Dave Sires (R-Cedar Falls).

Ahead of the June 4 Primary Election, Tama-Grundy Publishing sent questionnaires to all three candidates running for the Republican nomination in Iowa Senate District 38 including James McCullagh of Cedar Falls, Steve Schmitt of Waterloo, and Dave Sires of Cedar Falls. The district is currently represented by incumbent Democratic Sen. Eric Giddens of Cedar Falls who is in his first full term.

District 38 includes parts of Tama, Black Hawk, and Benton counties including the northeast corner of Tama County covering Traer, Dysart, and Buckingham; the Black Hawk County communities of La Porte City, Cedar Falls, Hudson, Evansdale, Elk Run Heights, Gilbertville, and Washburn; and a sliver of Benton County including Mount Auburn.

The winner of the June 4 Republican primary will run in the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.

Only candidate Dave Sires returned the newspaper’s questionnaire in time for publication in this week’s paper.

Dave Sires

Age: 63

Residence location: Cedar Falls

Profession: Businessman

Education: Cedar Falls High School class of 1979

Family: Wife Lisa; 3 adult children; 4 grandchildren

1) Why do you want to be a state legislator? What is your primary motivation for running?

I’m running to protect freedoms, defend families, and bring compassionate leadership to the state legislature. Serving in local government, I saw firsthand how much power unelected bureaucrats have in politics. We need strong leaders in government who will always remember they work for the taxpayers not the other way around!

2) Have you previously run for elected office? If so, for what office(s) and did you win?

Yes. I was elected to the Cedar Falls City Council in 2019 and served a 4-year term.

3) What distinguishes you from the other candidates in your primary race?

I’m the only candidate in the primary who’s lived in the district my entire life. I’m the only candidate that’s ever farmed. I’m the only candidate that is a lifetime member of the NRA. I’m the only candidate who has served in local office that wasn’t voted out. Having served on the city council of the largest city in the district, I feel I am best positioned to win in the general election.

4) What challenges does District 38 – a rural-urban district – face today that you would like to see addressed by the state legislature? If elected, what would you do to help address those challenges?

The biggest challenge for District 38 is we don’t have a Republican in the state senate. The state legislature is overwhelmingly Republican and our current senator has no seat at the table. Representative Derek Wulf who has endorsed me says he desperately needs “a partner in the senate.”

I want to give UNI a seat at the table in the senate. I want to give District 38 farmers a seat at the table in the senate. I want to give District 38 small businesses a seat at the table in senate.

5) Where do you stand on funding for public schools – is it adequate or otherwise?

Yes, I believe the state is adequately funding public schools. The state just approved $3.8 billion on K-12 education for the next fiscal year. Similar to the AEAs, where Iowa is spending thousands more per student and getting worse results, money doesn’t always solve a problem.

6) Would you have voted ‘yes’ for the Area Education Agencies (AEAs) reform legislation (which also included raising teacher pay) recently signed into law by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds? Please explain why or why not you would have voted that way.

Yes, I would have voted for the AEA reform legislation. Currently, Iowa’s special education is ranking far behind the national average. In 2022, Iowa special education 4th graders were ranked 41/50 states in reading and 32/50 states in math. As a state, we should never be happy with rankings like that in any area. It’s fair to say that I would support reform of any state program or initiative that is ranking at the bottom nationwide. Iowa should be the best and there is no reason why we can’t be.

7) State Sen. Eric Giddens (D-Cedar Falls) who currently represents District 38 is considered a strong leader in his party; he is one of three assistant leaders in the Iowa Senate Democratic Caucus. Why are you the candidate Republicans should vote for to take on Sen. Giddens in the 2024 General Election?

Senator Giddens is one of 16 Democrats left in the Iowa Senate. I don’t believe his selection as an assistant leader is a testament to his leadership but more so a lack of options.

I am the only candidate in the primary that has been elected city wide in Cedar Falls, the largest city in District 38. When going up against an entrenched incumbent you have to have electability and a strong political organization in place in order to be successful.

8) In one sentence, why should people vote for you on June 4, 2024?

I’m a lifelong Iowan, lifelong conservative, businessman, husband, father, and grandfather who is committed to fighting to ensure that my family and yours can always be proud to call our state home!