Bluffs councilman eyes state office
Published Jul 30, 2009
Published Thursday July 30, 2009
By Elizabeth Ahlin
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
A Council Bluffs city leader has made his first move toward a bid for statewide office.
City Councilman Matt Schultz said Thursday that he has formed an exploratory committee to consider a run for Iowa Secretary of State.
The two-term Republican cited high unemployment and a poor business climate in making his announcement.
“I don’t want to sit on the sidelines,” Schultz said. “We all have an obligation to do something.”
Schultz, 30, is a lawyer. He and his wife have two children and are expecting another. His current City Council term expires in 2011.
He said Secretary of State Michael Mauro, a Democrat, has done good work on elections but had not used his position to advocate for business-friendly legislation at the statehouse.
Iowa’s commercial taxes are too high, Schultz said, an issue he said Mauro has ignored.
Schultz might not understand the job, Mauro said.
“He needs to understand we’re running for secretary of state. We’re not running for the Legislature,” Mauro said. “I’m for more jobs, too, but nowhere in the office do we have a forum to lobby for more jobs.”
The office of secretary of state manages business services, elections and historical state records.
Mauro has not formally announced plans to run for re-election, but he said he looks forward to campaigning across Iowa.
During Mauro’s first term, the state adopted same-day voter registration. The state also made school elections biennial, instead of annual, in an effort to cut costs.
The office also has improved its Web site, Mauro said, making it easier for companies to do business with the secretary of state.
If he runs, Schultz will be one of the youngest candidates to seek the job. Gov. Chet Culver was 31 when he first ran for secretary of state.
Contact the writer:
444-1310, elizabeth.ahlin@owh.com
