Lawler campaign focuses on property tax

MARENGO — Property tax reform and the high cost of living that people are dealing with right now are the focus of Judd Lawler’s campaign for Iowa House District 91 which represents Iowa County.

Lawler, an Oxford resident, defeated Williamsburg’s Adam Grier in the June 4 Republican primary and faces Democrat Jay Gorsh in the Nov. 5 General election.

Iowa’s property tax rate is more than double California’s, the former assistant U.S. attorney said in a recent interview. He saw the recent tax bills of a couple of his retired neighbors. Their taxes increased by 13% in a single year, said Lawler, and that’s not sustainable.

The main cause of rising property tax is inflation, which is caused by the federal government printing money and raising interest rates, Lawler said. Assessed property values rose, and tax obligations rose with them.

“It costs twice as much to build a house, so the house you live in is worth twice as much,” Lawler said.

“Right now Iowa is one of very few states that is operating on a surplus,” Lawler said, and that helps fight inflation. The State needs to continue to be responsible with its budgets.

“I read recently that between 20 and 40% of the cost to build a house is due to government regulation and permitting processes,” Lawler said. Those costs are passed on to homebuyers.

“Maybe there’s something we can do about those costs,” Lawler said.

Property taxes provide the services Iowa communities want and need. “Law enforcement and education are two of the things we value the most and want to invest in Iowa,” said Lawler. “Funding them is important,” he said.

“My father was a career teacher, and I’m a product of Iowa schools,” Lawler said. “A huge chunk of our budget goes to education every year.

“I get a little confused when they say they want more money,” said Lawler, because the state continues to increase spending for schools.

There are other ways to improve schools that don’t involve taxing people more, Lawler said.

Polling shows that about 80% of teachers claim to have been threatened by students, said Lawler. Teachers need some kind of protection so they don’t have to deal with abuse and can focus on teachers.

Some states are enacting teachers bills of rights to address the problems.

Lawler said he’s running for office for his children and their generation. “They have so much potential for success, but right now they’re facing four years of rampant inflation.”

They also face higher rates of suicide, “and they’re constantly censored,” Lawler said. “Yet they are taught that they are privileged and born into a system that is inherently evil.”

That leads to negative feelings, said Lawler, when children should be happy. “I want them to be proud of themselves,” Lawler said.

“The censorship, I think, affects people’s mental health.” Politicians need to remember that the first amendment is there to protect speech we don’t like, Lawler said.

“Now they are trying to use the legal system to silence ideas,” Lawler said. “I worry that people are going to view our legal system as a weapon now against people we don’t like. And this is going to turn into an endless cycle of vendettas.”

Lawler said he’s a lover of the U.S. Constitution and of the Bill of Rights and is concerned that the Fifth Amendment is ignored as companies use eminent domain to take land for wind turbines and CO2 pipelines.

(“On the Ballot” is a Hometown Current series profiling candidates in Benton, Iowa and Poweshiek Counties. Articles will run as candidates are interviewed. Candidates who do not respond to requests for interviews will not be included in the series.)