Letter to the editor

I would like to encourage everyone to get out this year and support our State and Local candidates for office.  We are blessed with outstanding public servants who need and deserve your support at the ballot box, so we can continue growing and improving our great State of Iowa.
 
Kim Reynolds is seeking to be elected Governor, having served as our Governor since 2017 once Governor Branstad was chosen to be our U.S. Ambassador to China.  Governor Reynolds has been a great champion of Iowa and Iowans both as Lt. Governor and now as Governor.  We are proud that she has helped make tough choices to keep taxes low, keep our budget balanced, and signed one of the nation’s toughest protections on unborn human life.  Objectively, household incomes are going up, job creation is strong, unemployment is at record lows, and Iowa is nationally recognized as a great place to live and work.  Kim Reynolds is one of the hardest working Governors in the nation, and we are blessed to have her leading our State government.  I encourage you to get out and vote for Kim on November 6th.

Annette Sweeney is our State Senator and is the picture of a public servant.  Along with her family, Annette has been a rancher in rural Iowa Falls for decades, and has also served her community and the public in countless ways.  From previously serving in the Iowa legislature, to working on rural issues within the USDA, to playing the piano at her local church, Annette has a heart for service and for the people she serves.  She is without question the most qualified and hardest working person to represent our interests in the Iowa Senate, and she will never take this job or our votes for granted.
 
Similarly, Pat Grassley is our State Representative and has served with distinction in that body since 2007.  Pat also balances his work on the family farm with his public service, so he is well equipped to represent our rural interests in Des Moines.  In the last session, Pat was elected to Chair the Appropriations Committee, so he has an important voice for us in the Legislature.  Pat works extremely hard to conserve and efficiently use the resources we all send to Des Moines for the smooth and effective operation of the State Government.
 
Secretary of State Paul Pate has delivered on his campaign promise to make election integrity a priority in Iowa, and we are thankful to finally have a voter ID law. Iowa has joined 32 other states having some form of ID requirement to vote.  Iowa’s approach is a sensible solution to improve voter integrity, and amazingly our political opponents seek to overturn this requirement.
 
State Auditor Mary Mosiman is an eager and energetic public servant who exudes integrity.  If you get the chance to meet her, you know she enjoys her work as the “taxpayer’s watchdog” and she takes this assignment very seriously.  She has served this office exceedingly well since 2013 and she deserves our vote for reelection in 2018.

Lastly for Statewide candidates, please remember to vote for Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.  Mike has been Deputy Secretary of Agriculture since 2013, and is now serving as Secretary of Agriculture since Bill Northey is serving within the USDA in Washington, D.C. since 2017.  Mike has been working within agriculture for his whole life, and it is clear his great passion lies within this critical Iowa resource. Mike Naig has been endorsed by Bill Northey, and we agree that he’s the best candidate to continue his great work in this important department.
 
Congressman Steve King is a steadfast supporter of life, the Constitution and agriculture. He continues to work hard in the best interest of Iowans. Because of leaders like Steve King, the average Iowan will see a $2,000 increase in take home pay in 2018.  America is seeing its lowest unemployment levels since 1969, Black and Hispanic unemployment are at all-time lows, and consumer confidence is approaching a record high. King has been named “Friend of Agriculture” by the Iowa Farm Bureau. He’s been endorsed by the NRA and has the full support of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. He has my vote and hopefully yours, too.  It is critical to keep conservative voices like Steve King’s in Washington, D.C. to make the mission of the Trump Administration moving toward our best interests in Iowa.
 
Of course, we also have several local candidates who exude the qualities of public service in our communities that deserve your vote, including County Recorder Travis Case, County Treasurer Brenda Noteboom, and County Attorney Erika Allen.  Please support them on your ballot!
 
The Grundy County Auditor’s Office will be open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on Saturday, November 3, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for early voting in person.  Voters may cast an absentee ballot in the courthouse through Monday, November 5.  If you do choose to vote in person, please take a moment to thank our public servants.  The early voting for 2018 has already met totals approaching the 2014 absentee voting, with roughly half the days to collect that vote.  The entire election staff has had an extraordinarily busy year of elections in 2018, with several special elections added into their normal calendar.  Our election staff in Grundy County is working hard to serve you!  If you choose to vote on Election Day, November 6th, please take a moment to heartily thank our poll volunteers.  They put in a very long day to help us all exercise our right to vote.  Thank you all!
 
Brian Andersen, Chair
Grundy County Republicans