Iowa House District 38 Candidates Q&As - Erick Zehr

Name: Erick Zehr

City: Newton

Office sought: House District 38

Occupation: Energy Efficiency Consultant

Education: Physics Teaching

Elected offices held: None

1. Introduce/Reintroduce yourself to Jasper County voters and explain why you want to be the representative of Iowa House District 38.

Newton and Jasper County are home, and I want to see them thrive. Our “People Over Politics” message is trying to reverse the way politicians normally operate. Eighty to ninety percent of this job should be apolitical - it shouldn’t matter what party you represent, because first and foremost you represent your district. I want the people of my district to have representation that puts their needs first and judging from what I hear in the community, that is not the case with our current representative. Jon Dunwell overwhelmingly heard from constituents that Jasper County does NOT want vouchers to pass, and yet he voted for them anyways because he cares about his party more than his people. I want to change that. My funding is almost exclusively personal contributions, and my opponent’s is mostly from PACs and large donations. Who do you think will fight for you?

2. Public education funding, educational savings accounts/vouchers and school choice were at the center of political discourse this pasty year. What is your overall vision for public education in Iowa? What worries you?

Public education has been systematically underfunded for years now, not even keeping up with year-to-year inflation. Teaching today’s youth is challenging enough, but now our educators are attacked from all sides - called pedos and groomers, banning books and curriculum, all the while underpaid and under-appreciated. Yes, money doesn’t solve everything, but it does help to retain the qualified teachers we already have, and it does help to lower classroom size and provide additional staff resources to help our educators be more effective, for starters. Taking public tax dollars and paying for a select few students to get a private school voucher is NOT a solution. Private schools do not have the same oversight and regulations and can choose their enrollees. Meanwhile, public schools already provide excellent transparency and “choice” with open enrollment. We need to trust our professional educators and invest in our future generations with a strong public education system.

3. Inflation is high. Iowans are feeling the effects of increased cost of living expenses in addition to supply chain issues and rising energy prices. How would you address this issue? Is cutting taxes enough to relieve this pressure?

Rising costs are something that affects all of us and requires our leaders to come together for solutions, not finger-pointing. At our forum, my opponent said “Bidenflation” is the sole cause, as if inflation isn’t an issue across the world? Most people understand the main fuel for the global inflation crisis was the COVID pandemic and response. What we CAN do here in Iowa is take steps to help those most impacted. Low-income households and families felt the effects hardest, and we could help with expanded childcare tax credits and affordable housing solutions, to name a few. Investing in renewable energy will help lower our dependence on foreign oil, and the volatility of oil countries. One of the worst solutions is the Republican Flat Tax. Flat Tax structures are disproportionately burdensome on lower-income taxpayers, and the loss of revenue forces significant cuts to things like mental health services and rural healthcare access, etc. We need to push back against corporate greed in times such as this so we can all make it through together.

4. Abortion has been debated more frequently in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade this past summer. What are your views on abortion? What is the state’s role when it comes to abortion?

Simply put, I trust the women of Iowa to make their own healthcare decisions. An abortion is a terrible thing to have to go through, and lowering the number needed is a noble cause. But no one feels the pain of the decision and procedure more acutely than the mother, and we should focus on ways to help her, not tell her what to do. It is NOT the government’s job to force women to carry their pregnancies to term – if women don’t even have autonomy over their own bodies, how can we call ourselves the Land of the Free with a straight face? Raising a family is one of life’s truest joys, and the choice to start or continue one should not be made by the government, but by the parents. Not for nothing… ask yourself what the financial impact of an abortion ban would be. Do you think businesses and people would rather move here or to neighboring states without these bans?

5. Water quality in Iowa continues to make no real improvements. More than half of the state’s lakes, reservoirs, rivers and streams have impairments. What should the state do to protect its waters?

Unfortunately, this is a big problem with even bigger contributing factors. What could be more essential than the quality of our water? The demand for Iowa’s crops isn’t exactly diminishing, and climate change isn’t making farming any easier. Water volume is also down, complicating every single waterway. Short-term fixes like increases in regulations of fertilizers and farming practices could be unduly burdensome on the farming community and may or may not be the right approach. One quick solution would be to fund the Natural Resources & Outdoor Recreational Trust Fund, created with bipartisan support in 2010 to oversee the protection of water, natural resources, fish and wildlife and farmland soil. But the Republican majority has not funded it recently. Fortunately, Biden’s infrastructure bill included $638 million to work on Iowa’s water infrastructure, so there should be no excuses for inaction in the next legislative session.

6. In September, the governor announced Iowa has an almost $2 billion budget surplus from fiscal year 2022. This can be used to pay debt, reduce taxes or start or fund existing programs? Do you think the surplus should be used in any particular way?

Our top priority should be setting up Iowa’s future with sustainable solutions and financial stability. “Fiscal responsibility” is more than just cutting taxes, it needs wise investments in our future. We want to ensure a good quality of life for current and prospective citizens. If Iowans can’t get the mental health care services they need, or there are no childcare options in their area, they might be forced to move. Ask yourself: What is one of the first things you investigate when considering a move? “Do they have a good school system?” Investment in public education can make Iowa a beacon for young families. A top priority of mine is rural broadband. I want to bring the world out here to rural Iowa so that you don’t have to choose between keeping your house and keeping up with the modern business world. We also should allow/regulate the sale of recreational marijuana, so that people aren’t driving out of state to buy. We can provide safer alternatives to synthetic marijuana and opioids, all while creating revenue.