Mark Seidl for Iowa House: Faltering Education and the Race So Far

Cedar Rapids lawyer Mark Seidl is vying for a seat in the Iowa State House in a dramatically new district.

Marion was recently split into two Iowa House districts: one that covers three-fourths of Marion, , and another that draws from a quarter of the population from Marion's north, much of Hiawatha, Robins and northeast Cedar Rapids — District 67.

Seidl is a Democrat running for the latter district against Iowa's Republican Speaker of the House, Kraig Paulsen. I sat down with Seidl, but first, here's a refresher on where both candidates stand in this race:

Race

• Paulsen before relied on a district comprised of Hiawatha and much of rural Linn County, but now the district is entirely metropolitan. 

Platform

Seidl's said education is his campaign's top priority. He said he's concerned that Iowa bills itself as an education state but has slipped in the test score rankings in recent years.

"But look more deeply into the numbers and you notice that —of the 18 states that now rank ahead of Iowa on the NEAP — 15 of them outspend Iowa on a per pupil basis," he said.

He bills himself as a pragmatist. He said he can identify with the Republican notion of limited government and responsible spending, but said education is a clear example of a service that only government can provide.

"My paradigm for good government is would be the system," he said. "We support an excellent product and are willing to pay the necessary taxes to assure that we continue to receive that quality product."

Linn County Democratic Chair Diane Hoffmann said Seidl's pragmatic approach is a facet of his independent mind.

In fact, she said it could be the deciding factor in the election.

"Mark is an independent thoughtful person," she said. "He is a guy who is not simply going to be persuaded by the vast majority of what other groups might think."

Stay tuned for part two of our interview tomorrow, where Seidl discusses his view on property tax reform and his chances for beating Paulsen.