Ahead of the Nov. 5 general election, the T-R sent out questionnaires to the candidates in competitive races across the coverage area. Today’s spotlight focuses on Iowa House District 52, which covers the city of Marshalltown and the southeast quadrant of the county, including Le Grand, Laurel, Ferguson, Gilman and Haverhill.

Republican sheet metal worker and former legislative clerk David Blom of Marshalltown, who was nominated by special convention after the June primary, is challenging two-term incumbent Sue Cahil (D-Marshalltown), a retired educator with the Marshalltown Community School District (MCSD) and former Marshalltown city councilor. Cahill won re-election after running unopposed in 2022. The first half of their responses are printed below, and the remainder will be published in the weekend edition of the T-R.

1. What is your personal, professional and educational background, and why you are running for a seat in the Iowa House?

David Blom: I’m a Marshalltown native, attended Marshalltown High School, and today am a union sheet metal worker right here in Marshall County. I come from a working-class background and am the son of a public school teacher and engineer. I’m running for Iowa House to give Marshall County a seat at the table in Des Moines.

I’m running to support students, teachers, and parents, provide tax relief for hardworking Iowans, keep high quality jobs right here in Marshalltown, and to ensure our veterans receive the support they deserve.

I am proud of my hometown. Marshalltown is a beautiful place with economic opportunity and cultural diversity.

Growing up in Marshalltown, I have enjoyed volunteering with groups including the House of Compassion, Emergency Food Box, counseling at summer youth camp, Oktemberfest cleanup, Marshalltown Public Library, 4-H, Student Rotary, Mentors in Violence Prevention at MHS, mentoring at Lenihan, singing with the Marshalltown Men’s Chorus, visiting at nursing homes, and activities with veterans at the Iowa Veterans Home.

While attending Marshalltown Community College, I worked two semesters as a clerk in the Iowa House, recording attendance, giving tours, and learning about the process of serving Iowa.

Sue Cahill: I am Sue Cahill. I am a mom to six sons, a grandma to three beautiful kids, and a widow of almost 18 years. I have lived in Marshalltown for 34 years and raised my family here. I am a retired teacher of 23 years in the Marshalltown Community School District. Most of my career was spent at Woodbury Elementary.

Prior to my teaching career, I provided childcare in my home and taught classes for Iowa State University Extension for childcare providers in the area. I also have worked in training human resource positions in public and nonprofit businesses.

I have BA degrees in Communications and in Elementary Education and a Master of Education in Teaching and Learning. I was awarded the National Teacher Certification as an Early Childhood Generalist, and I have specialized endorsements for Reading, Teacher-Librarian and Computer Science.

I am running for my third term in the Iowa House. My committee work has involved education, early childhood issues, veterans and capital spending projects and road use funds. I have built relationships with House members across the aisle and work to find common ground. When I don’t know enough about an issue, I call on the local experts to provide guidance and advice. I don’t just represent myself; I represent the people I serve. I spoke out and voted against Educational Savings Accounts after receiving 91% of constituent emails and calls against them. I spoke out and voted against the AEA reorganization with 99% of my contacts against this bill. I have the experience and ability to speak out against these bills that are hurting our public schools because I have been in the public schools, and I understand how they work. I listen to your concerns. I am running to be your voice.

2. In reflecting on recent legislative sessions, the bills passed and signed and spending, taxation and budget priorities, do you feel that the state is currently headed in the right direction? If not, how would you change course?

Blom: Iowa is in a great fiscal position thanks to sound budgeting principles and efforts to lower taxes as much as responsibly possible. Once elected, my goal for each state budget I vote on will be to eliminate wasteful spending, adequately fund the Iowans’ priorities, and lower the tax burden on Iowans as much as we can. Our workers put in long hours and deserve to keep more of their hard earned money. I think our state has shown that you can fund your priorities and lower taxes. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.

Cahill: I believe we have a “shell game” going on with our current spending, taxation, and budget priorities. The legislature lowers taxes, but they take away services from Iowans. The tax bill passed last year lowered the income tax to a fixed rate, but it took away the levies for libraries, community bands, community centers and 13 other entities. These were levies that had previously been approved by the voters. Now cities must budget for these entities out of the general funds. Residents got lower taxes but services were lost. When the state changes the tax structure to benefit taxpayers, the cities, counties, school districts and community college districts have to raise levies or lose vital services.

3. Ms. Cahill, why do you believe that you deserve to serve another term, and Mr. Blom, why do you feel that it’s time for a change?

Blom: I believe that for a while, Marshalltown has not had a representative that is aligned with our values. In Marshalltown, we work hard for our paychecks. We want to keep as much of our hard-earned money as possible and we want to see our tax dollars go toward things like public safety, not government handouts without any accountability. We want our schools to stick to subjects like reading, math, science, and history, and leave political issues to the parents. We don’t think sexually graphic material belongs in school libraries. These are simple, common-sense positions. But they are out of alignment with Sue Cahill’s voting record.

Cahill: Working in the Iowa House is about building relationships: Relationships with constituents, relationships with fellow legislators, relationships with staff. I have served as the ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee and the Transportation, Infrastructure and Capitals Appropriations Subcommittee. I am an assistant minority leader elected by my peers. You don’t just walk into the Legislature and have a seat at the table. You must prove yourself to those who elected you, those who work with you and those you rely on for information. I listen and I act. I have made the commitment to all those groups to serve in the Iowa House and be the voice for Marshall County.

4. Do you support the AEA reform bill and Education Savings Accounts for students who attend nonpublic schools in Iowa? Additionally, do you believe that Iowa’s public schools are currently adequately funded and on the right track?

Blom: I don’t support the AEA bill. As I have listened to parents, grandparents, teachers, and para education professionals they tell me the focus needs to be on hiring more staff in special education who are passionate about serving our students. While I understand adding local control and accountability is an important goal in the bill, right now the focus needs to be on recruiting quality staff. Staff must also know that we have their back when they face physical injury or challenging environments.

Please visit marshalltown.tedk12.com/hire and consider working as a para educator in Marshalltown.

When I’m in the Iowa House, my voting record will be to support our public schools and provide educational choice so students can attend whatever school will help them thrive. I’m the son of a public school teacher and I’m grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to attend the school best suited for me and my education, which included Marshalltown High School. But I think all students deserve the opportunity to have the education best suited for them. I will vote to ensure our public schools are fully funded and that special education students are getting the resources they need to be successful.

Cahill: Education is my passion. I have been in public and private schools as a parent, a staff member, and a board member. I have worked at the classroom level, the building level, and the district level. I have seen the view from all these perspectives. The Iowa legislature has let down the students, families and our entire state in the past two years and is heading in the wrong direction. When out-of-state companies are paid high dollars to provide reports on our schools, AEAs and students without even consulting those involved in the delivery of these services, we have a problem. When we make changes before we have a task force to evaluate the existing conditions, we have a problem. When we enact a voucher program with no income limitations and no accountability, we have a problem. When we have solutions in search of a problem dictated from a national playbook, we really have a problem. When we don’t listen to the will of our constituents, that is the biggest problem of all.

5. Do you support efforts to restrict books that contain sexually explicit or LGBTQ+ themes from public schools? Why or why not?

Blom: Sexually explicit content doesn’t belong in school libraries. That is simple and that is all that the bill passed in the Iowa Legislature said. Iowans can tell the difference between classical art and modern picture books depicting sex acts among minors.

Cahill: I am a certified teacher librarian. Each school district has a process for librarians to select books for their collection. Sometimes, after we order a book, we realize it might be inappropriate for a certain audience. A parent may bring this to our attention. Each district has a policy on how to handle these objections. By following the district policy, books can be reclassified, removed, or remain in place. Parents can request that their child not check out a specific book if they find it not appropriate for their family. My biggest concern is that what one family sees as inappropriate, might be perfectly fine for another family. It does not mean either family is right or wrong.It means we have different views of the world and how we want our children to be exposed to those views. I respect anyone who does not want their child to read a specific book. But they must respect me and my decision to allow my child access to the same book.

Blom: I don’t agree with Sue Cahill on these bills that have come before the Iowa House. I don’t believe biological males belong in girls’ sports, bathrooms, or locker rooms. It is not caring and it is not fair to girls. We must empathize with women like Riley Ganes who have been denied swimming trophies. I don’t believe permanent decisions on gender transition should be made before a child is 18. Should any more issues on gender identity come before the Iowa House, I will evaluate each of them adequately. But my goal will always be to protect children and to defend the rights of women.

Cahill: I will always fight for civil rights protections for all Iowans. All students, transgender or not, deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and not singled out or prevented from participation due to their sexual orientation or gender identification. These are basic civil rights; these are basic human rights.

Health care decisions should be made between the patient, their family, if they are a minor, and their medical team. It was very rare that those under 18 had any of the reconstructive surgeries before the law was enacted. It was only done with parental permission to save lives in cases of severe suicidality.

Kids learn a lot of important life lessons in sports: leadership, confidence, self-respect, and what it means to be part of a team. Transgender kids deserve the same chances to learn these skills and to build a sense of belonging. They just want to play, to be a part of a team, to be accepted. This legislation was passed out of fear – fear of the unknown. It is a fear of transgendered students having an advantage over others. Some students have advantages in sports because they have the best coaches, or facilities, or their family can afford to pay for outside training and elite team participation. The overwhelming majority of transgender youth, like most kids, don’t even play at elite levels. They just want to play everyday school sports and participate with their peers. This issue affects a very small percentage of students in Iowa. Let the kids play.

7. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, the Iowa Legislature has passed a fetal heartbeat bill that bans abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy. Do you support this law, and are there any further restrictions you would seek to impose if elected?

Blom: Now that the Heartbeat Bill has become law, it’s time to shift focus to what we can do in the Iowa House to build strong families. We must work together to build a culture of life so that every woman is respected and cared for and every baby is protected and loved. There’s a lot we can do, from making adoption less expensive, increasing protections and support for kids in the foster care systems, increasing access to quality maternal health care, and on. I want to see all families thrive in Iowa.

Cahill: No one is more qualified to make these healthcare decisions than the woman and her medical team. Iowans deserve to have access to healthcare without government interference. I gave birth to six amazing boys. I had one miscarriage, I developed preeclampsia with two of the births, and two of the boys were born with issues that required early surgeries. Each of these seven pregnancies was unique and complicated. There is no one-size-fits-all way to manage pregnancy. Politicians are never more qualified than the patient and their provider in making healthcare decisions. I would work to restore safe and legal abortions in Iowa.