Fourth in a series of stories on Iowa legislative races

INDEPENDENCE - Six months ago, Rep. Dan Rasmussen would have said the biggest issues on his constituents' minds were health care, education and ethanol.

Three months ago, it was how to move forward following a devastating summer that left many homeless and some jobless.

Today, as an economic bailout deal has just been passed by Congress, he isn't quite sure what the answer is.

"The way this year is going, everything changes day by day. I don't know if I have ever in my life seen anything quite like this. Nothing that we have been through, or are going through, is just something that happened yesterday and will be OK the day after tomorrow," Rasmussen said. "These are all big events, and they will have a lasting effect."

It is one of the few things he and his opponent, Democrat Gene Ficken, agree on. Ficken and Rasmussen are facing off in the House District 23 race, which includes Buchanan County and parts of Black Hawk and Fayette counties.

Rasmussen said state leaders must take a long look at finances even if it appears all is well in Des Moines. But, when questioned about what the state could do to help Iowans impacted by floods and tornadoes or even the latest economic crisis, both candidates were hesitant to offer specifics.

Ficken said the only sure thing is the effort will have to come from both sides of the House to work.

"I wish I had the answer … but I don't think I know enough about what has been done or what has been proposed to answer that," he said.

Going back to the basics - topics like education and health care - Rasmussen said state-funded programs could see at least a temporary end to any new money. Education is usually one of the first items tackled in Des Moines. While Rasmussen expects to see some allowable growth for schools, he is almost certain it won't be the 6 percent usually requested.

Educators who have enjoyed extra money to increase teacher pay could see an end to that incentive as well.

"If we are going to be thinking about cuts, we certainly can't be thinking about increases in many places," he said. "We have done quite a bit to fund increases in teachers' pay, and I don't know how much further we can go with that."

Ficken, a retired teacher, said he hopes to keep the state focused on education to once again make it "a true profession where teachers are proud to be teachers again." He believes some initiatives, like teacher pay incentives, can help make teachers accountable and prove to educators their contributions are valued at the Statehouse.

Both candidates are also interested in natural resource issues. Rasmussen serves as executive director for the Iowa Land Improvement Contractors Association, a nonprofit dedicated to water and soil conservation. Ficken was a biology teacher with a strong interest in the state's Resource Enhancement and Protection program.

Rasmussen would like the state to take a closer looker at not only the quality of its water, but also the quantity.

"I know that sounds weird, given the summer that we had, with more water than we need," he said. "The quantity of water is an important issue, because nobody really knows just how much we have. We are doing studies at the Statehouse, so communities know if they have an ethanol plant coming to town, just how much water can be used without affecting someone else's supply. No one is really worried about supply now, but it is a problem that will be hard to fix if we don't start taking a good look at it."

Ficken also supports protecting Iowa's natural resources and has been happy with strides made so far, but he worries a tough economic year will push such issues to the back burner.

"I really hope it doesn't. We can't keep letting our natural resources go," he said. "But, these programs are ongoing and need financial support."

Contact Emily Christensen at (319) 291-1570 or emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com.