Teacher & mental health advocate Katie Geltz
Katie Geltz offers something different as a candidate for Governor of Iowa in 2022. Educators have long said they need a voice that understands their concerns in the Hawkeye State's executive branch. Katie has a unique understanding of the pressures that many caregivers in the state are facing as well, due to her work with students with special needs.
Many people are looking for a fresh perspective on budgetary matters. They are not necessarily looking at fighting the battles of the past. Katie wants to start “Returning to the Iowa Way” where both urban and rural interests in the state tackle an issue together.
The fact that Katie is not a career politician and someone that has never run for office before does have a certain amount of appeal to the average voter. A unique background is something that should be welcomed by the voters with Katie's background as a welder and her degree in Religion. Many students in our state may feel that professions like welding are looked down upon. One of the best ways to disprove this is to have a Governor that understands the value of that field.
A major component of her platform deals with mental health and mental health funding oriented issues. We have heard about the bi-partisan criticism that people have said about Iowa's Medicaid system's privatization. The fact is that we still have to look at things like our certificate of need laws. Too many companies get bogged down by a mental health facility's certification process, so we are stuck in a spot where the state currently uses the private sector in the wrong situations and in the wrong fashion. Some people even view healthcare as a necessary evil.
You can look at things like per capita income and poverty rate within a community and certainly see how important and inaccessible broadband access can be for many students.
With Katie's background in education, she has a deep understanding of what students need in order to flourish academically and potentially find success in the modern economy. Too many rural communities in Iowa do not have the disposable income to have broadband access for every student that needs it.
Such a reality is forcing young people back into the classroom when that option may not best fit their situation.
We hope that Iowans will look for and enjoy that new perspective as they learn more about Geltz for Governor.
Disclosure: I am paid strategist for the Geltz for Governor campaign.
