Earlham Echo

October 22, 2024

We interviewed candidates in three critical state and county races. Here are those race previews all rolled into one story.

Ray ‘Bubba’ Sorensen vs. Karen Varley, State Representative District 23

Ray ‘Bubba’ Sorensen, Republican

Ray ‘Bubba’ Sorensen is the current representative for District 23. He was first elected to the Iowa House in 2018. Sorensen is also an artist that is best known for painting the Freedom Rocks in all 99 Iowa counties.

Sorensen’s introduction to politics was as a clerk for Representative Steve Olson. His work got him noticed by another Iowa representative, and before he knew it, Sorensen was running for office himself.

“Unbeknownst to me,” said Sorensen, “my predecessor, Clel Baudler, had kind of been watching me and realizing that I was writing the newsletters for Steve and that I was very involved. When it came time for him to retire, he just thought I was a no-brainer. And he called me when I was painting a mural and he asked, ‘What are you doing, kid?’ I said, ‘I’m painting a mural.’ And he said, ‘Not now you’re not. Now you’re running for office.’”

A piece of Sorensen’s original platform was better Internet access for more Iowans. He found there wasn’t much interest in that among many of his fellow legislators at first, but he was able to get a $5 million grant towards broadband expansion. Then, COVID hit.

“Everybody came running to me like, ‘Oh, what were you talking about with this broadband expansion thing? We really need to get on it,” said Sorensen. “I said, ‘Well, we’re about 10 years behind and now everybody woke up. So everybody’s going to be clamoring for the resources I was telling you about.’ But then we got a $100 million grant.”

Childcare is an important issue in Iowa and most politicians are saying that something must be done to help families. What to do is the real question, and Sorensen will be working on that in his next term, if re-elected.

“A lot of these problems aren’t so much Republican or Democrat, or right and left; they’re more rural and urban,” he said. “A lot of people are moving toward urban areas and out of rural areas. And that makes it very hard to provide services, whether it be education, childcare or just small business. Some of those things are starting to dry up in rural areas and childcare is obviously foundational. If you want young families to put roots down in your town, you have to have great education, but then you have to have a place for kids to go after school. It’s a real struggle. How do you find that balance to helping some of these childcare facilities? How do you incentivize them without just putting the taxpayers on the hook for another thing?”

Political divisiveness in America is perhaps as bad as it’s been in most of our lifetimes. Despite that, Sorensen has been able to work across the aisle in the legislature to get things done.

“Everybody plays to the politics that help them and beat the drum for their party,” said Sorensen. “But when it comes down to it at the state house, generally 90% of the bills we pass up there are completely bi-partisan and worked on with the other party. You’re not going to see any of us hugging it out on Twitter or social media because that doesn’t benefit the parties at large. But when it comes down to the actual business at hand, Republicans and Democrats work quite well with each other.”

We asked each candidate to give their ‘elevator pitch,’ a short description of themselves explaining why a voter should cast a ballot for them. Here’s Sorensen’s: “I’m 45. I have three small kids. I’m right in the thick of it; right in the busiest—probably right in the worst time—to actually be a legislator in the sense of just time to work. But I also think that is the meat and potatoes and the heart of our state and our country. So I feel like you don’t want just a bunch of attorneys and retired folks up there. You want people that are living it and are in the thick of it, that are in that busiest part of life. You want their voice up there. You want their representation up there.”

Karen Varley, Democrat

Karen Varley is an attorney from Stuart running for office for the first time.

Varley has a wide array of education and work experiences. After high school, she went to trade school and became a court reporter. She then studied agronomy at Iowa State University, where she also worked for Asgrow Seed. After getting married, she and her husband continued their educations at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where she studied corn breeding. After they moved back to Iowa, Varley worked part-time for ISU Extension, then got a job in the legal department at Pioneer Hi-Bred. She worked there for 18 years, went to law school on the side, and graduated from Drake Law in 2015. Later, she joined the law practice that her husband started in Stuart in 1992.

Varley feels her varied work experiences will help her as a legislator, having to listen and be open to others’ ideas.

“I’m really appreciative of the experiences I’ve had,” she said, “and I think that variety helps me connect with people. On the education side, I started out in trade school, so I’ve been there and done that. I’ve been a commuter and worked for a big company. There were benefits to that, but also a tradeoff with not working in the community. In our law office in Stuart, people trust us. We have to listen to people and find solutions that will help them.”

Campaigning isn’t easy, and it’s new to Varley—but she’s getting the hang of it. And she’s found out that people are educated about the issues that affect them.

“I am definitely an introvert, so it doesn’t come naturally to me like it does some people,” she said. “However, I have found that I really am enjoying it. It’s funny, it sort of gives me an excuse to approach a stranger and to introduce myself and to ask about them and to find out what’s on their mind. It’s quite satisfying. I see a high level of engagement, and that is a good thing. I’m glad people are paying attention. I’ve noticed a difference—we’ve been campaigning since we announced last winter—but the level of interest and engagement has really picked up in the last six weeks.

Most Iowa Democrats were diametrically opposed to the school choice bill that was recently passed and the proposed changes to AEAs, and Varley was no exception.

“People are passionate about their public schools, especially in smaller communities. They are really the heart of the community,” Varley said. “The threats that we’re seeing, which have really just begun with this voucher program and with the AEA bill, those are real. They are very meaningful to people and there’s an outcry—and there was when the legislation was passed: ‘Please don’t go this direction. This is not what we want.’”

If elected, Varley says she will be the conduit between her constituents and the legislature, making sure that state government works in a way that benefits the people.

“People need a representative to be available and is going to communicate with local people and local entities like school boards and city councils and businesses and non-profit organizations that are doing wonderful things here in the district. They need someone to speak on their behalf and to think about their activities, their missions, their work, and their challenges.”

Varley’s elevator pitch:

“I would say I am running on policy, not personality, and I’m running so Iowa can be number one in education again. I’m running so that women and families can make their own healthcare decisions. And I’m running so that local school boards, and city councils, and county supervisors are empowered and trusted to do what they know is best for their communities. I’m going to bring my work experience as both an employee and an employer. I’ll bring my education in agriculture and science and law, and I’ll bring my core values, most particularly respect and humility. I know that I don’t have all the answers, but I will work with others to find the answers and solve the problems that Iowans care about.”

Amy Sinclair vs. Nicole Loew, State Senator District 12

Amy Sinclair, Republican

Amy Sinclair of Allerton is the incumbent in this race. She has served in the Iowa Senate since 2013, and she was elected as president of the Senate in November of 2022. In that role, she presides over debates and rules on parliamentary questions.

Public service has always been important to Sinclair. She began her political career in 2000 when she was elected to the Wayne County Board of Supervisors. She has also served on the Allerton Public Library Board and served on the board of directors for the South Central Iowa Community Action Program. She is currently a member of the Wayne Optimists Club. She taught in the Central Decatur Community Schools and at Southwestern Community College, and later served as a federal grants coordinator and after-school program director for Wayne Community School District.

“You live in a community, so you should support the community you live in,” said Sinclair. “So whether you’re doing that as a volunteer or as a part of your career, building up the people around you is the best way to make where you live the best place to be. I remember serving on the public library board in Allerton, and not because I necessarily wanted to be on a public library board. That had never occurred to me. But I did because somebody needed to do it or the library wasn’t going to be there. I don’t know that I set out to be community centered, but I knew that I wanted the place where my kids were growing up to be the best place it could be, so you just kind of fall into that.”

As a Senator, Sinclair has been awarded and recognized by numerous national and state organizations and has been a part of impactful legislation. She is proud of the recent changes made to the Iowa tax system and the state budget.

“The one thing that impacts the most people is what they are paying to the government to run essential services,” she said. “By January of this coming year, we will have taken our income tax rates from nearly 9% down to 3.8%. And we’ve budgeted in ways that we still have ending fund balances that make sense. So we’ve been responsible in budgeting and we’ve cut taxes for every single Iowan.”

Should she be elected to another term, Sinclair is looking forward to continuing this work.

“The next step is to look at how cities and counties are working within the property tax system,” she said. “Ever since Iowa has been a state, our property tax system has gotten very complex and convoluted, and it doesn’t necessarily make sense the way we’re doing it anymore. And we’ve tweaked around the edges some different things. We’ve reenacted the hard caps on those levies and we’ve put in place assessment limiters. We are encouraging local governments to do what we’ve done as a state and that is to stay on budget and provide essential services and sometimes make the hard choices that can come with responsible budgeting.”

American citizens have become more and more polarized on the political spectrum in recent years. Sinclair has noticed this with colleagues in the legislature, as well, but it’s not as bad as you might think.

“People who are willing to get involved in politics are people who care deeply about issues on the left or the right, so there is some divide,” she said. “But to be clear, 90% or more of the bills that we pass through the senate are bipartisan or unanimous. It’s just that handful of items that can become a sticky wicket, and that’s what everybody sees. But that’s not the bulk of our work.”

For more information about Sinclair, visit http://www.facebook.com/sinclairforiowa.

Nicole Loew, Democrat

Nicole Loew of Chariton is a registered nurse and a researcher with a PhD in nursing. This is her first time running for office. Growing up, politics were farthest from her thoughts. While she did not set out to be a politician, she has always sought out ways that she can help rural communities.

“I was fortunate to come from a long line of rural farm women and their work ethic and resourcefulness was so incredible and inspiring,” said Lowe. “But I also learned early on that that came from a place of trauma and scarcity. And so I vowed early on that I wanted to make rural people’s lives better. Rural areas and our voices are getting lost. We’re getting swallowed up with urban areas and we need someone right now who can craft an argument as to why we need to protect and value rural voices.”

The idea of running for office first came to her while she was in graduate school.

“It was in that moment that politics found me, because I thought if I want to make rural people’s lives better, then I need to be in the room where decisions are being made,” she said. “And those decisions are being made at multiple levels, but I thought the biggest impact that I could have on Iowans was at the state level running for senate.”

She believes her experience in the medical field of thinking consequentially and anticipating downstream effects of how actions impact other systems will serve her well in office.

“Right now, we really need someone who can look at issues holistically, understand how every single decision a legislator makes is going to impact your life in some way, to navigate the complexity of the reality that we are living in, can synthesize large amounts of data, and evaluate the evidence to make sure we are making the best decisions possible for Iowans,” Loew said.

While campaigning, Loew has noticed that people are knowledgeable about current issues, but many are not aware of some pertinent details. She is opposed to the school choice law that was recently passed and that has been a popular issue of discussion on the campaign trail.  

“Maybe they know it happened, but they don’t know the nuances of it,” she said. “Like not having oversight and that the private schools don’t have the same rules as public schools have to follow. Or, that there is only one rule—and it’s that you can’t offer a rebate.”

Loew launched her campaign last year and has enjoyed the process of running for office.

“I thoroughly enjoy campaigning because I’m a people person and I love engaging with people. The difficult part of campaigning for me is that I also have a full-time job and 3 young kids. So that can make it a little complicated. I’m blessed that my husband has stepped up in an incredible way to make it so that I can be out on the trail and talking to people and showing up as much as humanly possible for my community. Because I think that is such a vitally important thing that candidates and our legislature show up for their community.”

For more information about Loew, visit http://www.loewforiowa.com.

Teri Kaczinski vs. Emily Hoffelmeyer-Reidburn, Madison County Auditor

Teri Kaczinski, Republican

Teri Kaczinski is currently a judicial specialist in the Madison County Clerk’s office. She also owns and runs two businesses. She beat current auditor Shelley Kaster in the Republican primary earlier this year.

Kaczinski’s campaign has tapped into many people’s frustrations over higher taxes, increased government spending, and a higher cost of living in general, and she has vowed to do what she can to help.

“This all revolves around the taxes,” she said. “People are tired of the excessive spending and the blatant disregard. Every dollar that gets spent is coming out of the citizens’ pocket. They’ve had enough. Besides the property taxes, people are emotional because every time they turn around, every aspect of everything they do, it’s just more and more money. Groceries, gas, electric. Everything. It’s draining everybody. So people are more involved because everybody’s hit the point of no return. We can’t keep doing this.”

Kaczinski has never run for public office, but she is embracing the campaign process.

“I’ve been out talking to the residents of the county,” she said. “I’ve gotten positive feedback. Everybody’s been really nice and welcoming. I’ve met a lot of nice people and got to hear some stories. I’ve just enjoyed being out in the community.”

While she admits that there will be a learning curve for her if elected—like with any new job—she does have some ideas on what her first steps would be.

“I would evaluate the current budgets and future budgets based on looking at what’s needed versus what we just want,” she said. “Just because we want it doesn’t mean we need it. Every elected office needs to be proactive in saving the taxpayer’s money out of each of their budgets. It has to start somewhere. You need to get in there and really sharpen the pencil.”

Kaczinski realizes that county services do cost money and increases in some costs are inevitable. She won’t randomly attack the budget with a hatchet.

“I want to get in there with a new set of eyes and see some of that stuff,” she said. “My intentions aren’t to short anything or hurt anybody. I just want to help the residents of Madison County. There’s a difference between stuff that we want and stuff that we need.”

She admits that she has no experience with running elections, a big part of the auditor’s job, but feels like she will be up and running quickly with that aspect of it.

“I know that people are concerned with experience with elections,” said Kaczinski, “but it’s a political position, not a technical position. I will learn the same way everyone has learned before me. Nobody has had experience with elections when they start out. I’m going to bring common sense values and collaborate with county officials that have the experience.”

We asked each candidate to give their ‘elevator pitch,’ a short description of themselves explaining why a voter should cast a ballot for them. Here’s Kaczinski’s:

“The primary qualification of any elected office is to listen and serve the people. Without that quality, no other skills are relevant. The people of the community; not only are they your customers, they are your boss. So if they are unhappy with what I’m doing, then nothing else really matters. As a small business owner, I understand the importance of customer service. Often in the business, my personal needs come last to meet the needs of the business. The auditor is the main steward over the people’s purse. And the people need to know that every dollar spent is absolutely necessary, and that none of it is wasted and it’s spent wisely.”

For more information about Kaczinski, visit http://www.facebook.com/Kaczinski.

Emily Hoffelmeyer-Reidburn, Independent

Emily Hoffelmeyer-Reidburn is currently the first deputy at the Madison County Auditor’s office. She has held that job for about 3-1/2 years. She was previously the first deputy for the auditor, having been hired in 2020. Prior to that, she worked at Dallas County Community Services, in the real estate industry, and at Agriland.

Hoffelmeyer-Reidburn first thought about running for auditor after the primary in June, when her boss, Auditor Shelley Kaster, was defeated.

“I talked with some people and asked if they thought I could get the support and if they thought I was capable enough to do it,” she said. “And I got an overwhelming positive response from everybody. As an individual, sometimes you can underestimate yourself. But I sat there and realized how much I had learned over my five years and I thought, ‘Okay, let’s give this a go.’”

As second deputy, Hoffelmeyer-Reidburn’s main job was paying claims—the bills that come in from all departments in the county. As first deputy, she took over the county payroll. There is an average of one election per quarter in the county, and she helps to facilitate those. During elections, it’s all hands on deck at the office.

“In the last presidential election, it was so busy because it was during COVID.  I think we did 7,000 absentee requests. That was hard. It would be, ‘Okay Emily, you have to get claims done. So you go sit back there for 4 hours and get those done. Then come back and do elections.’ We’re a small office, so everybody needs to be on point to be successful.”

She has enjoyed working in the auditor’s office and feels her experience there is a differentiator in this race.

“There’s so much to learn,” she said. “When I started, I had no idea of the extent of what the auditor’s office did. But once you get in there, you realize that most things filter through the auditor’s office. What’s so interesting is all the departments really do have to work together. We get checks in and then we do receipts, then they go over to the treasurer and the treasurer has to cash those. Everything has to balance, so the goal is to work together the best we can. It’s one big circle.”

Hoffelmeyer-Reidburn has received some online criticism for changing her party affiliation on different occasions. She says that this is not an uncommon practice, and she never had ill intention any time she has done it.

“I’ve changed parties about six times since I’ve worked in the auditor’s office,” she said. “I do like to hang out in the ‘no-party world.’ That’s where I spend most of my time. Usually my focus when changing parties is when primaries come up. I work with a lot of the local officials, so I have pretty strong opinions on if I think they’re qualified or not. So I want to vote for them and support them.”

Hoffelmeyer-Reidburn’s elevator pitch:

 I grew up here in Madison County. I care about Madison County a lot. Both my kids attend public school. I’m in Winterset, and because I’m here and an active member of the community, my goal is to do the best job I can for the county. People are going to see me and they’re going to interact with me. So I want to make sure that my work life reflects well, and my personal life as well. I’m super proud to be Mike and Teresa Hoffelmeyer’s kid. I’ve paid claims and stuff like that for 15 years now. So those aspects of it, I can do really well. And all the experience I’ve accumulated in nearly five years there, that gives me a really good chance to be successful in the auditor’s office. And I just enjoy the community, working with these people, and educating people on voting.”

For more information about Hoffelmeyer-Reidburn, visit http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565033820628