Meet the 3 candidates running for Iowa House District 40 in Altoona, Des Moines
Three candidates are on the ballot for an Iowa House race in Polk County that has no incumbent.
Democrat MacKenzie Bills, Republican Bill Gustoff and Libertarian Jeni Kadel are competing for Iowa House District 40, which includes Altoona, part of Des Moines and parts of Polk County.
To help voters, the Des Moines Register sent questions to all federal, statewide and Des Moines area legislative candidates running for political office this year. Their answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Early voting begins Oct. 19 for the Nov. 8 election.
More: A guide to voter rights in Iowa. What you need to know before you cast a ballot
Who is MacKenzie Bills?
Age: 28
Party: Democrat
Where did you grow up? Altoona
Current town of residence: Altoona
Education: Simpson College, Bachelor of Arts majoring in Political Science and International Relations, minors in French and Religion
Occupation: Anti-Human Trafficking Advocate
Political experience and civic activities: Culver Public Policy Fellow at Simpson College, Government Consultant, Culver Public Policy Center Advisory Council Board Director, Board Member of the Network Against Human Trafficking and Slavery
Who is Bill Gustoff?
Age: 54
Party: Republican
Where did you grow up? Center Point
Current town of residence: Des Moines
Education: J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1995
Occupation: Attorney
Political experience and civic activities: I have spent decades supporting and serving on boards of many nonprofits and being active in church leadership circles. This has included Habitat for Humanity of Iowa, Ruth Harbor Ministries, Iowa State Bar Association committees, school choice organizations, and eight years on the Republican Party of Iowa State Central Committee (including the honor of being trusted by my peers each of those terms to serve as the party’s Treasurer). Running for the legislature is a family decision and an extension of our shared desire to serve where we can have the most impact for the people and causes we love.
Who is Jeni Kadel?
Age: 37
Party: Libertarian
Where did you grow up? Omaha
Current town of residence: Altoona
Education: BS in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management
Occupation: Owner of Kadel Medical Services
Political experience and civic activities: None
What would be your top issue should you be elected?
Bills: Public education, anti-human trafficking (labor and sex trafficking), and mental health.
Gustoff: Keeping Iowa on track as a leader in the nation on the economy, as a great state to run a business, as a great state to raise a family, and in protecting individual liberties.
Kadel: Health care reform. I was a critical care paramedic for over 10 years and own a medical transportation business. I have seen the issues with health care from many angles. I would like to build a structure that will take away power from "Big Insurance."
More:How to vote in Iowa's 2022 elections for governor, US Senate, state Legislature
Iowans are struggling with rising costs and inflation. What can the state do to help them make ends meet?
Bills: If elected, I would advocate for higher wages, for public-private partnerships to reduce the high cost of child care, for affordable housing programs, increase manufacturing here in the state so Iowans do not pay the additional cost of shipment, lower costs of prescription drugs and doctor visits, tax corporations and lower taxes for hardworking Iowans, and increase the poverty threshold for Iowans so families relying on one household income are able to obtain necessary resources.
Gustoff: Passing the largest tax cut in the history of the state last session (making Iowa the 4th lowest taxed state of those with a state income tax beginning in 2023) will help a lot! But, there is more to do on the tax front, especially on property taxes that seem to rise each year putting a strain on Iowa families and those on fixed incomes. Reducing the costs of regulatory burdens on Iowa business owners will also help keep their costs down, which ultimately keeps costs down for consumers.
Kadel: Temporarily halt taxes to put more money in the hands of the citizens.
More:Brenna Bird, Tom Miller talk abortion, opioids in Iowa attorney general debate
What do you believe Iowa’s abortion policy should be? Do you think abortion should be banned entirely? Do you think Iowa should have no restrictions? If you believe there should be some restrictions, please be specific about the restrictions and the exceptions you support.
Bills: I believe the government, and if elected, myself, should stay out of incredibly difficult decisions women and girls make on reproductive health every day. Reproductive decisions stay between a partner, physician, and their faith. As an anti-human trafficking advocate, I could never tell a victim or survivor that is raped and impregnated by their trafficker to have the child or a pregnant woman in her third trimester with a Leukemia diagnosis to abort the baby in order to receive chemo treatments. Therefore, women and girls should have the right and access to an abortion if it is best for her and her family's livelihood.
Gustoff: Iowans do not believe in unrestricted abortion for any reason or at all stages of pregnancy. Our duly elected legislature has passed laws reflecting the will of the people, only to be struck down by unelected activist judges. Recent court decisions put this issue back where it belongs — in the hands of Iowans through their elected representatives. I am pro-life and believe in doing all we can to protect the lives of innocent unborn babies AND in supporting expectant and new mothers by making adoption easier and implementing the recently passed MOMS bill.
Kadel: I believe that government has no place in the doctor's office. I don't think that government is the best entity to control the morality of the issue.
More:Meet Roby Smith & Mike Fitzgerald, running for Iowa state treasurer in the 2022 election midterms
What is the best way to improve Iowa’s education system?
Bills: The state should increase funding to 8%, so it is commensurate with the recent increase in inflation. The legislature should reinstate Chapter 20 so teachers and staff can negotiate their contracts. Iowa should expand tax rebates for classroom expenses. Iowa should raise the minimum starting salary for teachers so it is competitive across the country. The state should examine its use of Dillion's rule for school boards and encourage local control through the use of home rule to allow school boards to use public funding for what's best for their district. Iowa should increase the usage of critical thinking curricula and trades and skills-based training programs to enhance our future workforce.
Gustoff: Empowering parents to choose the best option for their children and making sure parents are able to be partners in their children's education. Before my mother retired after 45 years of teaching, she put her students' education first and welcomed parents as partners in their children's education. I think most teachers have that same mindset, and we need to make sure administrators are supporting transparent, student-first practices in Iowa schools.
Kadel: Allow money to follow students. We can start at 1% and incrementally increase each year. This will give any schools a metric to change things before it is too late rather than completely gut their budgets.
More:Meet Todd Halbur & Rob Sand, running for Iowa state auditor in the 2022 election midterms
What new laws, if any, do you believe Iowa should pass regarding guns?
Bills: I support protecting the Second Amendment specifically in Iowa, where the deer population must remain under control. However, I also support safety. If elected, I would support annual background and mental health checks on those who purchase and own commercial guns, both long guns and handguns.
Gustoff: First, I encourage every Iowa voter to support the Freedom Amendment to the Iowa Constitution in November and leave California, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Minnesota as the only states not having a basic right to keep and bear arms in their state constitutions. Beyond that, I support the right of every law-abiding Iowan to keep and bear arms, which has been recognized and protected as a preexisting basic human right since the founding of our democratic republic.
Kadel: As a trans woman, I statistically am more likely to be attacked than the average person. I believe that the government should not ban me from using any tool I need to protect myself, my wife, and my children.
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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Where the 2022 Iowa House District 40 candidates stand on issues
