2026 CHAMBER VOTER GUIDE

Jason Sherer

In talking with voters, whether at events or knocking doors, property taxes and the cost of living are the two topics that rise to the top. We must maintain responsible budget practices at the state level and do whatever we can to reduce the burden on the family budgets, especially at the local level. The government must be a good steward of the tax dollars it receives. We must continue to look for ways to streamline services and spend more efficiently.

Benjamine Schauer

Long-term economic growth and water quality.

Clean water must be a priority for our entire state. Every community depends on clean drinking water, but maintaining infrastructure and addressing pollution and runoff are adding additional costs and strains on our already stretched system. As a legislator, I would support greater state investment into water system upgrades, especially for rural communities that often lack resources to keep up with their water-system upgrade needs. I would also support state investment into proven water-quality practices like cover crops, wetlands, and precision nutrient management while also expanding cost-sharing opportunities for farmers and landowners to make these policies affordable long-term. Finally, I support holding habitual polluters financially accountable for the costs their pollution imposes on our communities.

We also need long-term economic growth plans that give people a reason to build their lives here. This goes beyond basic business recruitment. It means investing in and expanding our infrastructure systems, balancing support for small businesses owners and corporations, fully funding and strengthening partnerships with our local school systems and community colleges, and raising the minimum wage to keep up with our neighbors in Nebraska. Ultimately, we need a vision that transcends election cycles and partisan politics and gives us something to work toward for the next 20 years.

Marilyn Mentzer

Water Quality & Public Health: Iowa ranks first overall for new cancer diagnoses. Nitrates and other toxins are responsible for this health crisis. It expands past farming, our chemical use has increased drastically since WWII, onto golf courses, athletic fields, and even in our own lawns. We need to revisit old agriculture practices in conjunction with new technology to help improve our environment and decrease cancer rates across our State.

Property Tax Reform: The average property tax growth rate in Iowa is 39.5%, with Pottawattamie County at 28.9%, Harrison County at 48.8%. Property owners should not be taxed on unrealized gains or penalty for owning their homes. Reform is urgently needed to keep housing affordable. Budgets HAVE GOT TO BE CUT to accomplish this goal and keep families, seniors, et., in our homes.

Blake Johnson

No response

Brent Siegrist

Numerous important issues, but job creation and housing are very important. I have worked in the legislature to ensure that we have a better climate for job growth. That entails many things including the tax system, regulatory issues, education system and quality of life issues. I have voted to reduce the tax burden to encourage the creation of new jobs. I ran the bill that streamlined the rule making process. This has reduced the regulatory burden and has eliminated several thousand rules making it easier for businesses to expand and add jobs. I have been involved in creating grant programs from the state for developers to build new housing. I have been involved in making sure that our area in treated fairly in the competition for these funds. We can see the results of those efforts in the number of projects in Council Bluffs with new apartments and homes being built across our area.

Benjamin Larson

No Response

Keith Jones

1. Education. Iowa at one time was #2 in the nation for educational standards. We are now ranked 27th. I would advocate for more early childhood education - specifically in the areas of math and reading. Studies show that if a child can't read by the 3rd grade, the rest of their education will be greatly hampered. I'd institute an educational SWAT team for the bottom 3% of public schools and require high level administrators to perform substitute teaching 4x a school year to maintain a connection to learning. I'll embrace A.I. based learning models and advocate for more Trade / Vocational opportunities in high schools. Finally, I'll allow Iowa junior colleges to offer selected 4 year certifications. I'll also introduce expanded legislation to make minimum public school teachers receive a minimum salary of $60k annually and remove problem students from grade school classrooms to better the learning environment for ordinary students.

2. Public Safety - I'll sponsor a bill to pay volunteer EMTs a $1,200 refundable Iowa tax credit to address the EMT shortage in rual Iowa. I'll introduce another bill to create mandatory minimum sentences for offenders who use motor vehicles to run from police officers. Iowa needs two more state prisons to combat overcrowding and guarantee repeat criminals serve their sentences. I'll increase the Iowa State Patrol's officer strength by 35 troopers to ensure our highways, interstate system and small towns are safer. And I'll try to increase the funding for community mental health centers.

Jason Sherer

I want to focus on controlling the property tax costs to incentivise Iowa businesses.  For me, as a business owner, the biggest expense after payroll and health insurance is property taxes.  Let’s find ways to keep taxes reasonable and encourage development.  We also need to work with our small businesses to help them grow.  Large developments are great, but small businesses can have a bigger impact on communities.  To close, I’ll say that we need to work with our schools and Iowa Western to help our students get the skills they need to be able to fit the workforce and develop rewarding careers.

Benjamin Schauer

This starts with long-term strategic vision. A community cannot grow if there is no concept of where it wants to be in 5, 10, or 20 years. Failure to plan means local and state governments are constantly putting out fires as they appear rather than addressing the systemic causes of the challenges facing our communities.

Beyond this, we have to ensure our communities are desirable locations to live, work, and raise a family. This means ensuring our public school systems are strong and adequately funded, greater access to healthcare services, recreational activities, and cultural opportunities, and reliable basic services like infrastructure and public safety. Economic growth is difficult to sustain if people can’t afford of find joy living in their community.

The third pillar of this plan is a robust public-private partnership to help recruit, maintain, and grow both the business community and its workforce. This means investing in local entrepreneurs and small businesses, expanding career and technical education programs (and partnering with the local business community to save costs and increase exposure), and seeking out outside grants to fund these endeavors.

Ultimately, the goal should not just be to get another business in town. It should be to build a community that grows organically and attracts people because of what it offers to them and the life they want to build.

Marilyn Mentzer

Increasing Skilled Labor: Joining the skilled trades in America offers immediate "earn-while-you-learn" paid incentives. Many of these individuals work full-time while supporting families and attending school at night.

To ensure the continued growth of our economy, we must support these workers and expand these programs. Our nation was built on skilled labor, and we need to continue investing in these industries. Specifically, offering incentives to individuals while they complete their apprenticeships would provide essential support and encourage further participation.

Blake Johnson

No response

Brent Siegrist

The answer above addresses this question. We have to have a fair tax system, reduce the regulatory burden and provide state aid where it makes sense. If we are to grow the workforce, then we have to have adequate housing. Additionally, because of my lifetime of work in education, I work hard to ensure adequate funding for our K-12 schools and community colleges. I have been deeply involved in using the state infrastructure money to improve our state park system as well as a yearly appropriation (usually $2.5 million a year) for our biking and hiking trail system in Iowa. All of these things encourage economic and population growth.

Benjamin Larson

No Response

Keith Jones

Young families are our workforce and future leaders. To keep them here and attract new ones, we need to better our school systems and offer superior recreational opportunities. In the next 3 weeks, as a member of the Pottawattamie County BOS, I'll recommend creating an exploratory committee to work with the Iowa Bureau of Prisons to apply to build a state prison in our county -outside of the city limits of Council Bluffs. This could potentially employ 300+ workers at over $85k apiece and have a net economic impact for this area of over $90 million for perpetuity.

Benjamin Schauer

Property tax relief should focus on reducing the burden on the taxpayer without shifting it to local governments or forcing them to cut essential services. If the goal is to limit a local government’s ability to raise property tax revenue, the state must also provide a stable and adequate replacement source of funding. This means fully funding public schools at the rate of inflation and increasing state investment in crucial infrastructure like roads and water systems. The legislature should also give governing bodies more predictability in their annual budgeting by passing supplemental school state aid agreements on time and providing additional funding or rollout windows for new state mandates.

We should also be exploring ways to grow the local tax base, especially in our rural communities that are seeing their main streets shutter and close. This means setting long-term visions in all of our communities for what this looks like and how we integrate it. More businesses mean more jobs, economic activity, and additional revenue to help distribute the cost of local services across a wider tax base. This can be done through a variety of public-private partnerships, state and federal grants, small business development programs, and strategic investment and planning to attract new businesses to these communities.

Jason Sherer

The legislature did some good work on this this past session. Time will tell how the reforms will fall into place. We are still working through the inflation of Covid-era, everything costs more. If we can maintain responsible government budgets, it should give our families and businesses time for economic growth to occur.

Marilyn Mentzer

One of my top legislative priorities is reforming property tax assessments, valuations, and overall processes.

Currently, several counties face challenges due to assessors and oversight officials who lack sufficient background in property assessment. While there are exceptions—such as Pottawattamie County, which has three appraisers on staff—a qualification gap remains across much of the state. To ensure consistent expertise, I encourage the State to consider consolidating the services of assessors, treasurers, and auditors where applicable. The current process involves overlapping responsibilities among these offices, resulting in unnecessary costs for taxpayers. Leveraging technology to streamline these operations will reduce administrative budgets and ultimately help lower property taxes.

Additionally, open enrollment has created unprecedented competition within public school systems regarding athletic complexes, educational services, and staffing. Public schools must now compete not only with private institutions but also with neighboring public districts. To address these growing financial demands, school districts must implement stricter budgets and pursue consolidation where necessary.

Blake Johnson

No Response

Brent Siegrist 

Everybody agrees that property taxes are too high. How to address the ever risings taxes is complicated. The property tax legislation passed last session was an attempt to provide more certainly for the property taxpayer. Schools were not affected by the 2% cap that has been placed on cities and counties. Cities and counties must now limit the increase in taxes levied to no more than 2% each year with some exceptions such as no limit on the levy used to pay insurance costs. Again, your property taxes will likely go up every year, but the increase will be limited by the new law. Will it force difficult decisions at the city and county level? Absolutely. Hopefully it will result in efficiencies being implemented so necessary services continue to be provided.

Benjamin Larson

No Response

Keith Jones

Government doesn't create jobs, businesses do. Omaha is the 40th U.S. city by population. Council Bluffs isn't in the top 600. Large U.S. businesses are doing extremely well. Omaha, because of it's size, Omaha can draw large businesses. We CAN'T continue to compare ourselves to Omaha. We CAN capture it's workforce though as residents and consumers. We can do this by strengthening our schools, keeping taxes low, having good streets and parks, and reducing regulations. We need to focus on small and medium sized businesses.

Jason Sherer

I know how to work hard, listen and most importantly show up. I don't pretend to have all the answers, but by listening, learning, I know we can create a happier, healthier, and prosperous District 15 together.

Benjamin Schauer

I moved a lot as a kid. I came to Iowa from Oklahoma when I was a teenager and then moved to Western Iowa 11 years ago for a teaching position. Prior to Dunlap, I never would have called anywhere "home," but now I've put down roots that grow deeper every day. That's the power of a strong community, and it's why I'm running to represent it. I want to give back to the community that has poured so much into me and made me feel welcome and truly at home for the first time in my life. I am humbled by this opportunity, and I appreciate the support I've received so far.

Marilyn Mentzer

My decision to run for office was not something I had anticipated, but it is a calling I felt compelled to answer. My inspiration comes from my direct experience working on key issues like tax assessments and water quality, as well as reviewing current Iowa Code to identify where real improvements can be made.

Additionally, my decision was driven by the persistent lack of response from government officials and political parties to the concerns of private citizens.

As your State Representative for District 15, I commit to being responsive to your needs and hosting regular town halls throughout the year. District 15 has been home, and I am fully dedicated to making our community a better place for everyone.

Blake Johnson

No Response

Brent Siegrist 

I have the experience and proven results to make sure that the concerns of Council Bluffs are heard in Des Moines and statewide. I have a track record of working with anyone in the Legislature to get things done. Campaigning and talking is easy. Actually governing is hard. I have proven to be effective in getting things done, and I will continue that record of success if I am reelected.

Benjamin Larson

No Response

Keith Jones

I'm a Christian decision maker who has a vested interest in making our area as good as possible. This will take a coordinated effort with a diverse mix of people, community organizations, political viewpoints and local and state governmental intervention. We're right on the cusp of being an amazing community. But it will take focus to better ourselves. Iowa is in very good shape because of good leadership. But just a few bad political cycles can bring a cascade of bad political decisions and policies. My overall goal is to make sure that Iowa never looks anything like California.