Reichert’s annual Oktoberfest draws crowd
Story by MuscatineJournal.com
Reichert’s annual Oktoberfest draws crowd
By Cynthia Beaudette
MUSCATINE, Iowa — Chilly temperatures moved Rep. Nathan Reichert’s sixth annual Oktoberfest indoors Sunday at Strawberry Farms Bed and Breakfast in Muscatine.
But the gray day coupled with a non-election year didn’t suppress the turn-out of 80 guests, including several Iowa legislators.
Iowa Secretary of State Mike Mauro attended the event, along with Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa; Sen. Wally Horn, D-Cedar Rapids; Sen. Tom Courtney, D-Burlington; and Sen. Joe Seng, D-Davenport, who played the accordion for the crowd afterward.
Reichert, a Muscatine Democrat, discussed his commitment to making Iowa the United States’ top producer of alternative energy
“Sitting behind health care is this energy debate our country has to have,” said Reichert, referring to an ongoing, national debate on President Barack Obama’s health care reform bill.
Mauro said Iowa has made some positive changes in the voting calendar, moving school board elections to an every-other-year schedule rather than yearly and setting designated times for special elections.
Those measures saved the state money, said Mauro, and making sure special elections aren’t conducted at the whim of any special-interest group helps ensure a more representative voter turnout.
Loebsack discussed the late-summer town hall meetings he conducted throughout Iowa on healthcare reform.
Other health care issues Loebsack addressed included Medicare reimbursement.
When doctors in Iowa aren’t reimbursed adequately, it becomes difficult to recruit and retrain them, said Loebsack.
The Oktoberfest also provided a venue for local residents.
Chris Brase, past president of the union Local 608, thanked Reichert for assisting Muscatine firefighters in obtaining $200,000 in state funding to replace the 53-year-old fire station in Muscatine’s Southend.
Later, Brase said Muscatine firefighters are also grateful that Reichert pushed for a change in Iowa legislation that allows adult children to be awarded a parent’s death benefit.
Brase said that change came too late for the family of Muscatine firefighter Michael Kruse, a 27-year veteran of the department who died in the line of duty in 2002.
Kruse didn’t have a wife at the time and all his children were adults so no one in his family received the death benefit.
Bonnie Adkins of Muscatine invited audience members to join the local leg of the national Organizing for America, a community organization supporting President Obama’s administration and policies.
Healthcare reform is a top priority said Adkins, referring to the group’s activities, but energy and environmental issues are also serious issues.
Adkins said her fellow community organizers are Lynda Smith, Mike Fuller and Ann Hetzler.
“This gave me a lot of hope for the future,” said Hetzler, after listening to the legislators speak. “It’s always nice when legislators come here and you can hear first-hand what’s going on in Des Moines or Washington.”
