Schedule: "Restoring Iowa to Her People" Policy Presentations

Iowa Party: Competing to Win, and Building a Potent State Wide Political Tool

Yesterday (Sept. 1, 2014) was the first of ten major policy presentations from the campaign in an effort to create awareness and understanding of the impoverishing impact of the Polk County Political Cartel.

A Narcisse administration will, "restore Iowa to her people," says the candidate.  

Ending Poverty in Iowa

Iowa's urban centers have become major poverty zones - more than 57% of the families with children in the "Urban Eight" School Districts: Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City, Sioux City and Waterloo - cannot feed their children without government assistance.

In Davenport, Sioux City and Waterloo more than 60% of the families with children in those districts live in poverty and in our state's capital more than 70% of the families with children in our state's largest district live in poverty.

To put this in perspective, the Des Moines School District has more impoverished students - 21,872 - than the populations of all but 22 of Iowa's 947 incorporated cities.

High poverty isn't limited to our urban areas, however. Throughout much of rural Iowa the percentage of families living in poverty is equal to or greater than the numbers in our urban centers, for example Columbus (74.3%), Denison (73.4%) and Storm Lake (75.6%).

There are other indicators that should give us pause when hearing proclamations of how well Iowa is faring.

In their December 19, 2011, SFY 2013 Budget Hearing the Iowa Department of Human Services published on page 3 of their report that they served a total of 928,566 clients - more than 30% of Iowa's 3,046,355 population.

On page 74 of the Legislative Service Agency's 2013 Fiscal Facts 412,710 Iowans are projected to be monthly recipients of Medicaid and 437,849 are projected to be monthly recipiencts of food assistance.

On Monday Iowa Party gubernatorial candidate Jonathan R. Narcisse will layout a plan of action to eliminate poverty in Iowa.

"We live in a world where men possess the wealth of nations. It is shameful that children go to bed hungry. It is even more unacceptable that children in Iowa go to bed hungry. We have the means to end poverty in this state - we must now exert the will to end it," stated Narcisse.

"We learned a great deal in 2010. We learned how not to run a gubernatorial campaign but we also learned we have support in every county in Iowa, in every house district in Iowa, in every senate district in Iowa and in nearly every precinct in Iowa. Winning will not be easy but we are competing to win - to End the Branstad Era and Restore Iowa to Her People.

"We are building political capacity that will help us influence both the Democratic and Republican Caucus in 2016. Although we will be an official state party we will encourage our members to participate in either the Republican or Democratic caucus, get elected as delegates, central committee members, and key committee members. In many respects we will do what the Tea Party and Organized Labor have failed to do - we will be active in both parties."

Building Capacity to End the Branstad Era & Expose the Polk County Political Cartel

"We are building a potent statewide political tool that will help us recruit good candidates to run for local office - school board, city council and county seats - as well as legislative candidates we will encourage to run in primaries where our organizational muscle will help them oust vulnerable incumbents in the June elections. We will especially present a second party alternative where incumbent Democrats and Republicans at the county and legislative levels are re-elected term after term without ever facing a viable opponent, if any at all.

"One key objective is to expose the Polk County Politica Cartel. While certain compromised media has shielded Iowans from truths like Terry Branstad's biggest contributor is his opponent's business partner, we will make Iowans aware of these facts and others such as the disproportionate representation Polk County residents have on our state's boards and commissions. For example, a majority of the members on the State Utility Board and the Iowa Public Broadcasting Board are from Polk County. And, four of the nine members who sit on the Iowa Court of Appeals hail from Polk County.

"The greatest contribution, however, our campaign will make is to offer solutions. The Branstad Era has witnessed Iowa's academic decline, the rise of poverty, the plumeting of real wages, the ascent of crime, addiction, gambling and the stagnation of our growth evidenced by the loss of two congressional seats (1993 & 2013) at a time when state's like Utah are gaining seats in the U.S. House.

In addition to Monday's presentation major policy presentations are planned for:

September 9th - Sioux City (Social Concerns: Families Matter!)

September 16th - Iowa City (Justice: Delayed? Denied!)

September 17th - Fairfield (Agriculture: More Than Feed, Fuel & Meat!)

September 23rd - Waterloo (Education: Our Highest Priority!)

September 30th - Council Bluffs (Iowa: More Than Polk County and Sometimes Linn!)

October 2nd - West Des Moines (Governance: Accountability To The People!)

October 7th - Cedar Rapids (Economic Empowerment: A Better Way!)

October 14th - Dubuque (Health: More Than Illness Management!)

October 21st - Davenport (Taxes: The Sacred Trust!)

In addition to these major policy events the Campaign will hold "An Iowa Worth Fighting For" presentations in Ames, Ankeny, Atlantic, Bettendorf, Burlington, Carroll, Cedar Falls, Clinton, Fort Dodge, Fort Madison, Indianola, Iowa Falls, Marion, Marshalltown, Mason City, Mt. Pleasant, Muscatine, Newton, Oskaloosa, Ottumwa, Pella, Spencer, Storm Lake, Urbandale, and Waukee.

At these presentations Narcisse will summarize his vision for Iowa including key solutions from each of these major policy presentations.

For more information contact (515) 770-1218 or info@narcissforiowa.com and visit www.NarcisseForGovernor.com

A very old building in the heart of downtown Davenport will soon be the home of two very modern companies.

Terrostar and Medix Dental - which do online marketing and IT and technology support for the dental industry, respectively - are moving into the former Schneff Jeweler s and First Trust and Savings Building at the corner of Third and Brady streets. Tom Terronez, who owns both companies, says he hopes to have the 20-plus member staff moved into the renovated third floor of the nearly century old building by the end of 2014.

"A lot of stuff is happening in downtown Davenport, and being a tech-based business, we wanted something that fits our personality," he said. "We love the historic building and we love being close to the action going on. My staff is very young and they want to be near the restaurants, bars and other things going on."

The companies are currently housed on a couple different floors in their Bettendorf building on Utica Ridge Road, and Terronez plans to add five new employees in the current year. Being out of room, and wanting to consolidate operations, are another reason for the move, he said.

There is quite a bit of work to do to convert the former administration offices of Palmer College of Chiropractic into a tech-savvy, open design workspace. Although the high ceilings and bright windows remain, pretty much everything else will be updated and renovated, Terronez said.

The building's owner - TR Holdings - has plans to create second floor apartments and first floor retail and loft space - but there is not a firm construction timeline at this point, said a company spokesman. Work will also include some facade cleanup on the building that was erected in 1918.

Terronez said his project should fit in nicely with recently announced plans Eastern Iowa Community College's new "urban campus" in the renovated bank buildings across 3rd Street. He hopes to bring in interns from both the college and from the Davenport School District's Creative Arts Academy.

"The long-term vision is to have downtown Davenport be a tech and education corridor," he said.

Families are invited to Brucemore for an afternoon of autumn-themed activities, crafts, and snacks to celebrate the season during Fall Family Day on Sunday, October 12 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Highlights include :

·         Exploring the estate's historic 26 acres during a nature scavenger hunt offered at 1:15 and 2:15 p.m.

·         Creating a scarecrow to be included in Brucemore's Scarecrow Invasion. One scarecrow armature per family, straw-filling, and basic supplies to put the scarecrow together will be included with the Fall Family Day registration fee; participants should bring clothing or thematic elements to decorate their unique scarecrow.

Admission is $10 per child and $7 per child of a Brucemore member. One free adult admission is included with each child; additional adults are $5 each. This event is intended for children 6 -10 years old. Space is limited, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org to purchase tickets. Children should dress appropriately for outdoor activities. Family programming at Brucemore is sponsored by US Bank.

Scarecrows made during Fall Family Day will be included in Brucemore's Scarecrow Invasion?a display of scarecrows made by individuals, classes, businesses, organizations, and families on Brucemore's lawn from October  14 through October 28. Registration for the Fall Family Day is not required for participation in the Scarecrow Invasion. More information can be found at www.brucemore.org.

Experience Brucemore, an unparalleled blend of tradition and culture, located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the heart of the historic 26-acre estate stands a nineteenth-century mansion filled with the stories of three Cedar Rapids families.  Concerts, theater, programs, and tours enliven the site and celebrate the heritage of a community.  For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

Bring the kids.

There is always great fun at the Farmers Market, be sure to stop by the patio and see what activities we have planned.

Look at all those fresh fruits and vegetables.  With over 150 vendors at the market you can bet that if it grows locally its at the market. Brown, white, mixed or variegated farm fresh eggs are hard to beat.

Always great entertainment at the Market. You can find Jim playing on the grass by the playground.

Don't forget the indoor market where you will find more local and homemade goodness.