Candidates for 2012 primary elections

Iowa Senate Candidates4B Denison ReviewFriday, June 1, 2012

Mary C.Bruner

Democratic candidate for Iowa Senate

District 6Running unopposed in primary election

Q Please providea brief state-

ment about your back-ground.

A My husbandBarry and I are

life-long Carroll Countyresidents and have beenmarried for 39 years. Wehave four grown children,three sons and a daugh-ter, and five grandchil-dren. I graduated fromKuemper Catholic HighSchool and then attendedthe College of St Mary in

Omaha, Nebraska, whereI received an educationdegree. We lived in DesMoines while Barryearned his law degree andthen we moved back toCarroll and it’s here inwestern Iowa where wechose to raise our family.We chose to raise ourfamily in western Iowabecause of the quality oflife and opportunities forour children to grow up ina safe, happy environ-ment. I want to ensurethat future generationsalso chose to stay in thisgreat state! I am commit-ted to expanding opportu-nities and makingchanges that will improvethe quality of life for gen-erations to come.

Community involve-ment - current: CatholicCharities Board- Dioceseof Sioux City serving thecounties of western Iowa,Community of ConcernFood Pantry, CarrollCounty CompensationBoard, Carroll CommunityFoundation Board andKuemper Ball volunteer;past involvement: St.Lawrence Catholic SchoolBoard and Parish Council,Carroll Area Child Care

Board of Directors, Dio-cese of Sioux City Com-mission on Women, Dio-cese of Sioux City Peaceand Justice Committee,Birthright volunteer Relayfor Life volunteer (I am a22 year breast cancer sur-vivor) and American Can-cer Society Reach to Re-covery Volunteer.

I taught in both the areaparochial and publicschool systems for 20plus years. This profes-sional experience givesme a real passion for ed-ucation. I believe that ed-ucation is the strongesttool we can give our chil-dren for their futures. InMay 2011 my last childgraduated from college.We have a graduate fromeach of the state univer-sities. They have all re-ceived excellent educa-tions but I know firsthand the cost of rising tu-ition.

For the past 11 years Ihave been the human re-source officer at CarrollCounty State Bank. I ampart of the executive man-agement team. It is ourtask to guide and plan forthe future of our bank inthe communities we

serve. This experiencestrengthens my determi-nation that as both anemployer and employeegood jobs will drive thefuture in our state. I amcommitted to quality jobsfor Iowans that will allowour communities tothrive.

Q What motivat-ed you to run

for the State Senate?

A I have alwaysbeen involved in

and enjoyed politics. Inthe state of Iowa we havea historic governmentmodel of a citizen legisla-ture. I find that exciting.Our constitution, laws,and the process providethe tools to solve our is-sues. With my family’sencouragement and sup-port, I felt I had the time,energy, and experience tocommit to this senaterace. My mother, who hasbeen an inspiration to mebecause of her service toothers, said to me “if youdon’t try this you will al-ways wonder if youshould have”. I believethere is a frustration withthe partisanship we see inthe legislature. My expe-

rience professionally andpersonally has shown methat we need to work to-gether and listen to oneanother to accomplishgoals. I would bring thisexperience to the legisla-ture.

Q Could you listwhat you be-

lieve are the top twochallenges facing thestate and how you willaddress these chal-lenges?

A Since April 1 Ihave been going

door to door throughoutthe district. I think thebest way to learn is to lis-ten. I have reached about900 voters so far and theytell me that their prioritiesare:

Economic developmentand job growth is the toppriority. Iowa’s future re-volves around qualityjobs. Private business cre-ates jobs with govern-ments support and part-nership. Government cancreate a quality and pre-pared workforce and itcan provide needed infra-structure.

Education is the otherpriority most mentioned

by the voters I have talkedwith. Our children musthave every opportunity tosucceed in this globaleconomy and for thatthey need a world classeducation. College mustbe affordable for familiesand students.

Our community col-leges are the economicengines in our rural com-munities. They can part-ner with business to trainour kids and retrain out-of-work Iowans with theskills they need to buildbusiness in the communi-ty. Education is our fu-ture.

Iowans are creative,and by working togetherwe can create a robustand thriving state whereour children will want tofind jobs and live.

I know Iowans expectlegislators to work to-gether to accomplish theirpriorities, and it would bean honor to represent theinterests of this district. Ibelieve it takes a positiveapproach and all of usworking together to cre-ate communities wherewe can have rewardingjobs and provide a quali-ty of life for our families.

MatthewBiede

Republican candidatefor Iowa Senate

District 6



A I am a 31-year-old family man

that currently lives inSchaller. I have been mar-ried to my beautiful wife,Jessica, for seven years. Ihave two children, Cadenand Alyssa. I am a gradu-ate of Buena Vista Uni-versity with a degree inmarketing with a concen-tration in economics. Ispent time in the car busi-ness as salesman andbusiness manager. I amcurrently the K9 Deputyfor the Sac County Sher-iff's Office and have beenwith them for five years.



A I have alwayshad a passion

for politics. While attend-ing school at Storm LakeSt. Mary's, I was intro-duced to the late SenatorMary Lou Freeman. Thetwo of us stayed in con-tact until her passing.Freeman told me thatwhen the time comes Ineed to just go for it. Withthe retirement of SenatorKettering, I realized thatthis is as good of time asany to take a run at office.As a public servant I amalways interacting withthe public. I enjoy helpingpeople deal with their

problems and trying tomake their lives better.Being your state senatorwould be no different.



A The top twochallenges fac-

ing our great state are itsbudget and education re-form. The budget is sim-ple; don't spend morethan you bring in. It is apretty simple idea thatyou don't need a collegeeducation to understand.Unfortunately, the Senate

Democrats don't see itthat way. There are nu-merous ways to cut downon our spending. I am afirm believer that ourgovernment has made ittoo easy to live the simplelife by living off the gov-ernment. Our welfare sys-tem is out of control andstricter regulations couldfree up money so we don'thave to continue raisingpeoples taxes.

The education reform isall about accountability.This starts with the par-ents all the way throughthe system. Our teachersand administration needto be held accountable formaking sure the childrenare receiving the best

possible education. WhileI do believe the govern-ment needs to keep asharp eye on our educa-tion system, I believe itcould take a step backand let the school boardsdo their jobs.

These are elected offi-cials and know the dis-tricts they serve betterthan the state govern-ment does; however, thegovernment continuessetting the rules and reg-ulations.

With this being thecase, why do we haveschool boards? The gov-ernment needs to learn totrust that these electedofficials are doing what isbest for their districts.

AdamSchweers


District 6



A I was born inCarroll and

raised in Arcadia. I at-tended school through St.Ann's and St. John's be-fore graduating from Ar-We-Va. I married my wife,Jill, in 2000 and we havetwo children, Bennett

(age seven) and Camron(age five). After highschool I worked at Amer-ican Home Shield full timewhile working part timein computer repair. I laterwent full time in comput-er repair and helped growWizard Computers toseven employees.

I have been in IT for 13years providing comput-er and software solutionsto businesses and homeswithin a 30-mile radiusof Carroll. I started Com-puter Concepts of Iowa in2005 and we currentlyemploy nine people. Ibegan Midwest DataManagement, an inter-net-based backup com-pany, in 2008. I am also ahalf partner in a companycalled See Carroll Iowa,which provides mobileand internet-based mar-keting for local compa-nies.

I have been very activein my church, St. PaulLutheran, and a memberof a number of organiza-tions including Rotary. I

serve on the GovernorAppointed Board forMassage Therapy as apublic citizen. We reviewrules and approve and re-move licensure. I alsoserve on the State YoungProfessionals Board withsupport from the Associ-ation of Business and In-dustry. I spent two yearson the Carroll City Coun-cil representing Ward 1before being elected asmayor. I have spent sev-eral days in Des Moinesthe last three to five yearsworking on issues thataffect western Iowa, and Iwill be a strong advocatefor western Iowa in theIowa Senate.



A I see the needfor energetic

and business orientedleaders in the legislature.As a business owner, Ican bring a thoughtfuland example-based ap-

proached to reducing reg-ulations and unfundedmandates on our commu-nities. I understand theimportance of not usingone time money to budgetfor long term expenses.As an entrepreneur andelected official I haveworked closely with awide array of businessesand I have learned fromthe expertise of some ofthe best economic devel-opment people around.As a father, and with rel-atives close to education,I can bring interesting so-lutions to education, bothin technology as well fi-nancially.



A Iowa's twobiggest chal-

lenges are: retaining andattracting people, espe-cially younger people; and

the state’s rising costscompared to limited in-come and antiquatedfunding formulas.

We have to have work-ers in all levels of pay torun and grow our busi-nesses.

Having people in ourcommunities providesstrength in retail, hous-ing and schools. In orderto retain and attract peo-ple, we have to workmore closely with ourhigh schools to informkids of educational andprofessional opportuni-ties here in Iowa. I seesuccession planning, likeSCORE, as key to keepingMain Street businesses inour communities. Weneed to focus on identify-ing the career tracks ofearly high school stu-dents, and recognize thatsome students’ talents re-quire different education-al and technical instruc-tion for success. Forthose that attend college,we need to make surethey have the right guid-

ance and financial educa-tion to choose a careerand college path thatmaximizes the students’dollar and time with theirchoice in institution.

Iowa needs to make se-rious adjustments in itstax code. Corporate taxrates are nearly the worstin the nation and individ-ual income tax is in thebottom third. In addition,corporate and industrialproperty tax is unfair andneeds to be reduced.

Reducing these will putmore money back in thepockets of Iowans whowill ultimately simulatetheir local economies.

I also feel that the stateshould never be lookingto take on more respon-sibility, but rather beingmore efficient and fo-cused on allowing localcontrol.

The success of ourcommunities will rely onless regulation in areas oflabor, DNR and modifica-tions to rules for engi-neering requirements.

Mark Segebart


District 6



A I am a sixth gen-eration Iowa

farmer born in CrawfordCounty who has farmedin the Vail area for the last40 years. My wife Cathieand I live on the familyfarm north of Vail. I havebeen active in many localorganizations over theyears including Commu-nity Club, Cattleman’s As-sociation, Farm Bureauand other various churchand farm organizations. Ihave been a CrawfordCounty Supervisor for 16years and will end my last

term this December. Ihave served on manycounty boards and com-mittees as a supervisorand understand howcounties and cities are af-fected by state regulationsand mandates.



A The State Senatehas a narrow

majority of 26 Democratsand 24 Republicans, andwith the retirement ofSenator Steve Ketteringfrom Lake View and thecreation of the new 6thdistrict which includesAudubon, Carroll, Buena

Vista, Sac and eight town-ships in Crawford County,I thought it was necessaryto retain that seat with anexperienced conservativeRepublican such as my-self. A change in the ma-jority in the Senate is cer-tainly possible in thiselection cycle with 10seats open without an in-cumbent running for theseat. Four of the 10 seatswere held by Republicans.



A The top chal-lenge facing

Iowa is creating a busi-ness friendly environ-ment so that private busi-ness can prosper and cre-ate new jobs and newbusiness and industrycan be attracted to Iowa.Reducing commercialproperty tax rates andover regulation is the key.I will work to change ourproperty tax structurewithout short changingour counties and cities atthe same time. That iswhy balancing the statebudget with real tax rev-enues and not spendingmore than we take in is soimportant.

The second greatestchallenge facing Iowa isthe same challenge thatfaces our nation and thatis the federal budgetdeficit and the nationaldebt. We are currentlyborrowing one-third ofthe funds to operate thefederal government. Iowareceives more federalfunds than we contributeto the federal budget on ayearly basis. That is whymaintaining a balancedstate budget and buildinga reserve to protect usfrom the inevitable feder-al cuts is so important.Only conservative princi-ples can protect us from afinancial collapse.

State Representative Candidates5B Denison ReviewFriday, June 1, 2012

DanMuhlbauer

IncumbentDemocratic candidate

for IA House District 12



A I am a lifelongresident of this

area, graduating fromManilla High School andfurthering my educationat Ellsworth CommunityCollege in Iowa Falls.

I received an agricul-tural business degree.

My wife, Patti and Irun a family farm opera-tion near Manilla, wheremy son, David, and son-in-law, Robert Riessel-man, are active.

Their involvement al-

lows me the time it takesto dedicate myself asyour State Representa-tive for District 12.

I am the son of the lateLouis Muhlbauer whoserved in Iowa Housealso. I have just finishedmy first term.


for the State House?

A I have a greatpassion for

rural Iowa. I want to continue to

be a strong voice thateducates our urban col-leagues about agricul-

ture and how it affectsIowa's economy.

I also want to help ourlocal communities andsmall businesses expandto create new jobs.

Education, senior citi-zens and the mentalhealth programs are alsoareas in which I haveworked hard to do whatis best for Iowa.

I enjoy meeting thepeople of Crawford, Car-roll, and Audubon coun-ties and hearing theirideas for our state andlocal community.



A First, we haveto keep our ag

economy strong andkeep Iowa a worldleader in renewable en-ergy.

A stronger ag econo-my means vibrant ruralcommunities with good-paying jobs.

Second, we have togrow our skilled work-force to compete with

workers from aroundthe globe and guaranteethat businesses in Iowahave access to theworkers they need.

That means every oneof our kids graduateswith the skills neces-sary to land a good jobor continue their educa-tion after high school.

With our rapidlychanging economy, italso means more train-ing opportunities forunderemployed and un-employed Iowans to up-grade their skills.

Barney Bornhoft

Republican candidatefor IA House District 12



A My name isGalen, better

known as “Barney”Bornhoft. I live in Carrolland I'm running for theIowa House of Repre-sentatives in District 12.After redistricting, Dis-trict 12 is comprised ofall of Carroll andAudubon counties andthe eastern half of Craw-ford County.

My wife, Deb, and Iboth grew up in Westsideand I am a graduate ofKuemper High School.Deb and I have been mar-

ried 34 years and togeth-er we have three children,Mandy, Brandon andMikaela. We have madeCarroll our home for 24years. I have been acoach for flag football andLittle League, was anarea governor for Toast-masters International andI'm involved in teachingand leadership in mylocal church.

Deb and I have ownedseveral business and Iknow first-hand the chal-lenges facing Iowa fami-lies, farms and smallbusinesses in today’seconomy. My focus willbe to bring fiscal respon-sibility to the Iowa State-house.

I believe that Iowansdeserve a governmentthat will preserve thegreatness of the state,bring changes so we canonce again lead the na-tion in education, createan environment whereour main street busi-nesses can be successful,and create new jobs thatkeep Iowa families inIowa.



A I have alwaysbeen interested

in local, state and na-tional politics. I was con-tacted by several peoplewho believed my viewsand abilities would be anasset to House District12 and they encouragedme to run.

Running for a politicaloffice involves more thanjust the candidate; it in-volves the entire family.Through conversationand encouragement frommy family, hearing theirbelief that I had the un-derstanding and ability tofulfill the duties of the of-fice, and much prayer, Idecided to to take theleap.

I have always believedthat we have a responsi-bility to be involved inour community, our stateand our nation. Whetherthat's by simply studyingthe candidates and votingfor the individual you feelwill best move our stateand nation in the right di-rection, getting involvedin the political process bycampaigning for candi-dates or causes you be-lieve in, or running forpolitical office.

As a salesman, I havethe opportunity to getinto conversations withmy customers. Theseconversations sometimes

lead to politics and I haveheard from many peoplethat they believe there isnothing the average per-son can do. I have neverbelieved that. We canmake a difference, and Iam taking this opportuni-ty to do that. As Britishstatesman EdmundBurke said, "Evil flour-ishes when good men donothing."



A There are sev-eral issues fac-

ing the state of Iowathat are of major con-cern today both from afinancial and moralstandpoint. I believetwo of them are proper-ty taxes and spending.

Property taxes in thestate of Iowa are ex-tremely high. In fact,Iowa has some of thehighest in the country.This hurts the state inseveral ways. 1) Busi-ness suffer because theyare at a distinct disad-vantage to those inneighboring states. Prop-erty taxes are a cost of

doing business and thosecosts are recouped only inthe price of their product.Lower property taxes inneighboring states meanslower product costs forthose business in thosestates.

2) These higher taxesalso hurt our retirees andyoung families. Retireeslive on a fixed incomeand it is advantageousfor them to live in a statewhere the tax rate islower so they can stretchtheir retirement dollars.Young families are notonly starting a family butare relatively new to thejob market and are at thelower end of the payscale. For them, it's justone more tax that takesmoney that could go tohelp pay for goods andservices every youngfamily needs.

3) New business look-ing to start-up or relocateto Iowa. The business en-vironment across thecountry today is sluggishat best, making any newbusiness venture impor-tant to any state econo-my. Iowa's high tax ratesput us at a competitivedisadvantage when try-ing to bring these en-deavors to the state.

The second major chal-

lenge to the state's econ-omy is our spending.

I always find it inter-esting that anytime thereis an increase in thestate's budget, the firstthing our elected officialswant to do to cover theincrease is to increasetaxes.

I believe that most ofyou are like my family. Idon't have the ability toincrease our family bud-get then ask for a raise tocover it; we need to cutcorners. For example,when gas prices skyrock-eted we were not able toincrease our income tocover the cost; we had tocut other expenses.

I believe the stateshould do the same.

Today, with our uncer-tain economy and de-creasing dollar, it's im-portant that the stateworks hard to cut anywasted or unneeded ex-penses before taking theeasy way out and addingmore taxes to our alreadyheavy tax burden.

I'm running for theHouse of Representativesin District 12 to ensurethat the state of Iowa getsits fiscal house in order.I'm asking for your helpand your vote in order toaccomplish that.

KaseyFriedrichsen

Democratic candidate,for IA House District 18



A I grew up inthis district, in

the Denison-Schleswigarea. I am the daughterof Terry and Leah Preul,of Denison and Andrewand Sylvia Friedrichsen,of Amarillo, Texas. I’m agraduate of DenisonHigh School and re-ceived my Bachelor’sDegree in political sci-ence and my Master’sDegree in public admin-istration, both fromDrake University. I haveexperience working inIowa politics; I haveworked as a page in theIowa Senate and a clerkin the Iowa House ofRepresentatives. I alsospent a semester at

Drake as an intern inCongress. Upon gradua-tion from Drake, I beganworking for Iowa Work-force Development inDenison.

After the unfortunateclosure of the DenisonIWD office, I started asmall business as a ben-efits consultant for Colo-nial Life & Accident Co. Icurrently serve as a boardmember of the DenisonYoung Professionals andam a member of the Unit-ed Presbyterian Church inDenison.



A I am runningfor state repre-

sentative in House Dis-trict 18 to bring a freshand new perspective to

the Iowa Legislature.Having grown up in thisdistrict, I know the con-cerns facing its resi-dents. I had a first-handlook at just how impor-tant the services provid-ed by Denison’s IowaWorkforce Developmentoffice were to this areaand I saw how it impact-ed our community. Afterthe closure of 36 IWD of-fices across the state, Iwas motivated to takeaction. The workforceoffice issue representsan example of a problemthat our legislators couldhave found a solutionfor by working togetherin a bipartisan manner.Unfortunately, too manyissues become partisanissues in Des Moinesand divide our legisla-ture to the point where

solutions are not possi-ble. I am running forstate representative tobring people togetherand to work hard to findsolutions for the peopleof this district.



A One of the topchallenges fac-

ing our state and one ofmy priorities as yourelected official will be toensure that Iowanshave access to goodpaying jobs and are ableto earn a living wage sothey can afford to raisea family in Iowa. I willsupport working fami-

lies, local businessesand property owners in-cluding our farmers. Iwill fight for tax fair-ness, smart property taxreform and alternativesources of revenueother than taxes.

My second priority willbe to support our futuregenerations by fullyfunding our schools.

Education is a crucialelement to Iowa’s future.We must also ensure thatour teachers are able toteach our children theskills they will need tocompete in the real worldrather than simply how totake a test.

Supporting educationgoes farther than ourlocal school districts; ourcommunity colleges needto be properly funded aswell.

BernardMurphy

Democratic candidatefor IA House District 18



A I was born inCouncil Bluffs,

grew up in Ralston, Ne-braska, and moved to

my dad’s home town ofDunlap in 1976. Afterhigh school, I worked atSkinner’s macaroni forthree years and joinedthe Amalgamated MeatCutters and Butchers ofAmerica union whichbecame the UFCW.

In 1974 I became anapprentice in the Sprin-kler Fitters Union Local669 of the United Asso-ciation completing thateducation in conjunctionwith Pennsylvania StateUniversity. Later I be-came journeyman-fore-man installing fire pro-tection systems through-out the Midwest includ-ing a few places in Deni-son. While still hangingpipe, I became an instruc-tor for the apprenticeshipprogram, getting mytraining at WashtenawCommunity College inAnn Arbor, Michigan,

teaching the fire protec-tion trade. I also taughtOSHA classes receivingthat training inCharleston, South Caroli-na. In 2000 I became thebusiness agent oversee-ing roughly 475 membersand 14 contractors inIowa and Nebraska be-fore retiring in 2009.

I was the sports writerfor Boyer Valley for sev-eral years and I was elect-ed mayor of Dunlap lastNovember winning by a2-1 margin as a write-incandidate. I attended thePapal Mass with His Ho-liness Pope Benedict XVIin Washington, D.C. I amthe oldest of nine kidsand my wife Betty and Ihave been married for 31years.



A During the2008 session, I

wrote and worked to seepassage of the FireSprinkler Installer andMaintenance licensinglaw and advocated formany labor bills in thelast few years. Since the2006 session, I was sortof a regular at the Capi-tol, spending significanttime getting to knowmany legislators andgaining experience andknowledge in the law-making process. I sat inon many subcommitteeand committee meetingsand observed floor ac-tion in both chambers.

I enjoyed my time atthe Capitol and have beenconsidering running forthe House before I re-tired. When the new dis-trict map was approved, Idecided now was the timeto run. I am running for

office because I know Ican be beneficial to thecitizens of this districtand the citizens of thestate of Iowa.



A There are somany chal-

lenges to narrow itdown to two, but a topchallenge facing thestate is commercialproperty tax reform,thus creating employ-ment. Easing the taxburden on businesseswould create jobs andhelp the economy. Bothparties need to agreeand successfully pass abill to help businesses.The first President of

the American Federa-tion of Labor, SamuelGompers, said some-thing to the effect “thatthe worst of crimes is abusiness that doesn’tmake a profit.” We needto help businessesgrow, expand and hireworkers.

Another issue is edu-cation. We must keepfunding schools at a ratethat our children learnthe 3 R’s. Have you seenthe penmanship of kidsthese days? Many can’twrite in cursive or spell.They need a calculator tofigure out any math andthere is nothing liketurning the page of abook instead of doing itelectronically. Teachersneed to be evaluatedevery couple of yearsand the children must beready to advance to thenext level.

State Representative Candidates, cont.6B Denison ReviewFriday, June 1, 2012

Jason SchultzIncumbent

Democratic candidatefor IA House District 18



A Hello, I amJason Schultz,

and I am asking for yourvote to continue repre-senting you in the IowaHouse.

I am blessed to be mar-ried to Amy Schultz, and

together we have twodaughters, Josie andCamryn. They attend thesame Schleswig schoolAmy and I attended. Wehave both lived in theSchleswig area nearly allof our lives.

Service is important,and I am proud to haveserved in multiple posi-tions in ImmanuelLutheran Church, theSchleswig Volunteer FireDepartment, HornMemorial Foundation,and the School AdvisoryBoard.

Amy is the businessoffice manager at Even-tide and is a frequentcommunity volunteer inboth Schleswig andDenison, while I farmwith my mother and fa-ther.

I have worked in agri-cultural-related jobs allof my life, from pork far-rowing barns, to feedsales and production, toproperty insurance ad-

justing for the local FarmMutual.

Throughout these jobs,I have worked hard andlistened to the customerto determine what theirneeds were and how Icould help them.



A I was motivatedto run for office

due to my concerns overthe direction of our coun-try and state.

The voice of the citizenwas not being heard byDes Moines, as they con-tinually spent more ofour tax dollars than theyreceived each year.

Our state governmentincreased in size despiteour objections.

I wanted to see a solidconservative speakingfor us in District 55, andI hope to continue thatservice in the new HouseDistrict 18.



A In spite of Iowa’sstrengths, we

face serious challenges.One issue is the federaldeficit and how it relatesto Iowa. Iowa’s GeneralFund budget is just over$6 billion. What manypeople don’t realize isthat the federal govern-ment sends us another$6 billion for programsthat Iowa administers. Itis understood that U.S.government borrowsabout 40 cents of everydollar it spends. Thismeans approximately$2.4 billion of the dollarsIowa uses for services isborrowed. If the nationalgovernment is ever to getahold of its budgetaryproblems, it will be by re-ducing federal spending

in the states.It is very important that

the size of the privatesector grows faster thanthe size of government.The larger the gap be-tween the two, the betteroff Iowa will be as theflow of federal dollarsslows down, as it is al-ready beginning to do insome areas.

Another challenge weface is the battle to attractgood jobs to our area ofthe state. In this area,statistics can be mislead-ing. Crawford Countycurrently has a low un-employment rate of 4.1percent. Unfortunately,this number is low be-cause so many CrawfordCounty citizens moveaway after high school,do not return after col-lege, or move away dur-ing their careers for newopportunities. The an-swer to this challenge isto lure new companies toour area. As your repre-

sentative, I support statepolicies that provide abusiness-friendly cli-mate. This year I sup-ported several bills thataddressed the problem ofhigh commercial proper-ty tax rates. Our plan pro-tected residential andagricultural propertyfrom increases and limit-ed the growth of localgovernment, just as weare limiting the growth ofstate government.

I was also part of theteam that limited thegrowth of Iowa’s statebudget. By not spendingevery dime of your taxdollars, we show thebusiness community thatIowa is a stable environ-ment for business. Thesepolicies will help attractbusinesses to westernIowa, and create an op-portunity for our youngpeople to live locally, andattract our current resi-dents to stay in CrawfordCounty.

Crawford County Supervisor Candidates

Patricia E.Ritchie

Democratic Party candidate

Crawford CountyBoard of Supervisors

Running unopposed inthe June 5 primary

election



A I was raised inCalifornia. I am

of Mexican-American de-scent. I am the daughterof two hard-workingmiddle class parents. Iwas raised with goodfamily values and decid-ed to enter the military atage 19. Since age 19 I’vemaintained a militarylifestyle. I’m married toan active duty soldier andlive in Westside.

I chose my work afterthe military to be orient-ed to community serviceby starting my owntranslation company. Ialso worked for the Craw-ford County Sheriff’s Of-fice and then was recruit-ed to work at Domes-

tic/Sexual Assault Out-reach Center as an advo-cate counselor in Craw-ford County. Since thenmy job has required moreresponsibility; I am nowcovering eight countiesand am the minority out-reach coordinator. My jobentails a lot of victim ad-vocacy in violent crimes.

I am active with theVFW and American Le-gion in Carroll. In theVFW I am also the juniorvice of the Sixth District.

I currently work withmany community agen-cies and am a member ofmany councils that allowme to serve the commu-nity and to know theneeds of the community. Ihave served on the EarlyChildhood Iowa StateBoard for two years. Ihave also served on the

Iowa Women of Color anIowa State Board AgainstAbuse, the Early Child-hood Iowa Three-CountyBoard and the CrawfordCounty Board of Health. Ihave sat at other councilsincluding Cultural Diver-sity, Prevent Child Abuseand other minority healthboards.

Q What are yourprimary rea-

sons for running forelection?

A I believe in serv-ing our country

and the community. I be-lieve that in order to be aproductive citizen youshould provide input andbe active in providing so-lutions to the problemswe see. I am seeking theoffice of Crawford CountySupervisor because of my

community service; I seethe needs and can help insolving problems andfinding solutions.

Q What do youbelieve is the

most important chal-lenge facing CrawfordCounty? How wouldyou address it?

A I believe themost important

challenge is trying toovercome the old waysand to come into an ageof progress. Change isdifficult for many. Amother, a worker and acommunity member canhelp bring to the Board ofSupervisors what theneeds of our local youngpeople are. I believe weneed to have more realityin what is taking place inCrawford County. I do not

believe the current Boardof Supervisors membersrepresent the age groupas well as our currentfamily members would.We have many youngcouples with families andbabies. This is not repre-sented on the Board ofSupervisors. My experi-ence as a soldier hastaught me to always as-sess and to be fair andjust.

Q What can theBoard of Super-

visors do to increase thetax base in the county?

A We need to lookat options be-

fore we specifically stateone thing. It is alwayseasy to say what we cando, but the reality is weneed to assess what ouroptions are.

Cecil BlumIncumbent

Republican candidate,Crawford County

Board of Supervisors



A I am married tomy wife Shawn

and live in Denison. Wehave two children andthree grandkids.

Some of my back-ground consists of beinga 40-year small businessowner and being electedto two terms on the Deni-son City Council.

I have a business ad-ministration degree and Iserved in the military. Iam a farm owner and Iam involved in a familyfarming operation. I grewup on a farm near Kirk-man and graduated fromIrwin High School.

I know farm life andsmall town living.

During my 40 yearshere in Denison, I haveserved on the CrawfordCounty Fair Board andDevelop Unlimited Board,and I led two very suc-cessful Christmas promo-tions for the Chamber.

Throughout my busi-ness and political life, Ihave enjoyed workingwith people.



A The reason Iam running for

re-election is that I be-lieve I have done a goodjob for Crawford County.

I enjoy the work andchallenges.

Myself and the entireboard are committed tokeeping the countystrong financially, im-proving the quality of lifehere in the county andlooking for new ways togrow.

I have the right back-ground and experienceto work together to keepthe county moving for-ward.

The Board of Supervi-sors is a managementteam. I work well withthem to work well foryou.

I have given fair repre-sentation and quality ser-vice to all the citizens ofCrawford County.



A Coping withthe mandates

and changes handeddown to us by our stategovernment. This im-pacts taxes and servicesfor our county resi-dents. The most impor-tant issue is to maintainCrawford County’s fiscalintegrity, which is atrisk with unfundedmandates or directives,along with the severedifficulties created by achange in the way com-mercial property tax iscalculated.

Q What can theBoard of Su-

pervisors do increasethe tax base in thecounty?

A The short an-swer is, very

little. The most effectivemeans of expanding ourtax base is through res-idential construction.The great thing aboutthis is all communitiesas well as rural residen-tial can participate. Thelargest increases in taxbase comes from com-mercial and industrialproperty. But these arethe hardest to get andmany times involves in-centives like tax abate-ment, free infrastruc-ture, etc.

Bob BoettgerRepublican candidate,

Crawford County Boardof Supervisors

Q Please provide abrief statement

about your background.

A My name is BobBoettger. I am 34

years old, married forfive-plus years to Kelliewho is a pharmacist atThrifty White Drug inDenison. We also have athree-year-old girl namedMarley. I live outsideSchleswig where I operate

a small business namedBlazin’ B Ranch where Isell farm supplies all overthe nation. I have lived inCrawford County all mylife.



A I believe I canbring young and

fresh new ideas to thetable, such as luring newbusiness to the county ormaybe new festivities todraw more tourism to thecounty.



A I would saymoney and

roads. Money is alwaystight. To operate publichealth and many otherentities, it takes a finely

tuned budget to make itall work. Second would beroads. Our roads are dete-riorating, our bridges aregetting weak and we needto improve on these be-fore it’s too late. We needbetter gravel and to focuson main bridges that needattention.

Q What can theBoard of Super-

visors do increase thetax base in the county?

A Bring more busi-ness to the

county. With talk aboutTyson’s beef plant closing,we should already belooking for someone tomove in, maybe a turkeyplant. That would allowpeople to raise turkeys asthey do hogs, which inturn brings more revenueto the county. We havethe rail, the roads and themeans to attract busi-nesses. We just have togo after them to attractthem to our area.

EugeneMohr

Republican candidate,Crawford County

Board of Supervisors



A I was born andraised in Craw-

ford County. I have spent most of

my life where I am livingright now on the homeplace.

I went to college for twoyears and came home tohelp with the family busi-ness for over 30 yearsand am also actively en-gaged in farming.

I been married 25 yearsand have two sons. Ihave been a volunteerfirefighter for more than20 years and fire chief for12 years.

I served on severalboards. I dedicate myselfto my family and mycommunity.



A To provide a"voice" for

eastern part of the coun-ty as well as all the citi-zens in Crawford Coun-ty.

I am dedicated respon-sible person. I can pro-vide leadership skills andam able to get people towork together. I can solve

problems in a timely mat-ter and will bring to theboard some new ideas.



A The budgetand keeping

taxes in line. I wouldaddress it by goingthrough each part of thebudget and keeping it inline with needs andwants that the projectrequires.

Q What can theBoard of Su-

pervisors do increasethe tax base in thecounty?

A Right now itseems to be

working well. But it isstill important to workwith city and rural devel-opments to keep thecounty prosperous.

Crawford County Supervisor Candidates cont.7B Denison ReviewFriday, June 1, 2012

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RandallKuhlmann

Republican candidatefor Crawford CountyBoard of Supervisors



A I was born inCrawford Coun-

ty and practically livedhere all my life.

I am a graduate ofCharter Oak-Ute Commu-nity High School.

I attended Iowa StateUniversity and graduat-ed with a Bachelor of Sci-ence in Agricultural Edu-cation.

I have taught agricul-

ture science for 41 years,39 of those at the Deni-son/Schleswig Commu-nity High School.

I have retired from thisresponsibility this spring.

Dolores and I havebeen married for 28years and we live onacreage just west ofDenison.

We rent the familyfarm from my mother,which is located betweenDenison and CharterOak.

Kuhlmann Seed hasbeen in existence for 10years.

I sell DeKalb corn andAsgrow soybeans to areagrain producers.

I have been a memberof the Crawford CountyPork Producers and theCrawford County Cattle-men’s Association.

I am one of the fivemanagers of the newlyorganized CrawfordCounty Racing Associa-tion, serving as the pres-ident or spokesperson forthe group.

Our goal is to success-fully bring weekly racingback to the CrawfordCounty Speedway.


sons running for elec-tion?

A I have investedmost of my life

educating youth. I takepride in our many local,state and national suc-cess stories. One of thefacts that I am mostproud of is the fact thatmany of my students be-come residents of Craw-ford County. They buildtheir careers and raisetheir families in CrawfordCounty.

I helped them whenthey were in high school.I either tried to inspirethem, or challenge themto try something new, ormade them do somethingout of their comfort zone.I am very proud of theiraccomplishments and thecommunity citizens thatthey have become.

Being involved at theCrawford County Fair hasallowed me to makeyouth and parental ac-quaintances outside theDenison CommunitySchool District. It is re-warding to see theseyouth learn and grow.

I guess I would like tokeep track of my invest-ment. I feel that as coun-ty supervisor, I can con-tinue to serve these andall residents of CrawfordCounty.



A Ten years ago Iwould have not

thought that CrawfordCounty would have a 55million gallon ethanolplant. I would have notbet that we would havethe multitude of red syn-chronized flashing lightsof the wind generators onthe horizon. The county’schallenge is to keep look-ing for the next big eco-nomic opportunity.

While we are search-ing, we need to keeppicking away with thesmall ventures. We needto use the county assetsand facilities to theirfullest potential.

Yellow Smoke Park ishaving a tremendousyear. Economic times and

fuel cost have increasedthe demand for this typeof recreational andleisure time.

Pheasants Forever hasbeen working with thecounty on a landfill site todevelop wildlife habitat.This could help rebuildour recreation andtourism dollars.

A group of private in-vestors has been workingwith the Crawford Coun-ty Fair Board to bring ac-tivity back to the race-track.

This activity hasroughly created over$20,000 in weekly, localspending in supplies,utilities, labor and purse.The number of part timeworkers at the racetrackis from 30 to 49.

I keep looking for thenext big economic oppor-tunity and keep workingat the small projects.

Q What can theboard of super-

visors do to increase thetax base in the county?

A The legislaturehas been talk-

ing about property tax re-form but nothing has

happened for two years.Crawford County re-

ceives revenue from com-mercial property, agricul-tural production, and res-idential property.

Commercial property istaxed on nearly 100 per-cent of valuation.

Agriculture tax is com-puted by a complicatedformula which revolvesaround production poten-tial.

Residential property istaxed around a 50 per-cent roll back valuation.

You could make adjust-ments one of these, butwe would just have toadd it to one of the oth-ers.

If I had a magic wand, Iwould make this a Meccaof business and industry.

We have added a 55million gallon ethanolplant and numerouswindmills to the horizon.

What is the next largebusiness that is going tocome to Crawford Coun-ty?

So until then, we as su-pervisors need to contin-ue to manage the currentrevenues as efficiently aswe can.

Other Crawford County Candidates

James R.Steinkuehler

IncumbentDemocratic candidatefor Crawford County

SheriffRunning unopposed

in the primary election

Q Can you pleaseprovide a brief

statement about yourbackground?

A I am a lifelongresident of

Crawford County. I have been married for

29 years to Starla andhave raised three children,Ryan, Nick and Cody, andnow have two grand-

daughters, Kadence,three years old, andKenslee, seven monthsold, and a daughter-in-law Danielle.

I have been in law en-forcement for going on14 years of which I havebeen your sheriff sincebeing elected in Novem-ber of 2008.

Before being elected, Iwas a Denison police of-ficer for six years andnine years as a part-time chief of police forthe City of Dow City andalso Charter Oak.

Q Why are youseeking re-

election to your of-fice?

A The reasonthat I am

seeking re-election isbecause I really enjoyworking for you, thecitizens of CrawfordCounty, and it gives areal pleasure in catch-ing those people thathave no considerationfor life and propertythat belong to you, thetaxpayers of this coun-ty.

Q What goals doyou have for

your next term?

A The goals thatI have, if re-

elected, are the same asthey were four yearsago.

I have gone after thedrug trafficking and alsohave worked with notonly local law enforce-ment but other countiesand also federal agencies.We have sent several in-dividuals throughout myfour years to do federaltime because of the quan-tity of the drugs they dealto some of our children aswell as some of our citi-zens.

One of my deputiesstarted what is now calledthe W.I.N.E. task force,which is called the West-ern Iowa Narcotics En-forcement.

The agencies that arepart of this task force areAudubon County Sher-iff’s Department, CarrollPolice Department, Car-roll County Sheriff’s De-partment, Denison PoliceDepartment, Ida CountySheriff’s Department,

Monona County Sheriff’sDepartment, ShelbyCounty Sheriff’s Depart-ment, Crawford CountySheriff’s Department andthe Department of Nar-cotics Enforcement.

So as you see from mylast four years as yoursheriff, I did what I said Iwas going to do and in-tend, if elected, to contin-ue that kind of law en-forcement.

We have also been in-volved in arresting othermajor crimes in our coun-ty other than just drugtrafficking, but as I havealways said and will con-tinue to say, 99 percent ofall crimes in our countystill relate back to drugs.

I would like to thank allof you for the past fouryears for giving me theopportunity to serve you,the citizens of CrawfordCounty and if elected, willpromise to do the same.

I have also talked withthe County Board of Su-pervisors in reference fora full-time drug officer.

I know that a drug offi-cer, if in place, would bebusy on a full-time basis.

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TerriMartens

IncumbentDemocratic candidate

for Crawford County Auditor

Running unopposedin the primary

election

Q Can youplease provide

a brief statementabout your back-ground?

A I have beencounty auditor

for three years. Beforethe auditor’s office Iworked in the treasurer’soffice collecting taxes, is-suing driver’s licenses,

giving drive exams, andworking in the motor ve-hicle department. I wasborn and raised in Deni-son. I am a veteran of theUnited States Army.

Q Why are youseeking re-

election to your of-fice?

A I have learneda great deal as

your county auditor,and I continue to learnmore every day. In thethree years that I haveserved as CrawfordCounty Auditor, I havebeen privileged to bepart of a transparentcounty government andI would appreciate theopportunity to continueto serve the citizens ofCrawford County.

Q What goals doyou have for

your next term?

A I will strive tobring efficien-

cy to the operations ofthe auditor’s office. Iwill continue to helpmaintain the countiesbudget.

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