DNR Director Richard Leopold said he is proud the DNR has kept all of Iowa’s state parks open despite budget cuts.

“We have a state park within 50 miles of every Iowan. A lot of Iowans are, in this tough economic time, are staying closer to home, the ‘staycation’ kind of thing, and we want to provide that for Iowans,” Leopold said.

Like most areas of state government, the DNR has seen cuts to their operating budget.

Fewer dollars have meant fewer employees, as the seasonal workers that help run the DNR’s park system have been reduced from 300 to 32.

“We’re seeing a drastic decrease in staffing levels at these parks that will mean that some of the services will be cut back quite a bit,” Leopold said. “We’re looking at everybody to try to help us with this.”

Leopold said they have been able to keep up most operations in parks.
After a mower broke at the Lake of Three Fires near Bedford, a donor gave them a mower and gas for the whole season because the DNR didn’t have the money to fix it.

The DNR also didn’t have money for a portable toilet at an equestrian area, Leopold said, and a local restaurant owner paid for it.

“We are experts at leveraging local friends’ groups and volunteers and everybody else, and we made it through last year,” Leopold said.

Pat Boddy, DNR deputy director, said visitors might notice the DNR is slower in maintaining the $260 million of infrastructure they take care of in state parks.

“Whether we’re slow on mowing or cleaning up a restroom, people will start to notice some of those differences, unfortunately. We’ll do our best to make sure it’s kept to a minimum,” Boddy said.

Boddy said they saw a record number of visitors to parks last year, and say they may see a new record this year.

“People are staying at home and appreciating the resources that they have access to, and that is of course, their state and county parks,” Boddy said.

Boddy said the department already has an extensive volunteer program they will expand as much as they can.

“When folks volunteer, we’re going to be prepared to find a good place for them to do their work,” Boddy said.

People interested in volunteering at Iowa’s state parks can contact Dawn Stohs at 515-281-0878 or Jane Mild at 515-242-6004. More information is available here

I will be hosting a live chat Monday at noon to talk about the Iowa Legislature’s state government reorganization efforts. I’ll be joined by other journalists and State Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City, and State Rep. Erik Helland, R-Grimes, who served on a commission studying reorganization ideas.

Please join us at www.wcfcourier.com to share your ideas, comment or ask questions.

DES MOINES – Are you ready for a comeback?

Terry Branstad is and he’s ready to lead the way, the four-term Republican said Tuesday as he kicked off his – and Iowa’s – comeback tour.

“I truly believe Iowa is poised for a historic comeback,” Branstad told more than 100 supporters on hand at the State Historical Building in Des Moines to hear him officially begin his campaign for governor. “Together we can bring Iowa back to the greatness we know we have in us.”

Branstad made no mention of the race he faces for the GOP nomination to be the party’s challenger to first-term Democrat Gov. Chet Culver. Instead, Branstad, 63, contrasted his results as the state’s longest serving governor with Iowa’s current condition. He promised restore fiscal responsibility in state government, create 200,000 new jobs, lift family income by 25 percent and provide children the best education in the country.

“How are we going to do it?” asked Branstad, surrounded by his wife, Chris, their children and grandchildren. “The way we have always done it. Setting ambitious goals. And we won’t stop working until we get them done.”

Before joining Branstad’s comeback, however, Iowans might want to ask themselves whether the Branstad years were as good as the former governor makes them sound, said Iowa democratic Party Chairman Michael Kiernan.

Iowa Democrats kicked off their “Terry vs. Terry” tour upstairs in the State Historical Building, highlighting what they call inconsistencies between Branstad’s record as governor and his record as a gubernatorial hopeful.

Kiernan said Branstad for raising taxes, followed policies that led to a $431 million deficit and bonded for $1 billion in today’s dollars.

“I agree with Terry Branstad on one thing: he made mistakes as governor,” Kiernan said. “Iowans cannot afford him to make more, and we’ve learned some things over the past 12 years: we’re better off without him and his mistakes.”

Branstad, however, contrasted the state’s $900 million surplus when he left office with Culver’s projected $1 billion deficit.

“So, balancing the state budget and restoring fiscal discipline to government is our highest priority,” Branstad said. “When we get that done the rest of our dreams and goals are possible.”

He’ll approach the job with the same kind of “personal, hands-on” approach that worked during his tenure as governor. He set a goal of achieving those goals in five years – not to suggest he would run for a sixth term, but because a five-year plan makes sense, Branstad said.

Before he can lead Iowa’s comeback, Branstad has to make it through a four-way primary that looks to be a fight for control of the Republican Party. Social conservatives are lining up behind Bob Vander Plaats of Sioux City and have indicated they won’t support Branstad if he is the nominee. Former House Speaker Chris Rants of Sioux City and Rep. Rod Roberts of Carroll also are seeking the nomination.

Regardless of who the nominee is, Kiernan expects Iowans will prefer Culver’s continued leadership and his focus on “moving the state forward” and balancing the budget without raising taxes.

He said the election will be a choice of how to solve Iowa’s problems.

“If you want to raise taxes to solve the state’s problems, then you probably want to vote for Terry Branstad,” Kiernan said.

DES MOINES – Iowa’s elected officials are looking ahead to how this year’s census will reshape Iowa’s political landscape.

State lawmakers are expected to approve a new map next year, ahead of the 2012 elections, that will draw new lines for Iowa’s congressional districts as well as Iowa House and Senate districts.

Completed every 10 years, redistricting can lead to a wave of retirements of elected officials or showdowns between incumbents paired up in the same district.

“If history has shown us anything in Iowa, it’s that especially at the congressional level, legislative redistricting is very unpredictable,” said Matt Strawn, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa.

The way Iowa approaches redistricting adds to the unpredictability.

Iowa’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency is charged with drawing up maps armed with the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Ed Cook is part of the three-person LSA team that completes redistricting proposals.

Cook said they work to maintain complete secrecy until the map is released to the Legislature next year, and will try to find a location outside the State Capitol to work.

“It just eliminates any perception that there’s any kind of collaboration with the Legislature at all. It’s never been an issue,” Cook said.

Once the first plan is released, lawmakers can approve or reject the map, taking a gamble they will like a second plan drawn by the LSA better. If they reject the second plan, they will be presented with a third plan they can amend.

With Iowa expected to lose a congressional seat after this year’s census count, the make-up of the Iowa Legislature next year could be key in approval of new districts.

A Democratic majority in the Legislature could help protect Democratic incumbents in Congress or the Legislature, while a GOP majority could lead to a map more favorable to Republicans.

Leaders on both sides of the aisle praise Iowa’s process.

Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, R-Chariton, calls redistricting healthy and thinks Iowa’s system is one of the best.

“The restrictions on how you can divide up these districts is pretty well-prescribed,” McKinley said.

House Speaker Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, stresses the nonpartisan nature of the process since lawmakers are not in charge of drawing the maps.

“A lot of it really is taken out of our hands,” Murphy said.

Murphy compares redistricting to term limits, since lawmakers cannot draw lines that favor themselves. He points to a large degree of turnover in the Iowa Legislature in the 2002 election cycle after districts were redrawn and sees the potential this time.

“You have the chance for a huge turnover come 2011, and I think everybody around here believes that that’s a possibility,” Murphy said.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines, ran for and won an open seat created by redistricting, joining the Legislature with a large freshman class after the 2002 election.

He praises Iowa’s system of redistricting because he said the majority party has little or no influence.

“If you talk to most reasonable people that are involved in the process on either side of the aisle, it is probably the most clean, most fair redistricting system we have in the entire country,” McCarthy said.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said in some states, whichever party is in control can “stack the deck” with creative mapping, making changes that are nearly locked in for a decade.

But Gronstal points to the last two decades in Iowa as proof that Iowa’s system is balanced.

In the 1990s, Democrats were in control during the redistricting process but lost control of the Legislature later in the decade. Republicans who maintained a legislative majority during redistricting in 2001 lost majorities in later years as well.

Gronstal hesitates to make predictions on Iowa’s congressional maps this time around, because the population requirements for equality are so precise.

“It’s the luck of the draw as to whether you pick Boone County to add to a congressional district or Greene County to add to a congressional district,” Gronstal said.

The last time Iowa saw redistricting in 2001, majority Republicans rejected the first proposed map, saying the population variances in districts were too large.

That map placed former GOP congressmen Jim Leach and Jim Nussle in the same eastern Iowa district and pitted 70 incumbents in the Iowa Legislature against each other.

The second map, which ultimately was approved, still put Leach and Nussle in the same district, and prompted Leach to move from Davenport to Iowa City to run from that district.

Mapping the state

Drawing new congressional and legislative districts is an exacting science made easier by specialized computer software.

In the last redistricting, congressional districts had less than 600,000 people, Cook said. If Iowa were to lose a district as is expected, Cook believes the districts would have about 750,000 people, but said they won’t know until they get the census data.

When drawing congressional districts, they are looking to ensure “one person, one vote,” with districts as close to the ideal population as possible.

“A shift of no more than 2,000 people throughout the state can radically alter how a congressional plan is going to look, because you want to get the deviation within under 100,” Cook said.

When: The Iowa Legislature will consider maps next year which redraw congressional and legislative districts in time for the 2012 elections based on U.S. Census Bureau data.
Prospects: Iowa is expected to lose one of its congressional seats, going from five to four.
Possible outcome: Redistricting can pair up incumbents in the same district and can create seats with no incumbent, providing an opening for newcomers. Redrawn maps sometimes prompt incumbents to move to districts more favorable to them. Redistricting in the past has led to a high degree of turnover in the Iowa Legislature.

I figured the plastic bag, featuring the Census 2010 logo, was filled with Census info for reporters. Instead, it was filled with a selection of promotional materials, mostly junky.

Among the items – a small flashlight on a key chain, a red, white and blue ballpoint pen, a Bic highlighter, a pencil, a pad of Census sticky notes, a luggage ID tag, the type of big clip I use to close up potato chips, a football-shaped “stress reliever,” a mouse pad, a notepad in a plastic case with a pen and neon Post It-type bookmarks.

The items are printed with the Census slogan “It’s In Our Hands,” encouraging people to be counted. Mostly, I was just left wondering why the Census Bureau spent money on this kind of stuff and wishing I could give it back.

Iowa Democratic leaders expect the state’s precinct caucuses will remain first-in-the-nation in 2012 and beyond following the final meeting Wednesday of a Democratic National Committee panel recommending changes to the delegate selection process.

“Iowans should continue to be cautiously optimistic about our first-in-the-nation status,” Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Michael Kiernan said. “While the Democratic National Committee evaluates shifting the schedule of primaries and caucuses to later in the year, I expect Iowa will remain the first caucus.”

However, he warned the Change Commission recommendation that Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Caroline have their caucuses and primaries beginning Feb. 1 and other states start their delegate selection processes no earlier than March 1 is not the final word.

The recommendations go to the Rules and Bylaws Committee, which next meets in February. Its recommendations will go to the DNC over the summer. State party leaders expect a decision in the fall of 2010, prior to mid-term elections.

Even then, the line-up won’t be set, one party official said. Just as Michigan and Florida ignored the DNC schedule in 2008, some states may choose to jump ahead of Iowa and New Hampshire.

The Change Commission is recommending the DNC offer incentives for states to follow the party calendar by offering, for example, preferred seating and hotel accommodations at national conventions.

Its recommendations also call for states to work together on regional primaries and to avoid “Super Tuesday” situation where more than 20 states had their primaries on the same day.

Under the recommendations adopted by Change Commission members during a conference call, super delegates would be replaced with national pledged party leaders. They would have to pledge their backing to the presidential hopefuls based on the outcome of their state’s primary or caucus. If they choose not to, they can attend the national convention as non-voting members.

Iowa Democratic leaders doubt there will be the fight over the 2012 calendar similar to the one in 2008 because President Obama is expected to be the party’s nominee. However, 2016 may be another matter entirely.

In the meantime, Kiernan said Iowa Democrats remain focused on their 2010 caucuses Jan. 23.

“That’s part of the motive,” King said when discussing federal health care reform efforts with reporters after a Tuesday taping of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press.”

King, who represents Iowa’s 5th District, said he will do what he can to try stop a health care bill from heading to President Obama’s desk, and urged others who opposed the bill to join him.

He said Democrats are moving toward a national health care plan, whether a public insurance option is included in the final bill or not.

“That’s the goal; that’s the endeavor,” King said. “They’ll regulate everything, and when they do that, we will lose the liberty we have today to buy health insurance policies.”

He predicted that if Congress passes health care reform, they will pay a price at the ballot box in 2010.

“I’ve never seen this kind of energy in America, this kind of uprising, especially from the heart of the heartland of America,” King said.

King said he is worried about the “mindset” drifting into America that doesn’t seem to understand the free enterprise system.

“We’re descendents in this part of the country from people who came across America in covered wagons,” King said. “I mean, they came here to live free or die on the prairie. They didn’t ask for a government handout.”

Norm Sterzenbach, executive director of the Iowa Democratic Party, called King’s comments hypocritical.

“Before he rails against Democrats for working to help seniors pay for prescriptions and help students afford college, he should consider giving up his government salary, as other members of Congress have,” Sterzenbach said.

King, a four-term Congressman, said he plans to seek another term in 2010. Iowa is expected to lose one of its Congressional seats, and King said he probably still will seek re-election in 2012 even if redistricting places him in the same district with another member of Congress.

As Iowa Republicans look to unseat Gov. Chet Culver next year, King said he did not know whether he would endorse one of the candidates in the GOP primary.

“I’d like to see them fight this out, because it tests their vigor, and it tests their ability, and it also shapes the policy for Republicans that will be matched up against the policy that’s been set by Gov. Culver,” King said.

The “Iowa Press” episode featuring King is scheduled to air Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at noon on Iowa Public Television.

President Barack Obama signed legislation allowing the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program to continue through February. The program provides the unemployed with up to 47 weeks of additional benefits, paid for by the federal government, after their initial weeks of eligibility are up.

“This extension is a vital tool for Iowans who are seeking to re-enter the work force,” Culver said in a statement. “I commend the Obama administration for their efforts in helping to secure all possible benefits for Iowans, and as governor I will continue to do all I can to retain and create good jobs in every part of the state.”

Iowans currently receiving unemployment are required to continue with their weekly reporting to receive extended benefits. Iowa’s unemployment rate hit 6.7 percent in November, up .1 percent from the previous month.

Iowa Workforce Development Director Elisabeth Buck said the extension of the program is critical to Iowans still reeling from the effects of the national recession.

“Without the deadline extension, thousands of Iowans and countless communities would lose out on a necessary economic support,” Buck said in a statement.

The agency has developed a program to help unemployed workers, which includes such things as retraining assistance, job placement assistance, resume writing and interview skills.

“I look forward to working with Jerry as we discuss the ideas and tools needed in order to lead Iowa’s comeback,” said Branstad. “Jerry’s assistance and guidance will be valuable to our campaign as we continue advancing a conservative, pro-economic development agenda.”

State Sen. Jack Hatch, D-Des Moines, said in an economic downturn, there is a disproportionate increase in the number of people that need state services. Hatch said the public might be served more slowly, but assistance still will be there.

“They need to know that we are going to fulfill our obligation to them – that we are not going to throw people out on the streets, and we’re going to provide the services,” Hatch said.

Rep. Lisa Heddens, D-Ames, said it is the state’s responsibility to assist those in need.

“We have individuals and families that have an expectation that if they have lost their job, or lost their health care — they’re looking to the state safety net to help them through these tough economic times,” Heddens said.

Hatch and Heddens are co-chairs of a legislative committee overseeing a $1.2 billion state health and human services budget.

The committee met Friday, weeks before the Iowa Legislature opens its regular session, to begin sketching out spending priorities and areas where savings could be found.

Spending on state health and human services is down, due to across-the-board budget cuts. State officials are working to fill the gap with federal dollars.

Lily French, a research associate with the Iowa Policy Project, warned of immediate and long-term consequences of state budget cuts and the economic downturn on vulnerable families. Spending cuts translate into job losses, either for state employees or private-sector firms with contracts with the state, she said.

Iowa has lost more than 50,000 jobs since the beginning of the recession, jobs which Iowa will be slow to recover, she said. Jobs lost in Iowa during the previous recession earlier this decade took the state four years to regain, she said.

“We regain those jobs at half the rate of the rest of the country, so each job that we lose in Iowa puts us further behind,” French said.

Reductions in state benefits and services also put vulnerable families at risk and create long-term consequences for the state, she told the committee.

French cited research showing that children who fall into poverty during a recession fare worse as adults, even if they leave poverty after the recession is over. Those children achieve lower levels of education and are less likely to be gainfully employed over their lifetimes, she said.

Ranking committee member David Johnson, a Republican state senator from Ocheyedan, said the budget discussion needs to begin by recognizing that state has been spending into a deficit.

“That’s especially true when it comes to serving the most vulnerable Iowans. We’re not going to be able to help them as much as we have in the past, as much as advocates want us to,” Johnson said.