Iowa Republican chair, others campaign for Bloomingdale

CRESCO - “A good candidate is true to her campaign promises, principles and faith first. Second she is true to her constituents, and third she is true to the party. That’s who Jane Bloomingdale is,” stated Jeff Kaufman, Iowa Republican Chairman at a fund-raising event at the Cresco Country Club on Sept. 12.

He further explained he would not respect the District 51 incumbent representative if she always voted the party way, when it was different from what she feels northeast Iowa expects.

About 40 locals attended the event, including District 50 Representative Pat Grassley (grandson of Sen. Chuck Grassley), State Senator Waylon Brown and District 55 Representative Michael Bergan.

Before the program, the Republican chair stated, “I tell candidates, ‘Be true to yourself.’ That’s what Jane does. You have to have the Janes, or rural Iowa will get swallowed up. Being a legislator is not rocket science. It is about establishing trust and honoring promises.

“If it’s between what I want her to do or what you want to do, she’s going to pick you every time.”

He also spoke about the Democratic legislators. “I really think Iowans would be happy to see us in Des Moines. They would see deals being made, both sides giving and taking. They would also appreciate a knock-down debate where grudges aren’t held.” 

He explained both sides are basically fighting for what they feel is right, and that garners respect across party lines.

Grassley, who has been a legislator since 2007, said, “Jane is very thoughtful on her decisions and goes with what her district wants, even when it is against the party.”

On a side note, Grassley said he had just been in Washington, D.C. visiting his grandfather, Chuck, on Sept. 17 for his 85th birthday. “He got up at 4 a.m. to run. I was still in bed,” he admitted sheepishly. 

When someone asked if he would take over for the senior Grassley when the time came, he answered, “If he lives forever, I don’t have to worry about it!”

Bloomingdale said both Kaufman and Grassley have been mentors to her, helping her in her first term.

Brown is also serving his first term. He said two years ago he didn’t know Bloomingdale, but he has found a friend in her. “You took a risk for us, and I want to thank you for putting your faith in us. We’ve been working really hard for our manufacturing companies, our schools, our districts. We’re in this because we care.”

Bloomingdale was happy to report Iowa was tops in the United States for connectivity — first in ultra-fast Internet access and fifth in broadband access. “By bringing fiberoptics to ‘the last mile,’ we are only limited by our imagination.”

She then thanked her speakers for traveling such long distances to support her in her bid for a second term as representative. She also was appreciative of those who organized the event and attended.

Later, Bloomingdale shared her thoughts on important issues. “The biggest issue is listening to people at the door. When I knock on doors, I listen to what the person is saying.”

Being an accountant and wanting to do right by her constituents, Bloomingdale said balancing the budget is important, as is continuing to improve the Medicaid process. “We need to make sure it’s sustainable,” she added. “We also need to keep asking questions such as what is getting better and what isn’t.”

One thing she was proud of during the last session was the education bill that included looking at transportation costs. “For Howard-Winneshiek, that was an increase of 6-7 percent or about $500 per student.”

Another issue is extending SAVE (Secure an Advanced Vision for Education), a penny sales tax for schools.

Community colleges need to be one of the priorities of the state. The legislator said in the near future, 70 percent of jobs will need some college, and the community colleges fit the bill.

Bloomingdale is dedicated to water quality. “The bill that just passed was good, but it’s just a beginning. We need to encourage conservation,” she stated. Helping with that is the 3/8¢ funding for the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund.