Democratic gubernatorial nominee and current Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand made his Sioux County stop on his annual 100 Town Hall Tour Thursday evening, answering questions from reporters before the event and later taking questions from audience members during a Sioux County town hall at the Sioux Center Public Library. Organizers said more than 100 people attended the event.
The evening featured discussions on property taxes, data centers, Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), healthcare, campaign rhetoric, and governing alongside a Republican-controlled Legislature. Early in the event, Sand invited Republicans, Democrats, and independents in attendance to stand and be recognized before asking the crowd to join him in singing the opening verse of America the Beautiful.
Why Sioux County?
Before the town hall began, Sioux County Radio asked Sand why he continues bringing his annual town hall tour to one of Iowa’s most Republican counties. According to the Sioux County Auditor’s Office, Republicans make up roughly 72% of Sioux County’s active registered voters.
Sand said he believes candidates should make themselves available to voters regardless of political affiliation.
“I think it’s important for people to have access to their candidates and their elected officials. And it doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree with me. I also think there’s a lot of people who have more recently been voting more for the opposite party, who are starting to notice their pockets are getting picked a little bit, and starting to notice that a lot of the stuff getting done in Des Moines is really for special interest groups and insiders. They’re looking for somebody that’s willing to look them in the eye and say, ‘We might disagree on some stuff, but I think we can get government focused on you again.'”
“Rotate the Crops in the Capitol”
One of Sand’s central themes throughout the evening was his belief that Iowa would benefit from greater political balance after a decade of Republican control in state government. Comparing politics to a concept familiar to many northwest Iowa residents, Sand argued that even good ideas can become less effective when one party holds power for too long.
“This is a simple concept. Everybody in Iowa learns it when you’re young. You can have a good thing in there, but if that good thing is there too long, it starts to go bad and you have to take it out and replace it with something else. It’s time to rotate the crops in the Capitol building, ladies and gentlemen.”
Sand said that if elected governor, he expects to work with a Republican-controlled Legislature and believes bipartisan government produces better outcomes than prolonged one-party control.
Local Issues: Property Taxes and Data Centers
Several questions before the town hall focused on issues currently affecting northwest Iowa communities.
Asked about concerns from city and county officials over Iowa’s recently approved property tax overhaul, Sand said local governments deserve more input before major legislation is passed.
“We’re going to need to take the time to let the dust settle. But if I get elected governor, we’re going to have a process that listens to all Iowans before we get stuff passed, and we’re not going to be doing it last minute and excluding people.”
Sand was also asked about data centers after Sioux County and others in the area recently approved a temporary moratorium on new applications while officials study potential impacts.
Rather than supporting a statewide moratorium, Sand said Iowa should make sure large developments directly benefit local communities.
“Data centers should pay full freight. They should carry their own weight. They shouldn’t be getting tax breaks. And if they’re going to build here, it should be to the benefit of other people out there. For example, because of their presence, we should be seeing lower property taxes for neighbors. We should be seeing electrical and utility rates not going up—preferably going down because of that.”
Education Savings Accounts Draw Extended Discussion
One attendee noted that many Sioux County families have benefited from Iowa’s Education Savings Account program and asked Sand to explain his concerns with the law.
The ESA program allows eligible families to use state funds toward private school tuition and certain other educational expenses. During the program’s first year in 2023, Iowa Capital Dispatch, citing Iowa Department of Education data, reported Sioux County had the state’s fourth-highest number of approved ESA applications, trailing only Polk, Linn and Scott counties.
Sand said if private schools don’t want the public looking at how taxpayer dollars are spent…
“…then don’t give them public money. I want public oversight of public money.”
Sand said schools accepting public funds should be subject to financial audits and spending oversight similar to public schools, arguing taxpayer dollars should come with public accountability.
Working Across Party Lines
Several audience questions focused on what Sand could realistically accomplish if elected governor while working with a Republican-controlled Legislature.
During the media availability before the town hall, reporters asked Sand how he would approach issues that have divided the Legislature, including recent debates over LGBTQ rights.
“I’m going to veto culture war bills. We need to be working on things like health care, improving our education system, improving our water quality in the state of Iowa, fixing our economic situation — the things that impact one hundred percent of Iowans. I don’t think that we are going to find agreement on culture war issues, but I want us to be focused on the issues that impact one hundred percent of people.”
Later in the evening, another attendee asked how voters could be confident he would follow through on campaign promises if elected.
Sand pointed to his record as state auditor, saying he has repeatedly taken positions that have frustrated members of both political parties and has tried to remain transparent with voters throughout his campaign.
A Local Republican’s Perspective
Following the town hall, Sioux County Radio spoke with Brock Lehman, a registered Republican, social studies teacher at Sioux Center High School, and attendee at Thursday’s event.
Lehman said hearing directly from candidates, regardless of political party, is an important part of being an informed voter.
“I wish more people were more involved in the political system. I wish more people would take the time to have an opportunity like this to say, ‘Okay, well here’s a candidate who’s running for governor. Why isn’t everybody here? Why don’t we have a thousand people here? Why don’t we have five thousand people here? Don’t just vote just because you’re going to show up to vote, or don’t not vote at all. Be involved.
While Lehman said he appreciated the opportunity to hear Sand answer questions, he also wished there had been more discussion surrounding Iowa’s high cancer rates and healthcare.
Diagnosed with cancer three years ago, Lehman said the issue remains deeply personal for his family.
“After what I’ve had to go through — the fear and the medical bills and all that stuff — what are we going to do to fix it? … That’s one thing that I wish we had more time on, that he could have addressed more… That’s a conversation my wife and I have had. Is it safe to have our kids here?…Why is it that I have to buy a reverse osmosis water system?…is that right for a human being?”
Thursday’s Northwest Iowa Tour
Thursday’s Sioux County town hall capped a four-stop northwest Iowa swing that also took Sand to Sibley, Rock Rapids and Le Mars earlier in the day. Those events were part of his ongoing annual 100 Town Hall Tour, which continues with additional stops across Iowa as he campaigns for governor.
