"Change or Stay the Same?" Sand Opens Statewide Tour in Decorah

Our Driftless region deserves more than postcards — it deserves a watchdog. Be that support. DECORAH — Gubernatorial candidate and Decorah native Rob Sand kicked off his statewide 100 Town Hall Tour Wednesday evening at Toppling Goliath Brewing Co., drawing a crowd of about 350 northeast Iowa voters. "We do 100 town halls a year," Sand said. "We give at least two weeks' notice before each one because it's important to give people the opportunity to be here. This is not for show, it's real. I do it that way because I feel that's how it ought to be done, and I feel it should be required for elected officials in order to be on the ballot." The evening featured a mix of policy discussions, personal stories, humor, and hometown pride as attendees posed questions on topics ranging from election reform and rural development to immigration, child sexual abuse laws, water quality, and housing affordability. As Iowa's state auditor and the only Democrat currently holding statewide office, Sand said his campaign is focused on more accountability in government. "I think people have had enough of feeling like our democracy is run by two private clubs," Sand said. "Solving problems is hard. What we need to be focused on isn't right versus left, it's right versus wrong. You have to be willing to criticize your own party or defend the other party when they're right." Sand spoke about growing up in a household of independent voters and said he became a Democrat because he believed it was the best way to advocate for ordinary people. He added, "I have not left my independent mind behind. I've said things in this campaign that people in my party disagree with. I'd rather tell you what I think and let the chips fall where they may. The easy thing about telling the truth is that you don't have to remember what you said before." He argued Iowa needs stronger checks and balances and greater accountability in state government. "The biggest divide across the state is pretty simple: Do you want change or do you want things to stay the same?" he said. "I think the vast majority of Iowans are ready for something new. Growing up in a small town like Decorah, I know what it means to have checks and balances. We're missing that in state government right now. I think people aren't worried about being held accountable. There should be consequences for doing the wrong thing." Sand will face Republican Zach Lahn in November. During the event, Sand contrasted his campaign with that of his opponent. "My opponent is a man who is a part-time Iowan," Sand said. "His plane is on the ground more in Kansas than it is in Iowa. He promised he would change his living situation, if elected, to 'be here as much as humanly possible.' Are you reassured?" Supporting Small Towns One of the first audience questions came from Spillville Mayor Paul Wermers, who asked how local communities and lawmakers can better support Iowa's small towns. "Jobs serving the state of Iowa that can be done from anywhere should not require you to live in major cities," Sand said. "Growing up in Decorah, if businesses closed or families left town, it was a big deal. How can the community do a better job? We care about our communities and want them to grow. We've got to support people living and working in small towns." Election Reform and Ranked-Choice Voting Another attendee asked whether Sand would support ranked-choice voting and broader election reforms. "I love election reform almost more than anything else," Sand said. "If we had a system that actually held our elected officials accountable, our problems would actually get better instead of worse. Candidates on a ballot should be the most supported candidates." Immigration and Local Control Joshua Ratel-Khan spoke about a proposal from the Decorah Human Rights Commission encouraging the city to adopt a separation ordinance governing cooperation between local law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He asked whether Sand would support this and repealing Iowa Code 27A, which can penalize cities that adopt certain immigration-related policies. Sand said he was unfamiliar with the proposal and declined to take a position until reviewing it. "This is the first I've heard of a separation ordinance, so I can't comment on a thing I hadn't heard of before. It would be irresponsible," he said. More broadly, Sand said he would veto what he described as "culture-war bills" in favor of legislation addressing issues affecting all Iowans. Child Sexual Abuse Laws Sarah Hedlund, a survivor of child sexual abuse, spoke about Iowa's laws surrounding survivors' ability to seek justice and asked whether Sand would support eliminating the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits involving child sexual abuse. "Thanks for your courage and for sharing that," Sand responded. "Yes, I would." Sand argued that divided government could help advance legislation that currently faces partisan obstacles. "This is why we need divided government," he said. "The legislature will not pass that bill because it's being presented by a Democrat." Drawing on his experience as a prosecutor, Sand said Iowa has a widespread problem with child sexual abuse and argued survivors should have every opportunity to seek justice. "We have a tremendous problem in this state, and we should be doing justice to people who have been abused as children in this state," Sand said. "If we can prevent even one case of child sexual abuse by making sure everyone in the state knows there's no statute of limitations, then we should be doing that to prevent that one case of abuse, plain and simple." Water Quality and Conservation Another attendee asked about funding the Iowa Water and Land Legacy Trust. "There was an approval of 63% of Iowa voters," Sand said. "We've got to fund it. It doesn't matter whether you agree or disagree. Sixty-three percent of Iowa voters approved creating this system. That ought to be the priority." Keeping Young Iowans in the State A local high school student asked about the growing number of young people who leave Iowa because of limited opportunities and a lack of trust in politics. "I learned about Iowa by leaving," Sand said. "I think people learn by trying something new. I don't think exploration of new places is bad." However, he said Iowa's challenges continue to drive people away. "The issues facing Iowa are why we talk about the three C's: cost, corruption, and cancer," he said. "We are prioritizing the wrong bills and need a new direction in this state." Sand also pointed to concerns about civil rights and inclusion. "A lot of people focus on the repeal of civil rights and the attacking of people who are different in the state of Iowa as reasons they want to leave," he said. "They want to raise their kids in a state where the government loves that kid as much as that kid loves their home state, and we can't do that if we are continually taking away civil rights from people." Housing Affordability The final audience question came from a young man concerned about the rising cost of homeownership. "We should ban private equity from buying single-family homes in the state of Iowa," Sand said. "At a certain point, if you own a certain number of single-family homes, you should have to pay commercial property taxes on them." He also argued that Iowa should make it easier to build affordable housing. "We make it too hard to reduce the cost of building affordable housing," he said. "We ought to be making sure whatever we're requiring for home construction is something that needs to happen while keeping it affordable." A Bipartisan Audience The event drew attendees from across the political spectrum. One man who identified himself as a Republican during an earlier show of hands said, "I've voted both ways on ballots. I'm here to listen, learn, and be a part of it." Sand responded with one of the night's lighter moments. "You and I resemble members of our party in the same way a platypus resembles a mammal: only technically." An independent voter offered her own perspective. "I know none of us are perfect, but I generally think good people make good decisions. I'm supporting Rob Sand because I think he's a good person and I trust him to make good decisions on our behalf," she said. Sand closed the evening with a message of optimism. "I know that we can win this race," he said. "Iowans are fed up and are ready to rotate the crops." Fresh stories, delivered! Sign up for the free DecorahNews.com newsletter and stay informed, inspired, and ahead of the curve.