CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Rep. Sue Cahill (D-Marshalltown), pictured at right alongside Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, left, submitted her nomination papers for re-election on Thursday. Cahill, a retired teacher and former Marshalltown city councilor, serves House District 52, which covers the city of Marshalltown and southeast Marshall County. She is seeking her third term in office.

DES MOINES — On Thursday, Rep. Sue Cahill (D-Marshalltown) submitted her nomination papers to Secretary of State Paul Pate at his office inside the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines. Cahill is the incumbent for the House of Representative District 52, which includes Marshalltown and the southeast section of Marshall Country.

First elected in 2020 to replace the retiring former House Democratic Leader Mark Smith, Cahill has held the seat since 2021 and won a second term after running unopposed in 2022.

“I have been honored to serve the people of Marshall County in the legislature. My focus has been on Education and Veterans Affairs. I serve on both of those committees. I also serve as the Ranking Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Budget appropriations committee,” Cahill said.

Cahill said she has been very busy working on the AEA bill with the House Education Committee along with other bills to review the Iowa Core Standards and to revise the Social Studies curriculum, which have been “very time consuming.”

“I have seen more advocacy and input from constituents on these bills than in the past. People are very passionate about the AEAs because it is personal. I get emails saying that ‘my child, or my nephew, or my granddaughter received those excellent services from the AEA,'” Cahill said.

Passing a teacher salary increase bill has also been a highlight for Cahill.

“I served for 23 years as a teacher in Marshalltown. The last time the legislature raised teacher salaries was in 2013. This legislation that was passed on Thursday moves a first-year teacher salary to $47,500 in the 2024-25 school year and $50,000 in the 2025-2026 school year. It also provides funds to the districts to raise non-salaried personnel such as paraeducators, food service workers, buildings and grounds workers, bus drivers and administrative personnel to $15 per hour,” she said.

The bill will now move to the Senate for discussion. Cahill regularly holds Community Conversations around the district. She welcomes people to attend and ask questions about current legislation. Her next Community Conversations are as follows:

• Saturday, March 23, 10 to 11 a.m., Pitchfork Primitives and Fodder, 203 S. Main St., Laurel

• Friday, March 29, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Iowa Veterans Home, Malloy Leisure Recreation Center, 1301 Summit St.

• Friday, April 12, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Iowa Veterans Home, Malloy Leisure Recreation Center, 1301 Summit St.

• Saturday, April 20, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Marshalltown Public Library, 105 W. Boone St.

These events are informal and open to the public.