One candidate is on the primary ballot in a Windsor Heights-based Iowa House district.
Iowa House District 32 includes Windsor Heights and parts of Clive and West Des Moines.
Democratic Windsor Heights Mayor Mike Jones is running for the seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Jennifer Konfrst.
To help voters, the Des Moines Register sent questions to all federal and Des Moines area legislative candidates running for political office this year. Their answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Iowa’s primary election is June 2.
Who is Mike Jones?
What would be your top issue if elected?
Jones (D): Perhaps the most egregious failure of the Republican trifecta over the past decade has been the defunding of our public school system. Iowa’s per-pupil spending growth has not kept pace with inflation since the breakout of COVID-19 and even worse, the state is now funneling $300 million plus into private schools with education savings accounts, and there is zero oversight or accountability on how it’s spent. We once again need to make public education the single greatest priority in our state and appropriately compensate our teachers, modernize our facilities and provide universal free lunches.
What policies would you support to improve Iowa’s education system?
Jones (D): First and foremost, public dollars should go to public schools and should not be used to fund a private education. We need to once again invest in our public school teachers and grow their numbers by incentivizing applicants to go into field of education. We need to expand universal pre-K to 3-year-olds and provide free lunches to every child in the state. Children deserve to go to safe public schools with qualified educators.
Do you support Iowa’s recent tax policy changes, including lowering income taxes, and what additional tax law changes would you support?
Jones (D): The flat income tax is regressive and will prove catastrophic to Iowa’s budget in the years to come. It is nonsensical that someone with an annual income in the top 1% pays the same tax rate as someone is in the lowest 20%. We need to provide tax relief to our seniors, veterans and low-income Iowans. Property taxes should be left to cities, as they have local elections. If local officials are not spending money the way their constituents want, they’ll have to face their voters.
What actions would you support to address Iowa’s high cancer rates?
Jones (D): The Iowa Cancer Consortium released a plan for cancer prevention and risk reduction including but not limited to: reduce access to tobacco, enhance opportunities to access nutritious foods, increase immunization rates for vaccines shown to reduce the risk of cancer, reduce exposure to environmental carcinogens and decreasing exposure to radon. Coincidentally, a number of Republicans have outright resisted addressing some of these factors as shown by their failure to gain consensus on an increased tobacco tax and their “MAHA” and parental consent HPV legislation. The plan is there. Implement it.
When do you believe it is appropriate to use eminent domain, and should it be used to build carbon capture pipelines?
Jones (D): If a project is of such a public benefit that the collective welfare of the community is greater than private rights, eminent domain can be a consideration. These issues should be considered on a case-by-case basis. As it pertains to the carbon capture pipelines, these companies are large enough and have the resources to acquire the land or gain permission from landowners.
How would you remedy Iowa’s budget deficits driven by lost revenue? Are there certain services you would prioritize for cuts?
Jones (D): Start by rolling back education savings accounts by reintroducing income guidelines and ultimately have a plan to sundown the program. Increase taxes on tobacco and nicotine products. Finally, join the 21st century and put us on a path to legalize marijuana and tax it like a number of our neighbors have already done.
Read more about the midterm candidates at: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/news/elections/.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Meet Mike Jones, Democratic candidate for Iowa House District 32
Reporting by Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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