Gayman challenged by Paustian for Iowa House post

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By Ed Tibbetts | Monday, October 13, 2008 11:37 PM CDT | () comments

Every election year, a handful of Iowa legislators are targets.

This year, Elesha Gayman, the first-term legislator from western Davenport, is one of them.

Gayman, a Democrat who pulled an upset by wrestling a seat from a Republican incumbent two years ago, is being challenged by Ross Paustian, a farmer from a well-known family who has proven to have a broad base of financial support.

Already, thousands of dollars have been spent on television ads and mail — and by the time Election Day arrives Nov. 4, the price tag for the House District 84 race surely will rise into the hundreds of thousands.

Gayman joined House Democrats a few weeks ago to pitch a strategy for the next legislative session to provide incentives for alternative energy, extend health care to all children within the next three years and limit college tuition increases to the rate of inflation.

She notes, in particular, the potential for wind energy in the state.

“If we can seize on that economic opportunity and move forward, we could potentially stave off as a state some of the crisis that’s happening at the national level,” Gayman said.

Paustian said he is worried the Legislature is spending too much money and that with Democrats in control, there is a threat to Iowa’s right-to-work law.

He also emphasizes property tax relief.

A point of contention between the two in the campaign is a controversial move to expand collective-bargaining rights for public employee unions.

The Democratic-controlled Legislature passed the bill last session only to see Gov. Chet Culver, a Democrat, veto it.

The measure drew the ire of local school boards and city councils. The bill would expand the list of topics that would be on the bargaining table.

“It would raise taxes,” said Paustian, who thinks it would hurt economic development, too.

He’s also critical of a bill to allow unions to ask for fees from nonunion employees who are covered by contracts.

“It’s forced unionization,” Paustian said.

Republicans have portrayed the measure as repealing the state’s right-to-work law. Backers say that’s not the case.

Gayman defends her support for the collective-bargaining bill and rejects the idea expanding it will result in higher taxes because of existing provisions in state law. She said union workers such as teachers, police officers and firefighters should have the same rights as private-sector union workers who already get to bargain on the wider scope of topics.

“It’s only smart to give parity to those individuals who are at our forefront ... of holding our communities together,” she said.

She also said she supports the idea of allowing unions to collect fees from nonunion members for services rendered as long as it doesn’t repeal right to work.

“This is so misunderstood,” she said.

The two also clash on spending.

Paustian said the Legislature has spent far too much the past two years, calling some of it “pork barrel” projects, including an office building and streetscaping in Des Moines.

“They were out of control,” he said.

Paustian said the Legislature needs to move on tax breaks to help business. And he said he would shift the cost of future increases in basic state aid to schools to the Legislature and not property taxpayers. Asked how he would pay for that, he said the state should better prioritize its spending.

Gayman said the Democrats’ initiatives have been good for the state’s long-term health, from expanding health care to recruiting job-creating companies such as Microsoft and spending money on incentives for alternative energy.

“I don’t think bringing green jobs to Iowa is pork-barrel spending,” she said.

The district Gayman and Paustian are competing for, District 84, is a mix of west Davenport neighborhoods and rural areas in and around Eldridge. It also encompasses most of the western part of Scott County. For years, the district had been in Republican hands.

However, in the past two years it has swung toward the Democrats, with the party adding 1,000 registrants to its rolls, while the GOP has barely grown. In October, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by 900 voters.

That will make it tougher for Republicans to win the seat, but the state party is expected to dive into the race with gusto.

Democrats and their allies are expected to rush in to defend the seat, too.

Gayman, a 29-year-old who mixes legislative work with teaching college and political work, is a favorite among local Democrats and some top labor activists who admire her doggedness on the campaign trail.

Recently, her back was injured and, while it kept her from door-knocking for a time, she made phone calls while flat on her back.

Gayman also may have helped herself in the rural part of the legislative district by winning an endorsement last week from the National Rifle Association.

As a former county Farm Bureau president, the 52-year-old Paustian won the state Farm Bureau’s endorsement. And early fundraising reports showed a broad swath of supporters throughout the district, especially in rural areas. In a report filed in May, Paustian listed more than 120 contributors, a big number for a challenger.

The soft-spoken Paustian said his candidacy is part of a family pattern of serving on local government and community boards. He said he’s running on “good old Iowa common sense.”

“This is just another community service,” he said.

THE CANDIDATES

Name: Ross Paustian

Age: 52

Address: 22225 70th Ave.,

Walcott, Iowa

Party: Republican

Education: Graduate, Davenport West High School, 1974; bachelor’s degree in animal sciences from South Dakota State University, 1978.

Family: Wife, Carol; daughter, Jennifer, 27; son, Tom, 25.

Occupation: Farmer.

Previous elective office: None

Name: Elesha Gayman

Age: 29

Address: 1601 Eagles Crest Ave., #A10, Davenport

Party: Democrat

Education: Graduate, Davenport West High School, 1997; bachelor’s degree in political science from University of Iowa, 2001; master’s degree in public administration, Drake, 2007.

Family: Single.

Occupation: Consultant with nonprofits and on political issues, adjunct professor at Scott Community College.

Previous elected office: Iowa state legislator

At a glance

Election: Nov. 4.

Poll hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Iowa.

Last day to pre-register to vote: Oct. 25 (can register at polls on Election Day with proper identification).

Last day to request an absentee ballot: Oct. 31.

For more information on candidate positions, go to qctimes.com/elections.

For more election information: scottcountyiowa.com/ auditor or call (563) 326-VOTE (8683).

Find your precinct: scottcountyiowa.com/auditor/precinct_finder.php.

About the district

Iowa House District 84: The district is a mix of west Davenport neighborhoods and rural areas in and around Eldridge, Iowa. It also encompasses most of the western part of Scott County.

Salary for the position: $25,000

Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com. Comment on this article at qctimes.com.