Could you provide some background information about yourself that would help voters establish your connection to the area you are seeking to represent?
John Beard: My Iowa roots go deep. The farm where I am a partner in the family beef operation has been in the family for over 150 years. My wife RoJene is a teacher in the Decorah schools and our son, Chance, is 15 years old. I've been employee and employer. I've shod horses in Pennsylvania, worked on a green turtle farm in the West Indies, and built water towers nationwide. I have owned and operated Beard Welding and Machine in Decorah for the past 28 years. My travels only make me appreciate northeast Iowa more.
Lennie Burke: I am a life-long resident of Allamakee County. My wife, Linda, and I have owned a business in the county, Wings Supper Club, for six years. I have served on the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors for more than nine years. Linda and I have four children: Jennifer, who is married to Matt Blocker, of Caledonia, MN; Dana, who is married to John Cota, of Harpers Ferry; Andy, who is married to Kari Alexander, of Decorah; and Mike, a Staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force who is stationed in Abilene, TX at the Diaz Air Force Base. We have 10 grandchildren.
John Franzen: I've been politically active since early in life. In school, I was elected Class President and served on the Student Council for three years, and was part of the first Student Exchange program to Great Britain at North Fayette High School in West Union. I am a member of the Iowa Farm Bureau, and currently co-chair of the Winneshiek County Community Hope Growing Project for the Food Resources Bank. My family and I are members of Calmar Lutheran Church. I've been married to my wife Juli for 17 years and we have four children who attend Decorah area schools.
Thomas Hansen: My name is Thomas Hansen. I met my wife, Jeanett Wendling, while she was visiting friends out in Nevada, where I was raised. After knowing her for 48 hours, I followed her back here to Iowa and proposed to her. We now have been married almost 21 years and have one daughter, Addie Rose, age 15.
We moved back to Iowa in 1989 to help her parents with the farm and I opened my own refrigeration business. After Jeanett's father, Howard, died in 1995, we bought the family farm, which has been in her family since 1872, and started Rock Cedar Ranch, an organic beef operation, with three cows and a bull from Howard's original herd. We now have over 100 head and sell our beef to local restaurants, grocery stores, and private customers.
I have always been involved in local issues since moving here. I convinced Winneshiek County to treat its citizens more equitably by revising their fencing policy when building new roads; adopting a two-tiered building permit system; and getting the county hospital to institute a policy of giving a five-percent discount on hospital bills to those without health insurance. I have also expressed my opinions, congratulated, praised, criticized, and offered my solutions to various local problems in over 120 letters to the editor, mostly published in the Decorah Journal. I also ran against Chuck Gipp in 2006, and yes I am taking credit for his decision to retire, and I am a member of the Winneshiek County Cattlemen's Association.
Small, rural communities like those in northeast Iowa seem to be in a constant struggle to not just thrive, but even survive. What hope can you give to residents of these types of communities to want to remain here and live their lives?
Lennie Burke: The hope I would most like to share or give to Allamakee County residents and other residents of small communities is safety. In today's world, safety is a big concern. I want our residents to feel safe and for their children to be safe within the schools.
I want to continue with quality of life policies within the legislature. The tourism industry is a large contributor to our economy. Allamakee County alone sees an economic impact of $29 million from tourism expenditures. The Vision Iowa program answers both tourism and quality of life issues.
Our small communities can be a place where new jobs through technology can thrive. We need the infrastructure in place in our small rural settings to entice people to move or relocate themselves and their families to rural Iowa.
John Franzen: Small towns and rural areas have their own unique kind of economy, and we're proud of our small business owners and small farmers. It's important that we support our local businesses and encourage new business to start, settle and stay here. As Senator Paul Wellstone said, "We all do better, when we all do better!"
It's no secret that we're facing some tough economic challenges today, especially in smaller communities. But job training, small business loans, professional mentoring and many other programs can be used to make sure that every one of our neighbors has the basic skills and opportunities to succeed, regardless of their background or current financial situation. That's not just neighborly, that's good business!
Thomas Hansen: The greatest reason for hope is that the face of agriculture is changing. People across the country are becoming increasingly concerned not only about how their food is raised but also about where it comes from. Organic and natural food production has grown over 20% a year for almost two decades now and concerns over the impact, both economically and environmentally, of transporting most of our food over long distances has also become a greater factor.
We here in northeast Iowa are residing on a gold mine. The fact that we are sitting on some of the best soil in the world; that our landscape is more conducive to smaller farms; that putting more people to work on the land translates into a need for more local businesses to support them; that strong self-sufficient local economies are less susceptible to the effects of global recessions; that a more vibrant economy means less need for government services and lower taxes; and that northeast Iowa already leads the way by producing 26% of all organic food production in Iowa should be more than enough reason to have an enormous amount of hope.
The H.W. Kellogg Foundation recently put a huge exclamation mark on this train of thought by giving five counties here in northeast Iowa $500,000, with the promise of millions more, to develop such a system to benefit our society, economy, and environment as a whole and to serve as a model for the rest of the country.
John Beard: Education is a critically important component to economic development because successful entrepreneurs must be both creative and capable. Another proven component to wealth creation is infrastructure. Our roads and bridges were ignored for too long in the enthusiasm for irresponsible tax cuts.
Outdoor recreation and cultural amenities draw talented people to our communities. The fastest growing rural counties have lakes, streams, museums and art. The trout streams of the Driftless area of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin have a combined economic impact of 1.1 billion dollars per year.
Iowa is tenth in the nation for potential wind energy production. New nanoengineered solar panels will produce energy more efficiently than fossil fuels. New ultracapacitors will enable energy storage for times when the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine. The lowest hanging fruit in sustainable energy policy is conservation. Our buildings account for most of our energy use, and it makes sense to attack waste at the household level. Giving every homeowner an incentive to save and produce energy will drive economic activity, innovation and jobs.
With much discussion recently in this area about bluffland protection and zoning ordinances, what type of balance do you promote between economic growth and quality of life?
John Franzen: We need smart, sustainable building to protect the area's beauty and environmental resources. We also need to balance these policies with an optimistic policy that encourages sane, sustainable growth.
Thomas Hansen: Zoning laws must accomplish three things. First and foremost is that the actions of one landowner do not violate the rights of others. This is the basis of all civil societies and one, with the uncontrolled spread of industrialized agriculture, that Iowa is sadly ignoring. As with reference to the blufflands, it makes no sense to take highly erodible land and make it even more so and not recognize the negative impact this has on others downstream from it.
Second, the state has a responsibility to ensure that its resources are used in the best possible manner for the greatest good of its citizens. Again, the State is failing here miserably and it is admirable that the counties are filling the void, to the extent allowed by the State, through county zoning ordinances. With reference to the blufflands, not only is our watershed a resource, but if we are going to promote tourism as a viable part of our economy, then it again makes no sense to deface a resource we expect to be an attraction to others.
Third, we must come to the realization that our economy, society and environment are all intrinsically tied together, and to do harm to one has a negative impact on the other two. Zoning ordinances are a means by which to guide growth for the greatest benefit of all. For if we wish to revitalize our communities they must be a place where people wish to come to live, work and raise a family.
John Beard: Sensible land use policy is critical to sustainable prosperity. We must keep our working land productive and our ecosystem healthy, and do so in a way that is good for all. I believe Allamakee Supervisors have done the right thing by assembling a full spectrum of stakeholders and having them come to consensus. This is the democratic model. It is a difficult, but necessary process and we should remember that refinements can be made as need arises.
Lennie Burke: With the zoning ordinances and bluffland protection plan, I would like our county to be proactive rather than reactive to growth. I am for economic growth and quality of life and feel the ordinance will provide the balance Allamakee County needs to be conscientious about growth. While protecting the beauty and stability of the bluffs, we can still allow for responsible development.
Ongoing budget cuts have forced county and city governments to tighten their belts considerably. How would you propose to balance the state budget without handing any further burdens down to lower levels of government or the citizens of this state?
Thomas Hansen: First, we must understand that in order for the government to do its job it needs money and the only way government acquires this money is through taxes or fees of one sort or another placed upon its citizens. Here an analogy of the differences in the way profits are made between a grocery store and a hardware store and taxes and the economy may be helpful.
A grocery store has a lower mark-up on its products it sells than a hardware store because it deals in a higher volume of products sold. If we think of higher taxes as the "mark-up", we can have either a high volume economy and lower taxes or a low volume economy and higher taxes.
The problem we face now, here in Iowa, is one of volume. We don't have enough profits from businesses staying within our communities or our state. While some out-of-state or foreign ownership of businesses is acceptable, it must not be the main focus of state policies.
The key is to develop policies that increase the number of Iowa residences making a profitable and sustainable living from the land and encourage local entrepreneurs to start new businesses and stimulate the circulation of money through our local communities.
Once we return to a more robust local economy, with fewer individuals in need of government services, we will be able to lower taxes and still have more than enough money for the state government to operate properly without any further burden down to lower levels of government or the citizens of this state.
John Beard: It would probably surprise no one that there is still waste to be cut from government. Much could be gained by standardizing accounting forms so that agencies that must report to state and local and federal government could use a universally accepted form. Budget demands for government agencies vary from year to year, but under present policy those agencies must spend their full allotment or it will be cut back for the next fiscal year. I believe we should reward careful managers by allowing them to put surplus funds into rainy day accounts without penalty.
Lennie Burke: As a Representative, I would see that the State does have a balanced budget, spending only 99% of revenues. The State needs to be more accountable on earmark expenditures.
John Franzen: I believe we need to find a way to reduce property taxes and possibly even do away with the state income tax. For the last two years the state legislature rainy day fund has been at a surplus, so it may be a possibility to use some of that fund to help reduce property taxes in some way. I have also lived in Florida, where there is no state income tax, and their road system seems to be just fine. One tax I think we need to increase is our gas tax. Even at record high gas prices, I think that tax needs to be adjusted to help better fund our road system.
What do you see as this state's greatest challenge in education?
John Beard: Our skilled, educated and productive work force is one of the foundations of our wealth. Our investments in education yield both immediate and long-term dividends. Our community colleges are important because of their responsiveness to the needs of business. Our universities produce technology that gives us an innovative edge so necessary in today's global economy. Because healthy babies get a better start on life and learning, our investment should start with prenatal care and follow through college. We should encourage creativity and problem solving, rather than rote learning.
Lennie Burke: I see the state's greatest challenge in education as the transition into the ever-changing technology for our youth. Educational institutions need to work with the business sector to understand the specific changing skills needed of tomorrow's employees.
John Franzen: The state needs to retain highly qualified teachers and offer incentives for service to teaching graduates.
Thomas Hansen: The State's greatest challenge in education is preparing our children for life, not just for college.
We have too much of a cookie cutter-style education system that does not recognize students are individuals with individual talents and interests and that needs to understand that the best way for students to be successful in life is to immerse them in the studies of an area for which they have passion, whether these be intellectual, vocational, or technical.
I believe we need counseling for high school students, aptitude testing, a more flexible high school curriculum and graduation requirements, and vo-tech high schools. We must develop policies such as these to give every student the ability to reach for their dreams, not compromise on them, if they are to achieve greatness in life and help create a better society.
What role can the state level of government play in helping small family farms remain operational in competition with the large corporate farming operations?
Lennie Burke: Being a small farm operator, I see the difficulties of raising a family on farm income alone. I think the State needs to assist producers with diversifying their operations. Legislators need to be innovative and work with local extensions, resource, conservation, and development and economic development offices to educate them about new opportunities in agriculture. Agriculture is still the number one industry in rural Iowa and we need to continue to promote that.
John Franzen: Subsidies to corporate agricultural interests need to be eliminated. Programs should be directed primarily to legitimate family farm operations. Also, the state needs to address the practices of packer-owned beef and hog operations.
Thomas Hansen: The State can do several things to facilitate the plans I've outlined in questions two and four.
First, get involved with those working with the H.W. Kellogg Foundation to help promote and fund locally-based and owned food production and distribution networks, including processing plants, warehouses, and other necessary infrastructure.
Second, help aging farmers transfer their land to young beginning farmers by giving older sellers reduced tax rates on the profits of the sale of their land in the profits of the sale of their land if they sell to beginning farmers.
Third, help all farmers who wish to convert to organic farming and ranching by funding a three-year property tax abatement program if the farmer or rancher signs an agreement to remain organic for at least 15 years after certification. Three years being the transition time between ceasing conventional practices and certification as organic, it is the most difficult period to get through and represents a big roadblock to many.
Fourth, revise our property tax system to reflect the real value of the property by taxing it at the last sale price. Those that wish to push out smaller or beginning farmers by paying $5,000 an acre for land will have to pay taxes on that amount. Those that have had their land for many years and have paid a much lower price (i.e. older farmers) will get an automatic tax reduction. In short, simplify our property tax system, eliminate ambiguity caused by assessments, and make it equitable to everyone.
Fifth, adopt a definition of a "family farm" as any tract of land which is owned, lived upon, and worked by the same individual or his family within a certain degree of relationship (i.e. children, brother, sister, etc.). It is impossible to save something if you do not know what it is.
Last, adopt an Iowa certified organic brand and label (a very good one has already been designed by a Mr. Richard Blazek) to promote our products around the country such as Vermont does with its syrup and Washington with its apples.
If these things are done there will be no reason that small family farms cannot only compete with large corporate agriculture but actually surpass it in importance to the state economy.
John Beard: State government should start enforcing anti-trust laws. Meat processors should not be allowed to own livestock, period. Greater consolidation and vertical integration by large agribusiness reduces competition and flexibility in our markets. The State could help entrepreneur farmers by assisting them with processing and marketing. Iowa-produced artisanal foods like specialty meats and cheeses could become associated with high quality, like Vermont's cheeses and maple syrup. Economic studies continually point out that individually-owned businesses and farmers are the best model to keep dollars in communities and in the state.
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