Who's running for Iowa House District 44 in Urbandale? Meet the three primary candidates

Two Democrats and one Libertarian are seeking their party's nomination for an open Urbandale-based Iowa House seat this year.

Iowa House District 44 covers Urbandale and parts of Des Moines.

Two Democrats, Urbandale school board member Jason Menke and Urbandale City Council member Larry McBurney, are running in the primary to replace retiring Rep. John Forbes, D-Urbandale, who is running for Polk County supervisor. One Libertarian, Jake Heard, is uncontested as he seeks his party's nomination.

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 primary election is scheduled for June 4 ahead of the Nov. 5 general election.

Who is Jake Heard?

Age: 33

Party: Libertarian

Where did you grow up: Urbandale

Current town of residence: Urbandale

Education: Juris Doctorate

Occupation: Criminal defense attorney

Political experience and civic activities: I worked four years for the Iowa Senate Republicans as a caucus staffer, and two years as the chief of staff for the Iowa Senate president during the 2021-2022 legislative sessions. Volunteered for several local, statewide and presidential campaigns.

Who is Jason Menke?

Age: 53

Party: Democrat

Where did you grow up: Perry

Current town of residence: Urbandale

Education: Drake University, Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication

Occupation: Communications professional

Political experience and civic activities: Urbandale school board, November 2021 to present; Urbandale school board president, November 2023 to Present; past president, Urbandale Performing Arts Booster Club; former Cub Scout and scout leader; Iowa delegation page - Republican National Convention, 1988; youth coordinator - Eychaner for Congress, 1984

Who is Larry McBurney?

Age: 38

Party: Democrat

Where did you grow up: Des Moines

Current town of residence: Urbandale

Education: Some college

Occupation: Executive director, Filipino American Society

Political experience and civic activities: Urbandale City Council (2021 to present); Urbandale Civil Rights Commission (2019-2021); Urbandale 4th of July Committee vice president (2021 to present); Urbandale/Johnston VFW trustee (2021 to present); Bravo Greater Des Moines board member (2022 to present); Urbandale Lions Club member; Urbandale Community Action Network volunteer; Urbandale American Legion member; and Urbandale Historical Society member.

What would be your top issue should you be elected?

Heard: Freedom and less government intrusion into private lives of citizens.

Menke: As a current school board member, I'm deeply concerned about the education policies the Legislature has adopted in the last several sessions. Rebuilding Iowa's once-great legacy of public education needs to be our top priority as a state. Our schools are the economic engines of our local communities and our state. If they don't do well, Iowa can't do well.

McBurney: Mental health care reform. As a veteran who was diagnosed with PTSD, I've seen firsthand how difficult it can be to navigate mental health resources in the state of Iowa. Access to resources should not be siloed; Iowans seeking assistance should be able to easily identify options for care with any provider in the state. Expanding telehealth care across rural Iowa, including expanding broadband access to broadband deserts, and working to mirror neighboring state mental health care requirements to allow mental health professionals the flexibility to work across state lines are two things we could work to accomplish on day one.

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

Heard: Increase competition in the education system and more options for parents to send their children to increase the efficacy and overall educational value provided by schools in Iowa.

Menke: We need to strengthen Iowa's public school districts by increasing financial support and reducing legislative interference on curriculum and the authority of local school boards. Our kids and schools need to have AEA funding and structure restored. The changes adopted by the Legislature will have real impacts on Iowa families in the coming years, and families will face difficult decisions about how to best meet the educational and developmental needs of their children. We need greater accountability among private K-12 schools that accept ESA (voucher) funds, including open meetings of private school boards, public agendas and minutes, and audited financials.

McBurney: Properly funding public education through state supplemental aid that, at a minimum, keeps up with inflation. Returning public money to public schools by eliminating the education savings plan. Unwinding the AEA from the Department of Education and returning it to a separate entity working for all of Iowa's regions. Restoring collective bargaining powers to the Iowa State Education Association and their local branches to allow teachers to negotiate better and safer working conditions. Reestablishing local control for school boards to determine what literature is deemed appropriate for their districts rather than mandating it at the state level.

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?

Heard: Iowa should completely remove the income tax. Eliminate excess and wasteful spending in government, and if necessary, increase sales tax or other use taxes to fill any gap in revenue.

Menke: Taxes are an investment, and in order to change our collective mindset about them, we have to make sure they deliver value to Iowans. We can't have an educated workforce without good public schools. Communities can't attract residents without good streets and reliable public safety. Farmers can't get their crops and livestock to market without good bridges. We can't be sure the elder-care facility we're considering for our parent or grandparent is safe without regular, thorough inspections. We must ensure those investment dollars are spent wisely and effectively, but we also should fund these vital services at an appropriate level.

McBurney: Iowa's revenue is heavily reliant on the state income tax. The governor's plan to eliminate the state income tax isn't feasible without an alternative form of tax revenue. We simply do not carry a heavy enough visitor market to support eliminating the state income tax. Additionally, the state income tax is the least regressive form of viable taxation available to the state of Iowa. Instead of moving forward with the governor's plan to eliminate the state income tax, I would be in favor of returning to where it was and focusing tax cuts toward the Iowans who really need it: the working class and small business owners who power this state.

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

Heard: Allow schools and parents of students to decide what type of security they want. Whether that is metal detectors, arming teachers, having a resource officer, locking buildings down during school hours or any other security measure chosen by the school and parents of students at that school.

Menke: Learning can't occur in an unsafe environment, but how we create that environment matters. We need to expand mental health resources across the entirety of Iowa, and we need to make sure that our schools see that as well. Let's expand those resources across K-12 and bolster the mental health training available to law enforcement officers who work closely with students. I'd like to see stronger laws related to securing and storing firearms and ammunition, so it's harder for minors — especially those experiencing mental health crises — to access them.

McBurney: Given the most recent laws passed by our state Legislature, guns in schools are unfortunately inevitable. We should be supporting school districts to put in place public tracking of which staff are carrying, what they're carrying and any associated serial numbers. This is what we should do in the immediate term as we continue to work to reverse this dangerous law of arming school employees, which has been shown to be historically dangerous and ineffective due to accidental discharges, inadequate training of staff and increased security risks with more guns on school premises.

What next steps do you believe the Iowa Legislature should take when it comes to abortion?

Heard: The Legislature should propose a constitutional amendment one way or the other and let the people decide whether there is a constitutional right to an abortion or not, and if so, what restriction or limitations should be placed on that right.

Menke: With six in 10 Iowans supporting abortion rights in all or most cases, we should be working to ensure that Iowans have safe and legal access to abortion and other forms of reproductive health care. We need to advance legislation that protects access to contraception and IVF. Let's also allow the citizens of Iowa the opportunity to codify access to abortion in our state constitution. The Legislature should start the process to put reproductive freedom on the ballot.

McBurney: The Legislature should work to enshrine Roe v. Wade into the state constitution because everyone has the right to full bodily autonomy and the ability to make their own health care and reproductive care decisions. Additionally, Medicare/Medicaid should not have restrictions based on a person's reproductive health care if a doctor and their patient determine what care best fits the patient's needs.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Jake Heard, Jason Menke, Larry McBurney vie for Iowa House District 44