Letter to the Editor: Elect Kayla Koether to the State Assembly--not Michael Bergan

(The following Letter to the Editor has been submitted by Rob Sand):

"I believe politics should be about serving the public, rather than partisanship or private interest. That is why I think one of the clearest choices in races for the Iowa House of Representatives is right here in our beloved Northeast Iowa. I believe Michael Bergan has consistently shown a lack of concern for the very heart of representative government: respecting the votes and the money of voters. On the other hand, Kayla Koether has shown a focus on those issues.

For nearly a decade now, Bergan has sat on the board of the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool (ICAP), where he used your tax dollars for lavish trips to Michigan and Florida for board meetings on a regular basis. Not only were tens of thousands of our tax dollars paid to the resorts where Bergan and others held the meetings, but they reimbursed themselves for travel, again using our tax dollars.

And to be clear, the same rule applies to the other party too. I recommend voting against Dave Hageman for County Supervisor because he too sat on the ICAP board--but he lost his primary in part because of that.

But Bergan is also willing to ignore your votes to serve his own political ends. In 2018 he beat Koether only because 29 mail-in ballots were left uncounted. There was a fair and reasonable legal argument for why they should have been counted, but he didn't stick up for those voters.

Those two scandals are enough to know that Bergan should not get re-elected.

But more than that: Kayla Koether is an excellent alternative. She listens. She takes you seriously even when she disagrees with you. She respects hard work, knowing it herself, and knows your tax dollars represent it.

Please give her a chance by giving her your vote."