Dist. 96 candidate speaks in Monticello


Reenie Montgomery, Iowa Dist. 96 Democratic candidate, spoke with voters at the Monticello library on Sept. 26. Montgomery wants to see better laws for unions, increased education funding, and more funding for mental health in Iowa. (Photo by Kim Brooks)

     Reenie Montgomery, the Democratic candidate for Iowa House Dist. 96, stopped to visit with voters at the Monticello Public Library on Sept. 26.

     For those who don’t know, Montgomery used to live and work in Monticello several years ago before moving to Manchester.

     This is Montgomery’s second time running for Dist. 96 against incumbent Lee Hein of Monticello.

     “I didn’t agree with the votes cast in the last two sessions,” she said of throwing her hat in the ring for the Nov. 6 General Election.

     Among the issues Montgomery disagreed with: women’s rights (the Heartbeat Bill), the vote to take away collective bargaining for unions, and the 1 percent funding increase for public schools in Iowa.

     As the union steward for the Manchester Police Department, Montgomery said she is a big proponent for unions.

     “I have a strong backing of unions. I believe in unions,” she said. “I think they are good. They give people the opportunity to talk about their benefits that they have, otherwise a lot of people don’t get those benefits if they don’t have a union.”

     Aside from bargaining rights, Montgomery said union workers are also worried about IPERS. “Is the state is going to do something to cut it or privatize it?” she asked.

     Montgomery grew up in Dyersville and Earlville. She attended Maquoketa Valley schools. She worked for the Monticello, Anamosa, and now the Manchester/Delaware County police and sheriff’s departments. Her current job is working dispatch for 911 in Manchester. She’s been there for 11 years. Prior to moving to Manchester, Montgomery served for a total of six years on the Monticello City Council.

     “I’ve spent 25-plus years in public service,” she said of her background.

     With her job and personal life experience, Montgomery knows first-hand how mental health impacts society.

     “People don’t feel like they can go to places to get the care that they need,” she said. “A lot of it, too, is they can’t afford the help. That’s sad. No one should feel like that.”

     Montgomery shared a personal story involving her brother who committed suicide at the age of 28. “This one I know about,” she said of a major hot topic right now.

     She said no other family should have to go through seeing their loved one take their life because he/she is not getting the mental health assistance they need.

     “The guilt and pain is just beyond what you could ever imagine,” she shared.

     For that reason, and hearing from many others about mental health deficiencies, Montgomery said she felt compelled to try and do something about it.

     Her job in the dispatch center also aids in what she hears and sees regarding mental health needs in Iowa. “With my experience and seeing the other side of life with law enforcement, I see a lot of people with mental health issues,” said Montgomery. “Something needs to be done.”

     She said sheriff deputies drive clear across the state sometimes to transport a mental health patient just for a bed in a hospitalized facility. “There’s a crisis that people don’t realize and nobody wants to talk about it. It’s happening and we have to do something.”

     When it comes to education, Montgomery is personally against the state funding education vouchers for private schools. She said if parents want to send their kids to private schools, they should have to pay for it, not the taxpayers.

     However, she would like to see more funding for public schools. “If you take away the funding, the teachers aren’t motivated; the students aren’t motivated,” she said.

     As for where that additional funding would come from? “Some of it has to be taken away from corporate giveaways, too,” she suggested. “That’s how you start.”

     She said there’s no way to guarantee that money going to major corporations actually stays in the state. Money going to fund education in Iowa stays in Iowa, impacts Iowa’s future generations.

     With some state (and congressional) legislators voting against party line, Montgomery said it depends on the vote.

     “If it comes down to what’s best for the people, I’m doing it,” she said. “Party or not, that doesn’t make a difference for me. If I have go against the party, I will.”

 

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