To the editor:
Joe Shelly is the Democratic candidate seeking election for his first two-year term serving the people of Iowa in House District 47, which includes parts of Dallas, Guthrie and Greene counties.
If elected, Shelly promises to listen to constituents because his basic commitment is to do all he can to ensure that any legislation passed reflects the wishes of the people of House District 47.
As a resident of Perry since 2012, Shelly currently serves on the Dallas County Hospital Foundation, the Dallas County Board of Trustees and is in his first year of a four-year term as a Perry City Council member.
As a result, Shelly already has much experience in understanding the concerns of residents of Dallas County and working collegially with other leaders, abilities that will help him in a new role as a legislator in the Iowa House of Representatives.
After successfully completing a rigorous five-year pipefitter’s apprenticeship program, Shelly has been a proud union member who earned his livelihood as a highly skilled pipefitter for more than 30 years. Now retired, one of his proudest accomplishments is having taught up-and-coming welders their trade and about the important role of unions in improving the lives of working women and men.
Knowing how important unions have been in making a prosperous life for himself and his family, Shelly would seek to strengthen unions in Iowa.
As a married man with two sons, three grandchildren and one great-granddaughter, Shelly clearly understands the desires of rural people living in small towns, such as Jefferson, Churdan, Rippey, Scranton, Grand Junction and his hometown Perry to create thriving communities to raise families.
Without doubt, Shelly would work to increase support for the rural towns and areas which make up all of House District 47 and improve the lives of the people living in these areas.
One of Shelly’s top priorities in serving as a state lawmaker would be to protect and restore a woman’s right to privacy as it relates to reproductive health care — often essential to save a woman’s life or protect reproductive health — and a woman’s right to choose.
Along with 59% of all Iowans and 69% of Iowa women, as found in a September 2024 Des Moines Register survey, Shelly opposes the “fetal heartbeat” abortion ban signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds July 29, 2024. This law reduced the allowed time for abortion from 20 weeks to six weeks. Since most women don’t know they are pregnant at six weeks, this is a problem.
Like a large majority of Iowans, Shelly trusts women along with their medical providers to make these important reproductive health care decisions.
When asked whether he supported reducing taxes more or using Iowa’s resources to support services Iowans need, Shelly said it was more important to provide Iowans stronger and better services, including education.
As another way to improve education, Shelly would restore and expand the power of teacher’s unions to negotiate with school boards. He does not support arming teachers to improve school safety because the role of teachers is to teach.
On the campaign trail, Shelly has affirmed he would represent each constituent in District 47 regardless of party affiliation. He pledges to listen to concerns no matter the issue and to do what is possible to address them and stay in communication.
On all issues, Shelly believes that decisions taken by the Iowa House need to reflect the wishes of constituents as fully as the give-and-take process of politics allows.
If what you seek in your next District 47 House Representative is someone who will listen and then work hard to create and support common sense legislation that strengthens our rural towns and way of life, someone who seeks to increase the ability of unions to improve wages, benefits and working conditions, who supports and trusts women to make their own reproductive health care decisions, who supports funding for services (including education) that improves life for Iowans – then voting for Joe Shelly as your next Iowa House District 47 Representative would be an excellent decision.
Bryan Helmus
Jefferson
