Meet the candidates running for Iowa Senate District 14 in Waukee, West Des Moines, Clive

Democrat Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott and Republican Mark Hanson are vying to represent Senate District 14.

Iowa Senate District 14 includes Waukee, Adel, Van Meter and parts of West Des Moines and Clive in Dallas County.

Trone Garriott, of West Des Moines, is seeking reelection to her third term. Hanson is currently a member of the Dallas County Board of Supervisors.

To help voters, the Des Moines Register sent questions to all federal and Des Moines area legislative candidates running for political office this year. Their answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

The election is Nov. 5.

Learn More: Your Iowa Voter Guide 2024

Who is Mark Hanson?

Age: 67

Party: Republican

Where grew up: I grew up in Rosemount, Minnesota, a small town just 15 miles south of the Twin Cities. My Iowa connection began when I married my wife, an Iowa native and Dallas Center-Grimes school and ISU alum. We met while living in California but chose to build a life in Iowa and raise our two sons because of the great public schools, safe communities, strong economic opportunities and exceptional quality of life.

Current town of residence: Waukee

Education: I graduated cum laude from Minnesota State University at Mankato with a bachelor's degree and earned Certified Association Executive (CAE) certification from the American Society of Association Executives.

Occupation: For the past 19 years, I have represented the citizens of Dallas County by serving as a county supervisor for the Board of Supervisors. I have also served as executive director for the Iowa Association of Area Agencies on Aging, vice president of membership for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, and as an association executive with Smith Bucklin in Chicago and Los Angeles.

Political experience and civic activities: I have had the honor of being a Dallas County supervisor since 2005 and have helped lead the county through extraordinary growth. Dallas County remains one of the fastest-growing, best-managed counties, and the county property tax levy remains among the lowest in the state. I serve on the boards of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, Greater Dallas County Development Alliance, Dallas County Historical Preservation Commission, New Opportunities, and North Raccoon River Watershed Management Coalition. I am a member of Lutheran Church of Hope, serving as a Hope Kids youth leader since 2004.

Who is Sarah Trone Garriott (incumbent)?

Age: 46

Party: Democratic

Where grew up: I grew up in Cloquet, a small papermill town in northern Minnesota.

Current town of residence: West Des Moines

Education: I earned a Bachelors of Arts in history from the College of St. Scholastica, a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. I completed a year-long clinical pastoral care residency as a hospital chaplain at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Occupation: I am state senator for Senate District 14, coordinator of interfaith engagement for the Des Moines Area Religious Council Food Pantry Network, and an ordained minister in the Lutheran Church (ELCA).

Political experience and civic activities: As state senator since 2020, I have served on the following Senate committees: commerce, education, health and human services (ranking member), natural resources and environment, rules and administration. I am not a career politician, but stepped up as an active community member, nonprofit and faith community leader, and parent of two public school students.

What would be your top issue should you be elected?

Hanson: Iowans can count on me to work hard on issues that people care about. My top priority is helping Iowa families and ensuring the state continues to provide a promising future for the next generation. I will advocate for policies to strengthen Iowa’s educational system, economy and way of life. We need to ensure our public schools are strong, teachers valued, tax burdens reduced, communities safe, improved access to health care, mental and behavioral health services and step up support for Iowa seniors. Most importantly, I will listen to all Iowans, deliver on their priorities and serve as their voice.

Trone Garriott: As state senator it's my number one priority to make sure Iowans have a voice in their state government. I am known for being present and accessible: I knock doors year-round, show up in the community, respond to emails, and answer my phone. Through social media, my legislative newsletter, and the local press I am transparent about the ins and outs of the legislative session and how Iowans can have an active role. When Iowans share their stories and concerns I take it to heart and bring them in to the legislative process. Legislation that comes from the people serves our state best.

What policies would you support to improve Iowa’s education system?

Hanson: Education is the bedrock of our communities and the cornerstone of a thriving economy. The quality of Waukee’s schools was a top reason we moved there to raise our family 24 years ago. As the son of public school educators, I care deeply about the quality of education in Iowa and believe supporting our public schools is paramount for the betterment of all students and communities. I will champion education through supporting policies to reduce class sizes, improve student achievement, reward teachers with competitive salaries and ensure students in Iowa have the best opportunity in the nation to learn and thrive.

Trone Garriott: As state senator I have demonstrated my commitment to public education in policy and action. I have advocated to fully fund our public schools, education policy that respects the expertise of our educators, investments in pre-K education and quality, affordable early childhood care/education, affordable post-secondary education, and job training. When another senator accused teachers as having a "sinister agenda," I moved districts so I could run against him and defeat him. When the governor pushed private school vouchers and dismantled the Area Education Agencies, I listened to the people of Iowa and stood up for their concerns at every opportunity.

What do you think Iowa’s tax policy should be? Do you believe the state’s priority should be on lowering rates or spending on services for Iowans?

Hanson: As a state, we must continue looking for ways to help Iowa’s working families and give Iowans tax relief, while also advancing policies that create jobs, foster quality schools, create better access to mental health services and support public safety and law enforcement. I am committed to common sense leadership and policies that ensure Iowa is the best place to live, work and raise a family. We must make Iowa more competitive by enacting property tax reform to keep families in the state, as well as attract new businesses to either start or relocate here.

Trone Garriott: The state's priority should be focusing on tax policy that benefits the largest number of Iowans. While the wealthy and corporations have seen great benefits, working families like mine haven't seen any noticeable benefit of recent state tax policies. But we do see our local schools struggling, roads and bridges falling apart, public safety understaffed, rivers and lakes untouchable, and costs for everything from food to housing to health care increasing. Meanwhile the tax burden is getting shifted to property taxes: this spring residents of Dallas County were shocked when the supervisors significantly increased county property taxes for the coming year, adding 61.5 cents to the rate.

What policies would you support to improve school safety in Iowa?

Hanson: I will prioritize school safety and work toward additional measures to address security. This includes policies for greater mental health support, building upgrades, threat assessment, safety plans and incident command drills. I encourage continued taskforce collaboration between educators, leaders, parents, law enforcement, Iowa Department of Public Safety, Department of Education and Homeland Security/Emergency Management to further improve safety and security standards. Nothing is more important than students and teachers having safe learning and work environments. One of our constitutional mandates is the safety and security of people, and I will work to enhance this however possible.

Trone Garriott: As state senator I have advocated for policies that bring mental health resources into schools, increase the number of caring, skilled adults in the building, and provide quality early childhood education that is demonstrated to improve social/behavioral/mental health outcomes long-term. We can prevent violence before it happens if we have the resources to identify and intervene before it's too late. With nearly $3 billion in surplus, our state has the resources to lower class sizes, bring more mental health support into public school buildings, and provide kids the support they need in their early years.

Iowa's six-week “fetal heartbeat” abortion ban is now in effect. What next steps do you believe the Iowa Legislature should take when it comes to abortion?

Hanson: The Legislature will need to listen, learn and evaluate the impact of this new law on the lives of women, families and health care providers. This is a sensitive and deeply personal issue for many — one that requires compassion and a balanced approach that upholds the rights of women but also recognizes the value of human life. I believe the best approach encompasses exceptions for women who are faced with heartbreaking decisions, makes IVF treatments available, expands access to women’s health care information, services and contraceptives and enhances the quality and availability of prenatal care services.

Trone Garriott: The Republican majority in the Iowa Legislature needs to do this year what they did not do before: listen to the public and health care providers, and respect our rights. These politicians forced themselves into deeply personal, private health care decisions, banning abortion before most even know they are pregnant. This abortion ban does not use accurate medical terms and leaves physicians without guidance as to when they are allowed to intervene to save lives and prevent harm. Iowa already has the fewest OB-GYNs per capita in the nation, and our infant and maternal mortality is increasing. Extreme abortion bans like this have been demonstrated to only make these problems worse.

Phillip Sitter covers the western suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at [email protected] or on X at @pslifeisabeauty.  

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Meet the candidates running for Iowa Senate District 14 in Waukee, WDM