(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Republicans hosted the the second of two “Know your candidates” forums Monday evening, in Atlantic, at the Cass County Community Center. Candidates in attendance included: Senator Jim Carlin – candidate for the U-S House of Representatives; Gary Leffler – candidate for U-S House/3rd District; and Candidates for State Auditor, Todd Halbur and Mary Ann Hanusa. Representatives were also on-hand for Senator Charles Grassley, who is running for re-election to the U-S Senate, and Nicole Hasso, Candidate for U-S House in the 3rd District. State Senator Zach Nunn was unable to attend to a family matter. Candidates for State Auditor in attendance included Mary Ann Hanusa and Todd Halbur. Both hope to defeat Democrat Incumbent Auditor Rob Sand. Each candidate received the same six questions ahead of time to decide how they would respond.

One of the questions the candidates were asked, was how to recruit more people to serve in law enforcement. All of the candidates said they “Backed the Blue.” Senator Jim Carlin – candidate for the U-S House, suggested signing bonuses in conjunction with a federal subsidy.

Nicole Hasso’s spokesperson said “Defunding the Police is insanity,” and “rebuilding law enforcement agencies,” by providing them with the all the resources they need is necessary.

Gary Leffler said it’s not all about the money, it’s “Does the community support us?” His nephew is a law enforcement officer in South St. Paul, MN. Leffler says officers in blue need to know the public supports them, “actions speak louder than words.”

On the topic of attacking the Opiod problem in America, Senator Carlin said the drug companies need to be held accountable, and additional measures need to be taken to stem the flow of Fenanyl, which comes primarily through the mail, from China. He said he supports the continued construction of the border wall with Mexico, and criticized Senator Grassley for voting to stop construction of the wall in 2019.

Hasso’s representative said it was a very personal thing to the candidate, since her mom and other family members struggled with drug addiction for a long time. Once again, the border wall was the subject said to be part of the solution to the problem.

Gary Leffler also supported build the wall. He said the problem also exists in “Our back yard,” and have a comprehensive plan to address the situation. That includes using the resources of the county, state and federal government to work together to reduce the flow of drugs.

On the subject of education, Jim Carlin said “parents have a legitimate concern about the direction things are taking,” because “The left is after our children. It’s using our public school system where it can. It’s using our colleges and universities.”

He supports the idea of parents being subsidized if they want to send their children to a private instead of public school. There was also a question about what support or procedures could be implemented to improve the educational climate, and therefore allow recruitment and retaining of quality teachers, especially with regard to discipline.
Gary Leffler said while rural schools tend to watch over their own, urban schools are nothing more than glorified babysitters.Teachers and administrators, he said, “Just want to be respected again.”

Other questions and answers touched on energy independence and health care.