Rural Keosauqua resident Thomas O’Donnell seeks Iowa House 87 seat

A rural Keosauqua resident will be on the November 5 ballot for District 87 of the Iowa House of Representatives.

Democratic delegates from Henry, Jefferson and Van Buren counties held a special convention via videoconference on August 20 to nominate Thomas O’Donnell.

O’Donnell, 65, is a retired science writer. He and his wife, Paula Mohr, live in a historic schoolhouse, where she grew up.

“I put my name on the ballot because voters deserve to have options at the polls. No candidate should win by default,” O’Donnell said. “But I’m mainly running because House Republicans have undermined and underfunded our rural schools. Their focus on culture war issues does nothing to improve the lives of rural Iowans.”

O’Donnell is a board member for the Bentonsport Improvement Association. He recently worked with the Van Buren County Conservation Board to successfully seek a $1.6 million federal grant to rehabilitate the iron Bentonsport pedestrian bridge over the Des Moines River.

O’Donnell also is board secretary for the Rural Restoration Project, a nonprofit that seeks to build economic and social opportunities in the five counties of Iowa Senate District 44 through education and advocacy. He is secretary of Science Iowa, a nonprofit that promotes science in the public interest, publicly supported research and evidence-based policy.

A native of Slater, Iowa, O’Donnell is an Iowa State University graduate and former newspaper reporter and editor. He has two children who live out of state.

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