The beginning of 2021 will be the end of two terms of service for Iowa 6th District Senator, Mark Segebart. He and his wife Cynthia, have lived and farmed near Vail for the past 40+ years and he came to the state legislature with more than 16 years of local public service. Segebart decided to end his role as a Crawford County supervisor and run for the Senate. He says after four terms, it was time to step aside and allow some new blood to take over. That is also how he feels about his departure from this current role.
Segebart says he believes that term limits are a good idea all the way around.
Segebart will not be seeking any other public office following his retirement. His wife is already retired from teaching and Segebart says he is working on transitioning the family farm to the next generation, which will give them more time to spend with family. The couple has two children: a daughter, Martha, and her husband who live in Green Bay, Wisc.; and his son Alex, and his wife who live near Ames. He says that the biggest challenge to overcome during this change is also the biggest hindrance to the couple’s retirement goals.
One of the most impactful moments of his legislative career came early in his tenure. His first year, he was appointed to the Health and Human Services (HHS) appropriations joint subcommittee as the ranking member. The committee was assigned with determining the allocation of dollars for this large budget and that year they were also being asked to decide if Medicaid should be expanded.
Segebart says that experience was a bit like going to the moon; something he will never forget. We will hear more from Segebart in upcoming broadcasts on the issues he supported and those he fought against during his eight years of service and what he sees as the key issues facing the legislature in the next session.
