Athena Valdez
Melbourne
I have been working with Dan Kelley for nearly two years on a tornado siren bill that would require all communities in Iowa to have some sort of warning in place for all residents. The bill is HF408.
I met Dan in 2013 when my community, Melbourne, refused to get a siren installed and I reached out for help; Dan is the one who answered that call for help. Not long after, he drafted the first draft of the bill and invited my oldest son and I to the capitol to review the bill. Unfortunately, it did not make it out in time for funnel week, but we are still working on getting the bill through.
Dan is like family now. My 8-year-old son looks up to him and because of him my son wants to someday work in government. He has taken a huge interest in how things work and wants to help make a change like his mom, and like Dan.
He has been a great friend and mentor to me as I embark on a journey not traveled by anyone in my family. He’s not just a great friend to me but to everyone he meets. Even if he doesn’t fully agree with someone, he still respects their opinion and treats them with so much respect.
He is Iowa’s friend. He cares for each and every individual here and wants nothing but the best for everyone in our beautiful state, which is more than I can say for other elected officials. Unless its effecting them or in their back yard they just don’t care. Dan is different. He takes things to heart and that is not common in politics.
To have a friend like Dan I certainly have someone to look up to that demonstrates the kind of person I want to be. I have to say a big thank you to Dan for being such a treasured friend. Anyone who can say bad about him does not truly know him.
Together Dan, my best friend Jennifer and I run a Facebook page for the tornado siren bill. Its called STORM Safety Iowa. We have the bill in its entirety posted.
I am honored to have such a great friend and I feel the rest of Iowa should feel the same.