies from out of state that are not providing a real return on investment in the form of jobs and economic development. That money, Leo asserts, could be one source of funding to reinvest in our public post-secondary institutions. And changes need to be made on how the state develops their estimates for annual budgets.
Everything needs to be on the table, not just cutting or ending programs. This, Leo says, should be a priority for every single legislator. As he kicks-off his campaign, the West Des Moines raised attorney says he has lived in west central Iowa for one year now, and has absolutely fallen in love with the area.
Leo and his wife, Elizabeth, moved to Manning in February of 2016. Elizabeth is a teacher’s associate at Broadway Elementary in Denison and they have two sons, Eric who is seven and Samuel who is five. Leo says that they are currently planning a meet-and-greet for area constituents, and will bring us those details as soon as they become available. Anyone wishing to learn more about Leo or to volunteer for his campaign can do so through the link provided below.
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Website: www.peopleforpeterleo.com