ON THE BALLOT: Iowa House District 84

Jeff Fager

Party: Democrat

Home: Mt. Pleasant

Family: Wife, Sally Fager

Occupation: Retired College Administrator (Last position: Vice President for Academic Affairs, Iowa Wesleyan University)

Political Experience: Chair of the Henry County Democrats since June 2018

Why are you running for office?

Soon after we moved to this region, Sally and I fell in love with Mount Pleasant and southeast Iowa. We also noticed that our adopted home faced serious challenges.

During 10 years as a college administrator, I accumulated experiences that could benefit Iowa and meet those challenges.

I managed multi-million dollar budgets at institutions that had limited resources.

That meant developing strategic plans that would use those resources efficiently to achieve the most important goals of the institution.

I worked with people who had strong opinions, necessitating the need for negotiation and compromise.

I learned to put the interests of the institution above the interests of any single department - perhaps even my own interests.

Because I am retired, I have the time to devote to the hard work of being a legislator.

Happily, I also enjoy excellent health; therefore, I have the energy to apply to the tasks of creating policy for the state. This is something I should do.

I am proud of my career work, and I believe that I should step forward and seek public office.

This is what our country's founders would expect of me.

What are your priorities if elected?

The two issues at the top of my list are health care and education.

We are nearing a crisis situation regarding access to health care in rural Iowa.

Health care providers have always worked hard to provide services to their patients, but the decision to privatize the management of Medicaid has been disastrous.

On the one hand patients have had difficulty in getting the care they need in a timely fashion-or even getting it at all.

On the other hand, providers have experienced long delays in receiving payments for the care they give.

The Henry County Health Center saw significant losses due to this change and has already eliminated its obstetrics unit. More cuts could be coming.

The foundation for solving our problems and creating the conditions for growth is education.

Education develops productive citizens who contribute to the strength of our communities and minimizes the number of people who 'fall through the cracks” and create a drain on society.

This means beginning with our youngest children – who are developing the qualities that lead to successful lives – and continuing through higher education, which produces people with the skills to lead our communities.

I also include education in the trades, which have been sorely overlooked as respected professions that make our modern lives possible.

What do you see as the top issues facing the state in the next legislative session?

There is little doubt that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic will dominate the Legislature's agenda in January.

The increased expenses and decreased revenues will require the state to become even more strategic in setting priorities and finding those 'investments” of taxpayers' money that create the greatest benefit for Iowans.

The Legislature must use its time to deal with these issues and avoid distractions whose only purpose is to score political points.

Do you think the state government has responded well to the COVID-19 pandemic, and if not, how should it have responded differently?

The 'state government's response” is actually the governor's response and that has been inadequate.

In the face of what was already known about the virus, the response needed to be swift and robust.

We saw other countries keep the pandemic under control, creating short-term economic pain while preventing long-term economic crisis. Scientists and economists agreed on such a course of action.

Second, while the state should provide minimum standards for local communities and school districts, it should not set maximum standards.

When local conditions require more drastic measures, leaders there should be allowed to set those controls.

What can the state Legislature do in 2021 about stopping the spread of the pandemic while also being mindful of the effects on the economy?

The Legislature can ensure that the systems are in place to distribute a vaccine as widely and efficiently as possible.

By the time the 2021 session begins, the state will already be in the midst of the second great wave of the virus, so the Legislature's response must be in mitigating the effects by proactively preventing a third wave.

The Legislature should also begin planning for another such event, which is inevitable.