I’ve been looking into this whole governor’s race thing here in Iowa and believe it or not, I’m not sure who I will vote for. That may seem strange to those of you who know I am a bleeding heart liberal on many issues. But it’s a little different if you’ve had a chance to have a conversation with each candidate over the years.
When Terry Branstad was our governor, he was in Independence on a number of occasions. I first met him when we had breakfast while he was still the lieutenant governor, running for the top spot. When he was elected to the governor’s post, he was in town a couple of times, including one morning when he came in to run in our annual road race. He was a bit early and I found him warming up all by himself on a side street. So I went over and welcomed him to town, etc.
I finally got to meet our current governor when he was in Belle Plaine a few months ago for a town meeting. Gov. Culver was a school teacher at one point in his career and I remember that while he seemed at ease when he arrived at the community center, he really started to loosen up and seem at ease when a busload of high school students arrived.
But let’s get back to the election campaign. Quite frankly, I don’t think either man has been particularly well served by his handlers. From the reports and excerpts I heard about their first debate, they spent most of the night calling each other names and disputing the other guy’s claims. In their television ads, when they aren’t dumping on their opponent, they are talking about their past accomplishments.
Enough about the past, we want to know what you are going to do for us if your next address is Terrace Hill.
It seems clear to me that both candidates are saying what they think their major donors want to hear. This has been especially true of Branstad up to this point. It was reported that he didn’t favor the current program to provide preschool for all of Iowa’s kids. But wasn’t he the president of Des Moines University? How could he oppose a progressive education system, starting with preschool for all, regardless of the cost? Someone in charge of an academic institution should be well familiar with how some students struggle to succeed in school. Culver, the former classroom teacher and coach, certainly does.
It was reported that Branstad favored abolishing the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED). He wants to replace it with a volunteer board of business people or some such thing. But I seem to remember the past governor Branstad leading trade delegations around the world trying to drum up business for our state. The IDED has certainly had some problems in recent years, most notably this whole film scandal. But anyone who has been involved in Belle Plaine’s recent development projects, Main Street Iowa, Great Places and even Vision Iowa have seen how enthusiastic and helpful the personnel in the IDED have been for us. They want us to succeed and they really seem to enjoy their jobs.
Branstad’s people have also criticized our I-Jobs program. They claim that we still have a lot of folks out of work and the I-Jobs program has been too expensive without creating permanent employment. But job creation is only a part of the I-Jobs program. Just look at our Main Street a year from now or drive on some of the improved roads across the state or ask city leaders in many Iowa communities who have better water and sewer systems thanks to I-Jobs grants. Those projects won’t disappear tomorrow.
Gov. Culver has been hit time and time again with crises across the state, including floods, tornadoes and a national economy that is in really bad shape. His people point out that Iowa is still in better financial shape than many other states. But his leadership skills have been questioned.
I’ll have to admit, when Branstad emerged as his party’s candidate, my first thought was Culver’s time was almost done. But if voters listen to Branstad’s campaign ads and some of the ideas he has put forth to this point, the election may be closer than many first believed.
Let’s hope that as the election draws nearer, both men will get better advice and advance some positive ideas that will make Iowa the best place to live in the country.
