Gubernatorial candidate wants an end to tax credits for corporations

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News

State Sen. Rich Taylor, D-Mt. Pleasant, admittedly couldn?t believe what he said at the conclusion of Iowa Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nate Boulton?s visit to Mt. Pleasant Friday.

?We have a good, young Democrat running for governor,? Taylor said, quickly adding, ?I can?t believe I said young Democrat.?

Boulton, however, is young and a Democrat. The 37-year-old native of Columbus Junction is in his first term as a state senator, representing the eastern portion of Des Moines and Pleasant Hill.

He announced his candidacy for governor Thursday in his home town.

The labor-rights attorney spent most of his visit attacking the Republican Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds? administration, saying that the duo has focused on taking rights away from Iowans, mentioning the past session?s action to nearly ?gut? the collective-bargaining process for public employees.

?We have compromised our ability to have great public servants because they were degraded by the Branstad-Reynolds administration,? Boulton told a crowd of around 50 people at Sip. ?They made it a priority to take away the rights of public employees.?

Boulton also claimed the Branstad-Reynolds team has done little for public education. ?What defines us is our education system. We have seen the Branstad-Reynolds team fail us.?

Known for taking a tough stance against the Branstad-Reynolds administration, Boulton said he was proud to be a leader for human rights. ?I was proud to be front and center leading the charge against the public sector that stripped away rights of Iowa citizens.

?I have stood up against the administration against injustices. I stood up against them when they closed the Mt. Pleasant and Clarinda Mental Health Institutes and the juvenile girls? home in Toledo,? he added. ?Now, we have people who don?t have access to mental health facilities.?

Boulton also said he vehemently opposed the elimination of workforce centers in Iowa.

He said he favors legislation to preserve Iowa?s natural resources. ?When we hunt and fish, we are using Iowa?s natural resources,? the candidate said. ?We are going to have a hard time to get people coming back when they see algae in our rivers and ponds.?

Regarding economic development, Boulton said the current Iowa leadership spent too much time investing in corporate giveaways and exemptions. ?We have over $500 million a year in giveaways that could be used doing so many things for Iowans. Large corporations will be just fine without tax credits and incentives.?

Beware of changes in the Iowa Public Employment Retirement System (IPERS), Boulton warned the gathering. ?When we started (the legislative session) in January, Branstad said IPERS was solid and then Reynolds said we had to take a look at it. After Reynolds said that, Branstad agreed and said we needed to appoint a task force to study it. I think they see it as a funding opportunity.?

The candidate says the state can?t keep focusing on quick fixes ?because they only preserve problems for the long term. We need long-term solutions.?

Boulton attended Simpson College in Indianola, hoping to become a high school government and history teacher. But after graduation and interviews with school districts, he learned the market was not ripe for first-year teachers.

So he switched gears, focusing on law school and received his law degree and masters in public administration at Drake University. He has practiced law at the Hedberg (now Hedberg and Boulton) Law Firm for the past 11 years.

He met his wife, Andrea, while attending Drake and the pair have been married for just under three years. An avid runner, Boulton is a marathoner, running 13 marathons in 2013 but tapering off after being elected to the legislature.

In closing, he said if the Democrats hoped to win the governor?s race in 2018, they had to have a united effort. ?I want to see us realizing Iowa?s future and working together for a better Iowa.?

He joins a crowded Democratic field in aspirations to govern the state. Other candidates are former party chairperson Andy McGuire, Polk County Conservation Director Rich Leopold and party activist Jon Neiderbach. State Rep. Todd Prichard has formed a fund-raising committee to explore a candidacy.