Monday, April 18, 2011

Willems Announces for State Senate

Willems Announces for State Senate

If you have to run on mostly new turf anyway, why not step up:

Willems Announces Candidacy for State Senate

Nate Willems, an employment attorney and two-term State Representative from Lisbon, has announced his candidacy for the Iowa State Senate. Willems will run for Senate District 48, which includes Delaware and parts of Linn, Jones & Buchanan counties. The district is currently vacant due to redistricting.

“I have worked hard in the Iowa House on programs that foster job growth and improve access to quality, affordable education for Iowa families,” Willems said. “I believe that a strong, forward-looking educational system is critical to the future economic success of our kids. We must continue to improve our schools and colleges so that our workers can get the job training that today’s economy demands and so our kids can learn the skills for the jobs of tomorrow.”

Willems said he was excited by the opportunity to represent the communities that make up Senate District 48.

“It has been a tremendous privilege to serve the people of Eastern Iowa in the Iowa House and I look forward to opportunity to continue to serve them in the Iowa Senate,” Willems said. “My wife and I grew up in this new senate district and we’re raising our family here because it’s a great place to live.”

Willems and his wife, Maggie, live in Lisbon and are the parents of two daughters, Ava who is 2 and Emery, 1. Nate is an Associate at Rush & Nicholson, P.L.C. He is also active in the Lincoln Highway Lisbon Lions Club. Maggie teaches Social Studies at Mount Vernon High School and coaches high school volleyball and track. Nate and Maggie are members of First Presbyterian Church in Mount Vernon.

Willems is a 1997 graduate of Anamosa High School, a 2001 graduate of Georgetown University and a 2007 graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law.

Willems promised to campaign by talking personally with as many voters as possible across the district.

“I believe that listening is one of the best ways to learn,” said Willems. “People are welcome to call me at my home, 319-455-3014 or email me at nwillemsATgmail.com.”
Willems went to the House in `08 when Ro Foege retired. The old district (29) was half Johnson, half Linn. The new House turf (95) kept just Mt. Vernon-Lisbon and Springville, then went into north rural Linn and a tiny bit of Buchanan. The Senate seat adds House 96, which is also empty but looks a lot like Republican Lee Hein's old seat. It covers all of Delaware and most of the population of Jones (cities of Anamosa and Monticello).

Senate 48 is the most evenly split Senate district in the state with a Democratic registration edge of -- I am not making this up -- ONE voter.

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