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73rd State House District race: Bobby Kaufmann v David Johnson
News · October 24, 2014
The West Branch Times invited the House District 73 candidates, Republican Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton and Democrat David Johnson of West Branch,
to answer four questions about why voters should pick them in the Nov. 4 election. Each was limited to 400 words.
David Johnson, Democrat
Senior Database Administrator and Certifying Official for GI Bill at the University of Iowa.
Family: Wife: Jennie Embree; children: Anneke, Donovan and August
Web: johnsonforstatehouse.org
Q. “I will try to do what is best for everyone” is too ambiguous. How do you decide what is “best” when District 73 includes left-leaning cities like West Branch and right-leaning cities like Tipton? What is the basis of your moral or ethical code?
A. The political leanings of the district are irrelevant to me. The question I would ask myself before any vote is, “How will this affect working families and communities in my district?”
Equally important to the decision making process is what would not influence my decisions. This is where my opponent and I differ. I do not accept corporate interest money.
Monsanto, Deere & Company and the banking industry will have zero influence on me or my votes. My desire to represent the people of the 73rd district comes from a drive to make things better for my community. I’m not running to make the 1-percent wealthier.
Q. Should schools be gun-free zones? Why or why not?
A. I would make no changes to current gun regulations.
The potential threat to our children while in school is not going to be alleviated by any increase or decrease in gun regulations.
People that commit heinous crimes are generally not concerned with gun regulations one way or the other. If we want to reduce gun violence in our schools, and society in general, we need to address the root problem.
The best way to start reducing gun violence is to tackle poverty and mental health issues.
Q. In August, Gov. Terry Branstad withdrew Iowa from a consortium that helps states fully implement testing for the Common Core State Standards. However, Iowa has not repealed the standards outright. A state task force is supposed to report its recommendations in January for Iowa testing needs. What do you think should be the next step?
A. While the debate rages on about the effectiveness of the Common Core standards, I think it might be prudent to point out that House Republicans failed to pass allowable growth.
The first step that needs to be accomplished is to adequately fund education across the board. We can start by passing a 6-percent allowable growth for our K-12.
In addition, we need to adequately fund our community colleges and our Regent institutions. Having political appointees on the Board of Regents that pit one institution against another has not been helpful. When board members are appointed solely because they’re large donors to the governor’s campaign, we should not expect a productive outcome.
Q. Where do you stand on government surveillance of the general population, and what position should Iowa take on this?
A. Surveillance and government intrusion is not restricted to drones and traffic cameras.
It can also occur by inserting government into a decision making role, where none has previously existed.
For instance, I would not have voted to ban telemedicine abortion, as my opponent did. It was bad for women and an intrusion on the privacy we expect between doctors and their patients. Government has no business getting between a woman and her doctor. It is inappropriate and beyond the scope of good government.
As a legislator, I will resist any unwarranted attacks on our right to privacy.
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Bobby Kaufmann, Republican
Farmer, Small-business owner
Unmarried – no children
Q. “I will try to do what is best for everyone” is too ambiguous. How do you decide what is “best” when District 73 includes left-leaning cities like West Branch and right-leaning cities like Tipton? What is the basis of your moral or ethical code?
A. As your State Representative for the past two years I have had a very simple litmus test for what is “best” for House District 73. 1. Does it make sense? 2. Does it work for this district? 3. What do all of you back home think? You have read my columns these past two years, seen me at your community events, and talked to me at your doors. I have a clear track record of being accountable to only you back home and not any political party or interest group. I have a clear independent track record and work well with both parties.
Q. Should schools be gun-free zones? Why or why not?
A. I believe that this should be a decision for local School Boards and administrators. I would not support a mandate that forces school personnel to have guns, but I wouldn’t want to stop a school who felt they could responsibly have access to a secured firearm to keep children safe in the event of a tragedy. I believe this decision should be left to the locally elected officials.
Q. In August, Gov. Terry Branstad withdrew Iowa from a consortium that helps states fully implement testing for the Common Core State Standards. However, Iowa has not repealed the standards outright. A state task force is supposed to report its recommendations in January for Iowa testing needs. What do you think should be the next step?
A. This issue involves both local control and standardization of results that allow for comparisons between schools. We need to listen to what the Task Force has to say…this report should explore all issues. My questions, as I read, analyze the report, and ask my school officials their opinions are: 1) How can we ensure that the priorities and decision-making of local school districts are safe-guarded? 2) How can we ensure that the standards do not reflect a particular political, ideological, or any biased point of view? 3) How can we best assess our students to ensure that our students are improving and our schools are accountable to parents and tax payers? (I do not believe that “No Child Left Behind” is the answer.)
Q. Where do you stand on government surveillance of the general population, and what position should Iowa take on this?
A. Government surveillance of the general population is simply unacceptable and Iowa should become a leader in preventing surveillance abuse. The legislature passed bipartisan drone restrictions last year and wiretapping without a warrant should never happen. On a related note, I have become the leader in the State in regards to fighting unjust property seizures and abuses of eminent domain. You can count on me to continue to fight for your private property rights.
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