Swartz, Greiner outline vision as opponents fail to show

Oct. 28—OTTUMWA — Diana Swartz and Matt Greiner sat maybe eight feet apart, with nothing but white nameplates and empty seats between them for where their Republican opponents would have been.

That didn't stop the state candidates from presenting their views and outlining their visions if they are elected in a little over a week.

Swartz and Greiner took part in a League of Women Voters forum Thursday at City Hall as both seek state office for the first time. Swartz, a John Deere worker and UAW member, is taking on Hans Wilz for the Iowa House 25 seat, while Greiner, a family farmer and Davis County supervisor, is running against Cherielynn Westrich in the new Senate 13 seat.

Both candidates were asked about their views of the Dobbs decision in June by the U.S. Supreme Court, which essentially overturned Roe v. Wade after almost 50 years. Swartz and Greiner are pro-choice, but Iowa's current law bans abortion at six weeks, when a baby's heartbeat can be detected, but often before a woman knows she's pregnant.

"I remember my mother sitting us four girls down in 1973, and telling us this is the best thing that could happen for a woman. When they overturned this, I feel like the government overstepped their boundaries," Swartz said. "A woman has the right to choose what she wants with her body, and no one else should be in that room other than her, her doctor, and anybody in her fmaily that wants to help her make that decision."

Greiner concurred, citing the right-to-privacy clause of the 14th Amendment.

"I feel it was 100% wrong," he said. "I think they got it absolutely right in 1973, and I will do everything to support the freedom of women and the privacy protection of women."

Both candidates saw public education as a key part of their candidacies. Greiner was a school board member for nine years, and said the state's small increase for public school funding against inflation was not meeting the moment.

Also, both said the potential for school vouchers and moving public money to private schools was a bad idea.

"Years ago when I was on school board, we used to get like a normal 3.5% increase. The funding just hasn't been there for the schools like it should be, because the cost of running the schools is going up tremendously," Greiner said. "We have to stop vouchers because that will hurt schools seriously and hurt smaller schools."

"We give enough money to private schools that we don't need to give them any more. I would block any vouchers for anything," Swartz said. "Not enough money is allocated to public schools because the teachers have to spend a lot of their own money to put stuff in their classrooms. Public education is not funded well enough."

Both candidates disagreed with unfunded mandates that come from the statehouse. Greiner said that as a supervisor, sometimes his hands are tied by the state in that regard.

"The state needs to take accountability for the laws they're passing, and either fund them or don't be dumping it on the city or the county to do the work for the state," he said. "I'm not a state employee, but sometimes I feel that way. It's a real pet peeve of mine."

Swartz said the state's surplus needs to be put to good use.

"I know they say we have a surplus, so we should be using the money and giving more to the cities and counties because I feel they're not given enough," Swartz said. "Property taxes keep going up, but I want to see our city funded well, and I feel the state and federal government have both lagged in helping out.

"I work in Ankeny every day, and I see the difference with how the metro area is growing. Then I come home to Ottumwa and feel we are left out," she said. "The rural areas are being left behind. There's no reason why we can't make this rural area a great hub for economic development."

Both candidates also support legalizing recreational marijuana, mainly for the revenue impact it would have on the state.

"We're losing out to the surrounding states because people go across borders to buy it," Swartz said. "I think Iowa could really enjoy the increased tax money it would get from it."

"I'm OK with legalizing it," Greiner said. "I think it's just a matter of coming up with a way to split the money up to make sure everybody gets a fair share of it. I think Illinois makes an outrageous amount of money doing this, and we're missing out at the end of the day."

The candidates championed themselves as pro-working class, whether is was in the factories or in the fields, and vowed they would represent their constituents if elected.

"Most people I walk to are very, very open to everything I say," said Swartz, who cited workers' rights, public education, voting rights and women's rights as her top priorities. "With public schools, if you take those away from small towns, they lose their identity, and once that happens, there's no going back."

"We need to keep farmers moving forward as much as possible, but I'd also like to introduce a bill to have senior center food sites in every county of the state," Greiner said. "Also, I don't know why we're not driving 70 mph. We need to have speed cameras on those and signs up so we know they're coming."

— Chad Drury can be reached at cdrury@ottumwacourier.com, and on Twitter @ChadDrury