Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Charles City Press is done publishing opinion pieces related to the Nov. 8 general election.

Thanks to everyone who has written in. — Chris Baldus

Vote for Tjaden and

Prichard Nov. 8

Governing shouldn’t be about choosing partisan sides… it’s about people, economics, security, education and more. Democrat or Republican, we share many of the same concerns for such. And with that in mind, I’d like to ask for your vote for two of my favorite candidates this season.

First, don’t let the petite size of Linda Tjaden fool you! She is a power house of a business woman, farmer, mother and volunteer who works tirelessly at whatever task she devotes her attention. She’s a very smart, big picture person who loves Floyd County and wants to see all the cities of our county flourish. Whether it be industry, agriculture, education, recreation, or culture; Linda wants to encourage growth in these areas to provide opportunity and income; for us all and especially for our young people who have left Floyd County.

Linda has been attending County Supervisor meetings since June and is ready to step into position as a team player, smart enough to make tough decisions and bold enough to join with Doug Kamm and Mark Kuhn to lead Floyd County as a team. I know that a vote for Linda will be a vote for resolution to get things accomplished. We have enough “hand wringers” in town trying to figure out how to lead their respective entities into the future. Linda’s decisiveness will be an asset. Please vote Linda Tjaden for County Supervisor.

I’ve had the opportunity to see Todd Pritchard at work at Iowa’s State Capital in the House of Representatives. He is a strong advocate for our community in Des Moines. The past few years, the Charles City Board of Education has lobbied the Capital in support of education and learned that Todd is a “roll up your sleeves” kind of guy who likes to get things done. Some of the important things Todd has been talking about during this election is water safety, mental health programs, and developing the collaborative educational programs for our high school students to earn occupation skills and certification for jobs needed in our region.

This summer, Todd Pritchard and Josh Byrnes hosted a meeting at the Floyd Community Center regarding the intersection of 218/ Avenue of the Saints. They listened to the public’s cry for help and then outlined the plan to deliver a petition with 3000 signatures and letters from community leaders urging a review of the intersection for an overpass. They won the attention of the Iowa Department of Transportation; because a short time later, the speed limit was reduced to 55 mph. On November 9, they will be present at a Public Hearing in Floyd with Iowa Department of Transportation to further review the options with the public. How many years have we all been lamenting over that dangerous Floyd Intersection? One call to Todd Pritchard and Josh Byrnes and we’re on our way to a solution!

Please vote on Nov. 8 and support Linda Tjaden for Floyd County Supervisor and Todd Pritchard for Iowa House of Representatives.

Lorraine Winterink, Charles City

Brown should revisit positions on guns, stand your ground

I believe that current Iowa law provides that an individual can use lethal force against anyone unlawfully entering his property under what’s called the castle doctrine. The ”Stand Your Ground” law that Waylon Brown supports would extend that concept to any public property. In instances where there is no witness other than the shooter to a homicide, it is very easy for anyone to claim “self-defense.”

Given the fresh news that a man with mental problems ended the lives of two policemen in Des Moines, perhaps Waylon Brown might see a need to revisit his resistance to mental health screenings for gun purchases?

Jamie Lewis, Charles City