A large number of Democrats from Boone, Dallas, Greene and Story counties gathered at Sportsman Park near Dawson Sunday afternoon for a picnic sponsored by PRO Iowa 24, a political action committee (PAC) that develops rural messages, recruits candidates and raises funds for candidates who will win.
PRO stands for Progressive Rural Optimists, and PRO Iowa 24 was formed in January, the brainchild of Mary Weaver of rural Rippey, who welcomed the guests on Sunday and provided a brief history of the formation of PRO Iowa 24.
Following a delicious meal donated by the PRO Iowa Board, participants listened to several candidates for the Iowa Legislature.
Cheri Scheib of Perry spoke on behalf of Iowa House District 47 candidate Joseph Shelly of Perry. Shelly is currently finishing a contract supervisor role as a steamfitter-welder in Missouri and could not attend in person. The House seat is currently held by Republican Rep. Carter Nordman of Panora.
Penny Vossler of Boone, who is seeking the Iowa House District 48 seat in order to represent Boone County and western Story County, expressed her concerns about women’s healthcare rights. The seat is currently held by Republican Rep. Phil Thompson of Boone.
Margaret Liston of Ogden, running to replace Sen. Jesse Green in Iowa Senate District 24, gave her stump speech, focusing on the need to improve the economic conditions in rural Iowa.
Bruce Lear of Sioux City provided the keynote address, which carried an inspiring message. Lear is an education activist and former UniServ Director at Iowa State Education Association. He spoke about his concerns for the future of education in Iowa in the wake of the governor’s and legislature’s move to fund private schools with taxpayer dollars.
Among the numerous picnickers were Sen. Herman Quirmbach of Ames, Greene County Board of Supervisors candidate Tori Riley of Jefferson and Boone County Board of Supervisors candidate Brian Reimers of Ogden.
The beef and bratwurst burgers were donated by Moo Meat of Scranton, and a number of sponsors of the event were identified on the program and thanked. The attendees were unanimously grateful that every state-level race in the region is being challenged by a Democrat.
Mary Weaver of rural Rippey chairs the Iowa Democratic Women’s Constituency Caucus and is the founder of PRO Iowa 24.