Information in July

The people of Ames expect that their representatives will study the issues and vote in a responsible and enlightened way.

Greimann intends to be careful with your tax dollars and stretch them as far as possible to maintain the services that we expect from Government. She believes that we must continue to protect our citizens from the criminals in our midst who would harm us and to also distinguish those criminals who are harming themselves due to addictions to drugs and alcohol. Treating addictions is much more economical and humane than placing people in jail without treatment. Our community corrections system is saving the State money, however, it needs more FTE’s to be effective and create a safe place for all of us. She is glad that we are encouraging people to go to work rather than stay on welfare. But she also knows that some folks will always need more help from our social services than others. Children need protection from abusive homes and they deserve quality childcare no matter the income of their families.

City and County government needs more local control of their taxing system. The State government has economized by transferring expenses to the county and cities too many times in the past. Tax reform should not be piecemeal and regressive in its effect. Greimann has offered a bill to withdraw federal deductibility from Iowa’s requirements that would allow us to lower our taxing percentage making the change revenue neutral.

Greimann believes that mental health parity in our insurance systems would help families and businesses to cope with the high costs of treating mental illness and put people back to work quicker. She will continue to work for this change. The majority party has held up this legislation in the past few years.

Families at all economic levels need support and education from all our social institutions. Family friendly policies will benefit our economy and our culture. The media is sometimes at odds with the development of sound values that enrich our culture and our spirits.

While Greimann is not in favor of censorship, She does believe that government has the right to recognize and warn against harmful elements in our society. She will encourage the promotion of sound nutritional education, increased exercise and family time together.

Engaging the talents of all its citizens will enrich our society. She has worked and lobbied for civil rights for gays and lesbians. She also works to give disabled citizens more opportunities in our workforce. Immigration is one part of the answer to growing Iowa.

Our environment is in danger until we can fund the DNR with enough personnel to enforce the laws already on the books. Greimann has offered several bills to protect us from the pollution dangers of animal confinement factories. All these bills have not been brought up in committees because the Majority party had the power to keep them in the drawers. Until we have a change in leadership these bills will not be studied in the legislature.

This year unless our economy picks up significantly, our revenues will again fall short of the requests for funds. We will be faced with a need to economize and consolidate our services. Our Governor has proven that he is able to manage shortfalls and to balance our budgets. Even though some people in Ames have asked their representatives to raise taxes that is not the sentiment across the state. The road ahead will be rocky.

Education remains a priority for the state with 56% of the State General fund being distributed to all levels of educational systems.

K-12 education will receive continued scrutiny as a new policy for raising teacher salaries is implemented. This policy is one that will continue to evolve and Greimann will bring the perspective of a concerned parent and a retired teacher to her decision-making role.