Jasper County lawmakers will attend legislative gatherings

Elected officials representing Jasper County at the Iowa Legislature are participating in the League of Women Voters of Jasper County’s legislative gatherings in January, February and March, making themselves available for questions and deeper discussions about statehouse affairs.

Bonnie Pitz, president of the League of Women Voters of Jasper County, said Sen. Ken Rozenboom and Rep. Jon Dunwell were contacted and are planning to attend the meetings, which will be held at 10 a.m. Jan. 21, Feb. 18 and March 18 at the Newton Public Library. The public is very much encouraged to attend.

Other elected officials were invited to attend, too, like Evelyn George and Randy Ervin, both of which serve the at-large seats on the Newton City Council.

Typically, the legislative gatherings have been a way for elected officials to answer constituents’ questions regarding key issues or provide insight to particular bills. Last year, Dunwell and former Rep. Jon Thorup covered a variety of topics, from school choice to bottle deposit laws.

Legislative gatherings are important because they give elected officials a platform to share what is happening at the statehouse. But more importantly they allow constituents to share their points of view directly with those who are representing them in the Iowa Legislature, Pitz said.

“The citizens of Jasper County have a right to express their views with their elected representatives in a respectful fashion,” she said. “We really want this to be a respectful dialogue with the community and the elected representatives.”