The Mirror-Reporter continues its coverage of candidates seeking office in the Tuesday, Nov. 8, General Election. This week Statehouse candidates are featured. In Senate District 30, Republican incumbent Waylon Brown, of St. Ansgar, is being challenged by Clear Lake businesswoman Whitney Mixdorf, a Democrat. In House District 59, Democratic incumbent Sharon Steckman, from Mason City, is facing Republican Doug Campbell. Campbell received a questionnaire from the Mirror-Reporter, but chose not to respond.
WAYLON BROWN
Please supply a brief personal biography as an opening paragraph. Be sure to include your name, information about your family, educational background, occupation and other work/life experiences.
I am a small businessman, former member of the Mitchell County Farm Bureau Board, and the St. Ansgar Planning and Zoning Board. I own a construction company and farm in Worth County. My wife, Julie, and I have two children.
In the Iowa Senate, I have proudly served for six years. I serve as the chair of the Transportation Committee as well as the co-chair of the Administrative Rules Review Committee. I also serve on the Commerce, State Government, and Ways and Means committees.
Are there specific issues which motivated you to seek office? If so, which ones? Why?
As a small businessman and a farmer, I didn’t feel like the problems affecting me and other families were being heard or taken seriously at the Capitol. These last several years, cutting burdensome regulations for business owners, making Iowa
more competitive and bringing Iowa families more tax relief have been my focus. Over the last few years, I’ve also been helping address the workforce shortage issues our state is facing by reducing barriers to work.
What is your top priority if elected?
When I talk to voters throughout Senate District 30, one of the top things I hear about is inflation. Inflation is something that has been affecting every family. Whether it be groceries, gas, school supplies, everything is costing more and it is taking more and more money from the pockets of hard-working Iowans. We can’t fix all of the problems President Biden’s administration has caused, but we can try to combat inflation by controlling spending and cutting taxes to provide some relief for Iowans.
Iowa is seen as a leader in renewable energy for sources like wind and solar power, however its rapid growth has led to policy debates at the state level. Would you favor state legislation which may place restrictions on large scale projects, or do you believe local governments should have the final say on these types of projects?
Wind and solar energy are something we hear a lot about at the Capitol, and it is one of those issues that has very vocal advocates on both sides. As a small businessman, government intervention is one of the things I believe should be limited. Reliable, affordable energy is critical to small businesses and families.
A voucher proposal to provide parents with expanded choices for their child’s education continues to be discussed by legislators. What is your opinion about a voucher program that would distribute educational funds in a manner that they follow students to any school, whether public, private, charter or home-school?
Throughout the last few years, we have seen parents take more of an active role in their child’s education, especially after the pandemic and many parents saw what was going on in classrooms. We have also seen reports this year that showed student learning was behind and results were far lower than they should have been. We owe it to Iowa students and to parents to look at how we can improve education and make sure all Iowa kids are receiving the best education for them.
Iowa’s minimum wage is $7.25. Do you believe that rate needs to be raised and how can that be accomplished?
There are places all over the state that are hiring right now. Currently, Iowa has over 80,000 job openings. Businesses are competing for workers, not just in the state, but all over the country. A majority of these places are offering significantly more than the minimum wage because they are trying to attract the workers they need. Pro growth policies have done more to raise wages in the last few years than a government mandated wage ever has.
WHITNEY MIXDORF
Please supply a brief personal biography as an opening paragraph. Be sure to include your name, information about your family, educational background, occupation and other work/life experiences.
Whitney Mixdorf, age 36. I was born in Mason City and raised in Clear Lake. My husband John and I are both graduates of Clear Lake High School (John 1997, myself in 2004). We have three daughters- Kinsey is 14 and our identical twins Caroline and Cora are seven. We own and operate South Shore Donut Co. in Clear Lake and John also farms with my father. Prior to opening our business, I worked in the office of Burtness-Lundgren Plumbing & Heating for several years and owned a small event design company. I also worked part-time at the Clear Lake VFW for roughly 15 years.
I am currently a full-time student at Waldorf University, will finish my degree in Leadership Communication by January, and can proudly saythat I have maintained a 3.9 GPA even through campaign season. I have served on the Cerro Gordo County Compensation Board since 2021 and I also hold positions on several volunteer advocate and community activist boards across the state.
We have three rescue cats (Hot Dog, TatorTot, and Pearl) and we share two standard poodles with my parents. In my free time I can be found cheering on my girls in their sports and activities, studying, golfing with my husband, or curled up with a book at home.
Are there specific issues which motivated you to seek office? If so, which ones? Why?
I am running for the future of not only my three children, but for families across Iowa. Like many others, I became frustrated with the extreme polarization of politics. Somewhere along the line, we have forgotten what it means to be a true public servant. Our goals should never include harming others with our words or actions. We shouldn’t be passing laws that will exclude our fellow humans from living life with the same rights we expect for ourselves, and we shouldn’t be okay with making others suffer so that we ourselves can get ahead. I have a deep passion for helping others however I can, which has led me to become involved in activism and politics.
As a busy mom I found myself wishing our state lawmakers would stop focusing on culture war issues and start working on real solutions to improve the lives of working families like mine. I want Iowa to be for everyone; a state filled with opportunities, a top-rated public education system, bustling small-businesses, thriving Main Streets, and neighbors willing to jump in to help each other. It is my belief that we don’t have to agree on every issue, but should always be able to have a civil conversation with one another.
What is your top priority if elected?
My three main priorities are funding public education and supporting our educators, maintaining our reproductive freedom, and solving the issues that are holding back our local economy.
I’m a Mom by Choice and a Mom for Choice – I will never vote for any policy or person that says my three daughters are second class citizens. Women have the right to the same bodily autonomy as men do, period. Depending on who is elected to our state legislature, Iowa will ban abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, which is very extreme since it is a point at which most women don’t even know they are pregnant. I believe that if we want to prevent abortion, we need to focus on preventing unintended pregnancies. We do this by guaranteeing access to healthcare and contraception, and by making sure our young people receive comprehensive sexual education courses.
There are two large problems hindering economic growth in our area- the childcare crisis and the lack of affordable housing. In order to add jobs and grow our economy here in North Iowa, we have to address these two issues immediately.
We are currently short a staggering 350,000 childcare spots in Iowa. In fact, this past spring there was a waiting list of almost nine-months to get an infant into daycare in Clear Lake! Parents are unable to return to work after maternity/paternity leave simply because they don’t have childcare. We also have to address the housing shortage because we have workers looking to relocate to North Iowa but they are unable to find any affordable options to move their families here with them. Essentially, in order to grow we need to ensure we have the infrastructure in place for an expanding population.
Iowa is seen as a leader in renewable energy for sources like wind and solar power, however its rapid growth has led to policy debates at the state level. Would you favor state legislation which may place restrictions on large scale projects, or do you believe local governments should have the final say on these types of projects?
One lesson I have learned as a parent is that we all survive and thrive in very different and individual ways – what is good for one set of people may not be the best solution for a family on the other side of the state. I tend to dislike blanket legislation where we impose action or restrictions on a wide group without factoring in other circumstances or situations. As far as policy specifically regarding large solar and wind projects, I believe we have to maintain at least partial local control. Much like commercial zoning ordinances or CAFOs, the concerns of the citizens most impacted by the changes need to be considered prior to building. While there are pros and cons to everything, I do believe that both of these options have a strong future here and will give Iowa an opportunity to be a leader in supplying clean energy. My dad is a farmer and it has been very frustrating and sad to see so many family farms bought up by large corporations. In all honesty, solar and wind power give smaller farmers the opportunity to diversify and produce enough income to maintain ownership over their own family land.
A voucher proposal to provide parents with expanded choices for their child’s education continues to be discussed by legislators. What is your opinion about a voucher program that would distribute educational funds in a manner that they follow students to any school, whether public, private, charter or home-school?
I am against the school voucher proposal and want to see our public schools fully funded. I believe that our public education system is the most important investment Iowans make. There are currently 485,000 schoolchildren in Iowa, but the private school voucher system will only benefit 10,000 of them. The yearly increases to funding have not kept up with inflation, so many of the current issues and complaints within our public schools are caused by our legislature underfunding them. For example, last year we raised our state spending on private schools by 150 percent but only increased spending for public schools by 1.5 percent, which leaves schools struggling to make ends meet. On top of that, due to small decreases in enrollment, there were 81 Iowa school districts that received zero increase in funding this year, including Clear Lake, Mason City, RRMR, and St. Ansgar here in District 30.
Up here in rural North Iowa, our communities revolve around our schools. We take pride in our districts, the children they serve, and the educators who serve them. Schools provide an anchor to communities and are oftentimes the largest employers in rural towns. The private school voucher plan will reduce both funding and enrollment to public schools, which will lead to district consolidations and closures. Unfortunately, we have already witnessed what happens to our small towns when their school closes; jobs are lost, the population goes down, and the small businesses suffer. For many rural towns losing their school building is a death blow from which they can’t recover, and there isn’t one single town in District 30 that I would be willing to sacrifice to that fate.
Iowa’s minimum wage is $7.25. Do you believe that rate needs to be raised and how can that be accomplished?
The average minimum hourly wage a person needs to make in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Iowa is $16.55, which is quite far from the $7.25 currently required by law. Life has changed considerably since 2009, but our minimum wage has not. As a working-class Iowan, I know that an increase in wages will benefit the vast majority of people, but as a small-business owner I also know that it will be difficult to increase those wages. I believe this is a complicated issue that may require special action for small-businesses prior to and during the increase that can then be stopped once things stabilize. I believe that increasing paychecks for workers will absolutely benefit our economy in the long-term.
We cannot continue this system where corporations deliberately underpay their employees and then expect the other working/and middle-class taxpayers to pick up their slack, especially while they rake in record profits. Iowa needs a windfall tax in place to curb the outrageous price gouging currently taking place; in reality, most of the increases in prices of everyday items are due to large corporations are taking advantage of inflation to increase their profit margins.
SHARON STECKMAN
Please supply a brief personal biography. Be sure to include your name, information about your family, educational background, occupation and other work/life experiences.
Sharon Steckman has resided in North Iowa for 46 years. She lived in many other cities before choosing Mason City to raise her family. She and her husband have 4 children, 8 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. She is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church.
Sharon graduated from Iowa State University with honors and was the first in the Education Department at ISU to student teach in Mason City. She achieved this by working out an agreement with ISU and UNI. She went on to receive her Masters in Education degree from Morningside College. Sharon taught in the Mason City Community School district for 27 years. During that time, she took a leave of absence to teach overseas in Portugal, returning to Mason City to finish her career.While her children were growing up, Sharon served on the Mason City Youth Hockey Board (during the years the first arena was built) and the Youth Swim Club Board. Professionally she served as President of the Mason City Education Association and 7 years as Chief Negotiator. Currently she serves on the Mason City I-CAN Board, North Iowa RSVP, the State iJAG Board, and the Executive Board of MHEC (Midwest Higher Education Compact).
While serving in the House of Representatives Sharon has served on a wide variety of committees; Education, Human Resources, Natural Resources, Public Safety, Information & Tech., State Government, Environmental Protection, Appropriations, and Ways & Means. She has also served in leadership roles; Assistant Majority Leader, Assistant Minority Leader, Chair of Education and Ranking Chair of Education.
Are there specific issues which motivated you to seek office? If so, which ones? Why?
While active in my teaching career I began to see just how impactful the Legislature is on all aspects of education. I strongly believe public education is the great equalizer, helping students, no matter what their background, succeed and become productive citizens of this great country. After retiring from teaching, I ran for the Iowa House of Representatives to support quality education for all our children in Iowa.
What is your top priority if elected?
My top priority remains education. Public education is under attack! Lack of State funding has seen resources cut to the point that schools are left no alternative but to cut programs and staff. When I taught there was a counselor, nurse, and media specialist in every building. There were paraprofessionals for lunch, recess, and bus duty and to tutor students that needed extra help in reading or math. That is all gone due to budget cuts. Iowa was known as first in the country for education. Many young people desired to move back to our state to raise their families. They could depend on priority funding for the education their children would receive. Public Education had bipartisan support. Now schools are forced to struggle to provide the same top-notch education with far fewer resources and a looming teacher shortage. We need to make educating our children a priority, and working with our teachers, schools, and families to make sure that happens. Those children are our future. I have a favorite saying at my desk in Des Moines, “If your plan is for a year, plant rice. If your plan is for 10 years, plant a tree. If your plan is for 100 years, educate your children.”
Iowa is seen as a leader in renewable energy for sources like wind and solar power, however its rapid growth has led to policy debates at the state level. Would you favor state legislation which may place restrictions on large scale projects, or do you believe local governments should have the final say on these types of projects?
Currently there is a debate in Iowa concerning the CO2 pipelines and eminent domain. A small group of private investors stand to make a great deal of money on this subsidized pipeline through Iowa farmland. I believe any discussion of eminent domain needs to focus on the public good of any given project. The Iowa Utility Board, made up of three Governor appointees, will be deciding this matter. This could be a legislative decision as it will be affecting a large swath of Iowa farmland. I talked to one farmer while door knocking that said he signed onto the pipeline agreement, even though he does not want it going through his 100-year-old farm, because he knows he does not have the money to fight in court with those that have deep pockets. A sad commentary for our rich Iowa farmland. I believe those dollars could be more impactful for our environment and farmland if the Legislature used them to encourage practices such as; buffer zones, creating more wetlands, promoting local watershed projects, encouraging no-till and cover crops.
I firmly believe, and have been an advocate for local control. Local officials are closer to the land and the people being affected.
A voucher proposal to provide parents with expanded choices for their child’s education continues to be discussed by legislators. What is your opinion about a voucher program that would distribute educational funds in a manner that they follow students to any school, whether public, private, charter or homeschool?
Parents currently have choices. They can transfer their child to any public school with a contiguous border to their current district, at any time during the school year. They can enroll their child in a private school where scholarships are available, some supported by tax dollars. Or they may choose to home-school their child with no restrictions or reporting requirements.
According to LSA (the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency) their fiscal note reported that this plan would cause public schools to lose $79 million in the first year. Divided by our 327 schools that would be a loss of almost a quarter of a million dollars for each school. Other states that have implemented this program the price tag has steadily increased at the expense of public schools. This year alone over $100 million tax dollars have gone to private schools. In the last six years funding for private schools has gone up 150 percent, public schools 1.9 percent.
I believe our public/private school partnership in North Iowa is strong. This proposal would strain that relationship. There is a reason the House Republicans and Democrats held strong against the vouchers last session. Forty-two of the 99 counties in Iowa do not have a private school. Rural legislators saw this voucher proposal as a detriment to rural schools. I have heard from many that say small-towns lose so much if they lose their public school.
Iowa’s minimum wage is $7.25. Do you believe that rate needs to be raised and how can that be accomplished?
In 2008 the Iowa Legislature raised the minimum wage from $6.20 to $7.25 to align with the raise in the Federal Minimum wage. It has not been increased since then. Twenty-nine states and DC now have a higher minimum wage than Iowa. In 2018 several Iowa local governing bodies were raising their minimum wage. At that time the majority party voted to take away local control and require local governments to adhere to the State wage of $7.25. The current wage has not kept up with inflation, $7.25 is a yearly income of just over $15,000. Because of the labor shortage many businesses are already offering much more than minimum wage.
So yes, I agree the wage needs to be increased and that can be done through legislation, giving Iowans more money in their pockets to spend in our economy. However, I feel it needs to be accomplished in a gradual manner to balance the needs of our workers with our small business owners.
