Contested races for the June 7 Primary include the race for the new Iowa House District 56 seat. District 56 includes all of Hancock and Humboldt Counties and 11 townships in Wright County (the northwest part of the county).
Republican candidates are James L. Nelson of Britt and Mark Thompson of Clarion. The winner of the Primary Election will be on the ballot for the General Election next November.
No candidates for the District 56 seat are listed on the Democratic Primary ballot.
Nelson and Thompson each responded to a questionnaire on the topics of why they are running, agriculture, economic development, education, and election integrity.
• Why are you running for election for the Iowa House, District 56?
Nelson: I have spent over 40 years being active in the Iowa Republican Party and have served 7½ years as the Hancock County Republican Party Chairperson. I have also always worked to improve the area I love so I spent 14 years as Mayor of Britt and help bring good improvement there.
Now that I am retired and a great representative is retiring from the House, I felt it was a good opportunity to work to improve Iowa and at the same time, improve District 56. Our country has gone in the wrong direction in many areas so we have to keep working to make sure Iowa does not follow suit.
Thompson: I have chosen this path due to my concern for the erosion of our God-given rights and liberties. The U.S. Constitution stipulates the federal government’s authorities are derived from those who (legally) vote. The Constitution also clearly states that those authorities not granted to the federal government belong to the individual states. Many of us have been lulled into thinking that the federal government may dictate many aspects of our lives. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Agriculture
•Do Iowa’s drainage laws need to be updated?
Nelson: Iowa drainage laws do need to be worked on and Senator Guth has been working on them but didn’t have the change ready yet for this session. I have not read the proposal so will do that before commenting further.
Thompson: Drainage laws should be reviewed to determine if new laws need to be passed or if other measures should be taken.
•Do laws concerning eminent domain for private or public projects need changing?
Nelson: I do think the laws for eminent domain need to be looked at and look at why just three members of the Iowa Utilities board has full authority to grant eminent domain to be used to put in pipelines.
Thompson: Private property rights need to be protected.
Economic Development
• How will you advocate for funding or support for our rural areas at the state level?
Nelson: I was on the Hancock County Economic Development Board for the 14 years that I was Mayor of Britt so I am aware of the need for constant discussion on improvements to counties and cities.
I feel there has been improvement on funds for rural areas but that has to be constantly monitored. Rural Iowa and agriculture are still the backbone of Iowa and we do feed much of the country and world. Agricultural trade and industry need to be areas of improvement to do what we can to keep our economy strong.
Thompson: I plan to consult with the economic development leaders in the District to capitalize on their wisdom and experience.
•What are the most pressing needs to be addressed to support economic development in the 56th District?
Nelson: The main thing we need to do to support economic development in District 56 is to keep in touch with those areas to be always aware of the needs, concerns, and ideas that the area people have and work to solve the problems and work on the ideas and needs. Communication and honest concern are a must. Another area of concern nationwide is the shortage of workers.
Thompson: Affordable housing. In some cases, where there are jobs, adequate and affordable housing is not available. Taxes – although the state of Iowa has made tremendous strides in tax reform, there is still room to lower taxes at the state or local level to invigorate our economy.
Education
•Do our public schools have adequate support from the State?
Nelson: Yes, I think our schools have adequate support from the state. I would like to see if we can eliminate the federal government from pushing mandates and curriculum on our schools. I think that should be handled by each state and school system.
Thompson: I intend to continue to speak with school administrators to gain their insights prior to asserting my views.
•Do you support “school vouchers” for parents who wish to have their children attend a private school? Why or why not.
Nelson: I do support school vouchers for parents who wish to have their children attend a private school. I think that would lead to improvement of our public schools and our private schools. Many of our schools have become too political and political views should not be pushed in the classroom in public schools.
Thompson: When parents choose alternative educational options, they should be compensated for the cost. The Governor’s education scholarship account (not voucher) is income-based. It calls for 70% of the over $7000.00 of per pupil state funding to follow the student and the remaining 30% to be designated for small school districts.
However, the debate over this topic should not devolve into parents against teachers. In those rare instances when children are not fed or nurtured at home, schools, often individual teachers, take up the slack. When a child comes to school without breakfast, they know there is nourishment at school and that a caring adult will help them. In predominantly rural areas, parents are much less likely to seek non- public schools for their children.
Moreover, when school boards, administrators and parents work together for the common good of the child, issues involving local schools are normally settled locally. Consequently, the “demand” for non-public schools is minimized when the community works together for the good of the children. I’ve witnessed this firsthand as a substitute teacher in our local community.
Election Integrity
•Do you have confidence in the integrity of elections in Iowa?
Nelson: Yes, I have confidence in the integrity of elections in Iowa, but I do think there is room for improvement. I am for paper ballots, Voter ID enforcement, limited absentee ballots, and no counting machines that have any capability of being hacked or compromised.
Thompson: Overall Iowa has a reputable election integrity record, but vigilance is essential. No machines, which transmit, vote tallies connected to the Internet. Outlaw any private entities from contributing money to counties to ostensively help fund elections. (In 2020 Mark Zuckerberg’s Center for Tech and Civic Life contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to auditors throughout the country, including Iowa).
Other Comments:
Nelson: Abortions, human trafficking, informed consent, medical freedom, enforced immigration laws, and monopolies (especially in the agricultural field) need to be areas of great concern.
Thompson: I’ll be reaching out to various sectors of the District to become better educated on a variety of issues. My mission as a Legislator will not simply be to pass more laws, but to find solutions to critical matters facing our citizens should I be elected.
