Heaton, Duncan discuss issues during first Chamber forum

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

State Sen. Dave Heaton (R-Mt. Pleasant) and Democrat challenger Carrie Duncan, of New London, covered a lot of ground Monday night during a 60-minute candidate forum at the Chadwick Library on the campus of Iowa Wesleyan University.

Sponsored by the Mt. Pleasant Chamber of Commerce?s Government Affairs Committee, the candidates for the 84th House District seat touched on topics ranging from the minimum wage to taxation and economic development.

The forum was very cordial by political standards with the candidates agreeing on a number of topics.

Duncan said she believed the minimum wage, which she referred to as the ?livable wage? should be raised.

?I believe there should be a livable wage,? Duncan said. ?We?re at a time now where it takes two jobs (for a family to survive). Increasing the minimum wage gradually would help a lot of people.? She said she would favor raising the minimum wage to $10 per hour and increasing it gradually from there. The minimum wage in Iowa is now $7.25 per hour.

Heaton, although saying he believes the matter will be addressed by the state legislature, hedged his support for an increase. ?I think the legislature will act on it this year, and I think it is time for the state legislature to address it?I haven?t made up my mind on the minimum wage. I just want a good consistent minimum wage in the state.?

Both candidates said they favored retaining the federal income tax deductibility on Iowa income tax returns. Expanding on a corporate taxation question, Duncan said ?the bottom half of corporations are paying the bulk of taxes. Taxes have to be spread evenly across taxpayers.?

Heaton said if the federal deductibility would be removed, Iowans would, in essence, be paying taxes on the taxes they pay to the federal government. ?Iowa has a very high tax rate, which does not support (bringing) corporations to the state. I think we need to take a look at tax credits.?

Heaton and Duncan both opposed taking money from the one-cent local option sales tax for schools to fund water quality initiatives. Heaton said, ?we need to take a look at all sides of the issue. This is a very complex issue, and I favor using some of the water surtax if need be.?

In a question regarding vocational education, Duncan termed it ?horrendous? that shop classes are being phased out of secondary schools? curriculum. ?Some students just aren?t going to college. Not everyone is college material and vocational education classes are designed for those people.?

Meanwhile, Heaton, a former school teacher, said vocational classes have opened up opportunities for students who are unsure of their future plans. ?I have always been an advocate of vocational classes in high schools. I also think partnerships between community colleges and high schools are very important.?

The candidates disagreed on the privatization of the state?s Medicaid system.

?(That) Iowans are suffering at the mercy of managed care organizations (MCOs) is outlandish,? remarked Duncan. ?You can?t tell me that government couldn?t have re-routed plans instead of privatization. People are really hurting and it is money over people again.?

Heaton saw it differently, saying the state had no choice. ?When you have 600,000 (Medicaid) participants, it becomes very complex. We did what we had to do. If we hadn?t done it, we would have lost $10 million. That would have meant cuts in other areas, such as education. We have to give them (MCOs) a chance.?

Both candidates said they are able to work with the other party. ?I come from a family of Republicans and Democrats,? Heaton noted. ?I respect the opinion of Democrats. I think we all want the same thing, but we take different routes to get there. You have to be able to compromise to get anything done.?

Duncan said she ?has a passion for all people, regardless of political party.?

The candidates were asked about the closing of the mental health institute in Mt. Pleasant, and Heaton was asked why he didn?t put up a stronger fight to save the MHI.

Heaton called the closing of the MHI ?the toughest thing that has happened to me in my career in the legislature.?

?It was a terrible thing for the community and southeast Iowa. It becomes difficult when the governor is a member of your party. I made it very clear in the governor?s office that I was unhappy.?

He said that $6.4 million was appropriated to retain the MHIs in Mt. Pleasant and Clarinda. Heaton also said he remains determined to get a dual diagnosis (substance abuse coupled with mental illness) and substance abuse rehabilitation facility in southeast Iowa.

Duncan said she was a strong supporter of keeping the MHI open and would have supported a special legislative session to attempt to override the governor?s line-item veto of the $6.4 million for retaining the MHIs.

Asked about the current budget situation in Iowa, Heaton said money woes would cause a financial struggle in next year?s legislative session. State revenues for the first two months (July and August) of fiscal year 2017 were just 0.04 percent higher than revenue for the first two months of fiscal 2016, he pointed out.

?We?re having some real problems,? he stated. ?All taxes are behind the revenue estimates. We have $50 million in reserve, but it takes that to pay the bills, that is working capital. I think the state is in dire financial straits. This coming session is not going to be easy at all.?

Duncan said the ?budget is all over the place. I don?t think we have a good budget because money is not appropriated where it should be.?

Finally, the candidates were asked what could be done to bring more jobs to the area. Heaton said job creation depends on housing availability. ?We have to address affordable housing. I think housing is still a critical issue. If someone wants to come here and work, they have to have somewhere to live.?

Duncan answered that better-paying jobs and more manufacturing jobs are needed in the area.

Last night?s forum was the first of three scheduled in October. On Monday, Oct. 10, State Sen. Rich Taylor (D-Mt. Pleasant) and challenger Danny Graber, a Republican from Mt. Pleasant, will discuss the issues at 6 p.m., in the International Room of Chadwick Library.