Ben Robertson (I-Reinbeck).

Ben Robertson, Write-in Candidate for Senate District 27

Ben Robertson, 59, is an Iowa native whose grandfather farmed in Grundy County for more than 75 years. He is adopted, one of 11 siblings in total, and from a mixed marriage. He lives in rural Reinbeck on a farm along with his wife. Robertson attended the University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana where he earned a Master’s degree in fine arts. Today, he is a small business owner and currently owns/operates a small town bar, a record store, a small flower farm and a consumer products company.

1. What would be your top three legislative priorities if elected?

My priorities would be to get the people of Iowa and my constituents to understand that life is generally better when we work together on our issues, and to talk between each other much more than we currently do.

There are issues that I believe are important, not just to me personally, but to all Iowans, so I have a sense of what those are. But really, I just want to hear from my district about what their priorities are because, after all, this is a job that one takes on for others, not for themselves.

I think making Iowans healthier, in all ways, is important and covers a lot of areas (education, physical/mental health, financial) that I hear are priorities from constituents. I also truly believe that Iowa is a hidden gem, and that when Iowans put their heads and hands together, there isn’t anything we cannot accomplish.

If I am fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to serve the great people of Iowa, the one thing that I would focus on is bringing together the party of people by looking outside of the black and white politics of two primary political parties. I would focus on all of the gray areas that I believe most of us are thinking about so we can all work together to make Iowa and the world a better, happier, healthier place to live, raise families, and enjoy being alive.

Thinking Bigger. I think the system is broken, and I’d like to focus on addressing that so everyone understands that they have choices, that their choices matter, and that working together is the key.

I want the focus to be on people, not party, and to focus on what’s best for all of us.

I want to focus on campaign finance and push to limit what others spend; if I could, I’d set a limit and force each candidate to work within the same budget.

I want to see term limits.

In the end, I see this as an opportunity to serve the district’s constituents, my friends, my family and all Iowans in a way that hopefully brings us together to solve the issues that are important by working together to solve them in ways that benefit all of us.

I’m not a politician and I have zero experience being one, and while that might scare some from choosing to write me in, I think it’s a great way to enter politics without an agenda. I want to learn about how this all works, share that with each of you, and together find ways to make our government a better government, a government by the people, for the people – something I don’t believe is the case currently.

I don’t need to do this for my career or sense of self, but I genuinely love people and find that when we work together, and speak to each other about what we struggle with, we’ll find that we’re all more similar than we are different.

2. What issues are you hearing most from voters currently?

Health, High Prices, and Education.

If elected, I’ll make it my promise that I want to hear from every Iowan in my district so I’m hearing what’s important to all of us. I might have 10 things that to me seem important, but my job is to hear from others and then work diligently to address those issues and concerns that my constituents tell me are important to them.

3. How will you address property taxes if elected?

Well, I’ll still pay mine.

I’ll be honest – I don’t know enough about property taxes other than that I do pay ’em, don’t love it, and share those concerns with my constituents. I think everyone dislikes paying taxes, primarily because they don’t believe they have a say in how those funds are distributed.

4. What do you propose should be done to improve water quality in the state? Do you support raising the state’s sales tax to fund Iowa’s Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund? Please explain.

On paper, this seems like a reasonable plan, but I don’t know all the details or downsides. What I do know is that water quality is a problem — it shouldn’t be and doesn’t have to be, and it’s critically important for the health and happiness of all of us, not just Iowans, and so, water quality needs to be addressed. I’ll work to understand the options and share all of this with my district so they know what’s being done.

5. Rising cancer rates are a concern for many Iowans. What action should the legislature take to lower the rate?

I have lost family and friends to cancer and I’d like for it to just go away — I’d like to see cancer go on the Extinct List, and will do everything in my power to help Iowa lower the rate. On the outside of it all, I’d say that in general, I’d like to see Iowans think more about what they can do to get healthy. That covers education (what we eat, how we exercise – both our bodies and minds), farming (what/how we farm), and what are our options for treating it.

7. Public school districts have said the amount of money received from the state each year needs to be increased. Do you agree with that stance? Please explain. How much money do you think districts should receive each year?

Teach a man to fish… I think education is critical and both public and private education need to be on the same page, following the same rules and regulations. It’s fine to have a choice, but the way in which either of those versions of education are funded and tracked for their efficacy should be the same.

8. As agriculture becomes increasingly concentrated and consolidated, what should Iowa be doing to prioritize opportunities for independent and small family farms, as well as beginning farmers who don’t have inherited land or other significant assets? Are the current policies sufficient, and if not, what specific changes would you support?

Like a stock portfolio that’s overly leveraged to one area of concentration, I think Iowans should be open to thinking differently about what they grow – we have the best farmland in the country and should be a leader. I couldn’t tell you what policies are in place, good or bad, but I do believe small, independent farms are small businesses and they play a critical role in our lives.

10. Why should voters choose you in the race for Iowa Senate District 27?

If you asked my wife (or even either of my parents) they’d tell you that I’ve talked about wanting to run for office for a long time, so this isn’t some overnight wild idea – it’s something that I feel in my heart is a way I can make the world a better place, for all of us. They’d also be more than happy to explain that they all said that this write-in campaign was crazy, and I don’t disagree with that either. I genuinely love people and want to see all of us happier and healthier. I want to bring back kindness and understanding and empathy – I believe those are foundational to society, and while each of us thinks of those things differently (or have varying definitions of what that means) the general sense of it is what matters.