Rusty Nail owner wants to unseat state legislator in Iowa House District 86

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By David Heitz | Tuesday, October 07, 2008 |

The owner of a longtime restaurant in Davenport’s west end who is upset about the state’s new smoking ban is challenging a state legislator who supported the measure and is angling for a fifth term.

Joseph Sturgis, a Republican who runs the Rusty Nail, wants to unseat Democratic incumbent Cindy Winckler for the Iowa House District 86 seat. Sturgis said he became interested in the job after spending three months in Des Moines to lobby against the smoking bill.

“I heard things I couldn’t live with,” Sturgis said. “I want to help straighten out what they’re doing with our finances and our tax money. It’s nothing but spend, spend, spend.”

Winckler, on the other hand, said she’s running again because she enjoys her job and wants to make her district a “better place to live, work and raise a family.” She points to her record as co-chair of the education budget subcommittee as well as her efforts to trim spending on incarcerated people as two of her largest accomplishments.

Instead of spending money on jailing people, she wants to see more community-based services to help them get on the right track. “The recidivism rate is lower when there’s a supportive community,” she said.

If elected, Sturgis said he will fight to get aid for victims of this summer’s devastating floods. He said he has fielded calls from residents of flood-stricken areas who are upset with the way the state has handled the disaster.

“Since the flooding, we need to step back and look at a lot of things we were going to put money into,” he said, specifically recommending the state hold off on a new prison in Fort Madison for a few years and a new state office building in Des Moines.

For her part, Winckler said it will be difficult for the state to address the issue of flood aid before knowing how much the federal government will help. “Without that information, it’s difficult to have a plan,” she said.

The state needs to be better prepared for such floods in the future by building better levees, promoting soil conservation and creating more green space, she said.

Neither candidate supports increasing state fuel taxes to improve Iowa’s roads. Winckler said the need to improve the roads was increased by the flooding, and that she will work to find a multi-year solution. She also wants to improve access to mass transit and develop more alternatives to the high cost of gasoline.

On the issue of legislation introduced last session to increase the number of topics subject to collective bargaining between governments and employee unions, the candidates sharply disagree. Winckler supported the legislation, calling it solution-focused, while Sturgis opposes it.

“It will cost all of us to let outside unions come in and take over our city councils and school boards,” Sturgis said.

David Heitz can be contacted at (563) 383-2202 or dheitz@qctimes.com.

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