Two sitting metropolis council members in Scott County are pitching completely different resumes to voters in a GOP contest for an open state senate seat.
Barry Lengthy, a LeClaire metropolis council member, and Scott Webster, a Bettendorf alderman, are operating for Iowa Senate District 47, which incorporates Eldridge, Bettendorf, Riverdale, Panorama Park, and elements of LeClaire and Davenport. Bettendorf physician Mary Kathleen Figaro is the Democrat operating for the seat. She doesn’t face a major opponent.
Barry Lengthy
Bettendorf Metropolis Council member Scott Webster introduced that he’s looking for the Republican nomination for the open Iowa Senate District 47 seat in 2022, establishing a GOP major contest.
Lengthy is a Republican union member who was impressed to run for LeClaire metropolis council 13 years in the past by Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh and mentioned he’s with Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ agenda “100%.” Webster is a home-builder and enterprise proprietor who has expertise in crafting and recommending state coverage.
There’s a little daylight between the 2 on key points earlier than the GOP-controlled Iowa Legislature. Each say they help taxpayer-funded scholarships for personal college bills, abortion restrictions and reducing taxes, however differ on how far they’d go.
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In interviews, nevertheless, Lengthy gave a full-throated backing of Reynolds’ priorities. Webster, against this, supported Reynolds’ priorities with some caveats.
Lengthy mentioned he “completely” would help Reynolds’ proposal for tax-payer-funded scholarships for 10,000 college students to pay for personal college bills and “would help 100%” eliminating Iowa’s earnings tax.
“Proper now, I really feel that Iowa is in an incredible place,” Lengthy mentioned, citing the state’s $1.2 billion normal fund finances surplus. “I believe Iowa proper now could be very well-run. I help Kim Reynolds’ agenda 100%.”
Lawmakers failed to come back to an settlement for the second 12 months on the Reynolds-backed invoice that might’ve diverted state per-pupil funds for scholarships for 10,000 college students to offset the prices of switching to non-public faculties.
Webster mentioned he helps utilizing public funds for serving to households with non-public college bills, however was involved about sending leftover per-pupil assist to districts with fewer than 500 college students, a change Reynolds proposed this 12 months to attempt to win over some rural Iowa Republican lawmakers who feared the plan would pull college students and assets from rural faculties.
“I used to be involved with that,” Webster mentioned. “I do not perceive why we’d create a invoice that might ship that $2,500 to rural counties. I’d a lot favor to see that cash keep inside that college district.”
Lengthy mentioned he’d help the academic financial savings accounts no matter whether or not the availability for rural faculties was in it.
“I do not imagine this invoice was designed to remove from public faculties,” Lengthy mentioned.
On one other Republican precedence, requested if he helps eliminating Iowa’s earnings tax fully, Webster mentioned: “If we had the income from different sources to have the ability to make the state finances work, I’d.”
Iowa lawmakers handed main tax laws this session that might regularly scale back state earnings taxes to a 3.9% price for the overwhelming majority of employees. Lawmakers additionally eradicated taxes on retirement earnings.
Webster says what differentiates him is his expertise on state boards and committees. He’s the previous president of the Iowa Homebuilders Affiliation and has been a member of the Iowa League of Cities Legislative Coverage Committee since 2019.
“I clearly come from a much bigger metropolis than my major candidate. So I am used to somewhat bit greater finances and somewhat bit extra of the larger metropolis considerations,” Webster mentioned. “I believe I can relate with the smaller cities which are inside the district as a result of I’ve relationships there, too.”
On a neighborhood subject, Lengthy emphasised that as a council member, he voted in opposition to bringing velocity cameras to Interstate 80 close to LeClaire. Proponents say velocity cameras scale back crashes and make it safer for police departments to implement velocity limits in high-traffic areas. Critics say the velocity cameras are an overreach and used as a money seize by cities and firms that set up them.
“I don’t imagine in large authorities,” Lengthy mentioned. “If I used to be elected to the Senate, I’d sponsor a invoice that might ban all velocity cameras within the state of Iowa.”
When requested about velocity cameras, Webster mentioned he didn’t like them, however they’re generally used for professional security functions.
“I do not assume they are a good factor normally,” Webster mentioned. “However some smaller cities might have a use for them in lieu of hiring further law enforcement officials. But when we make a compromise to maintain them, it is acquired to offset property taxes. It is acquired to pay for public security.”