washingtonindependent.com July 15, 2011 By Lynda Waddington
In 2008, 13 votes sent Cedar Rapids educator and small business owner Art Staed home from the Iowa House. He chose to sit out the 2010 election, which Democrats lost by more than 1,000 votes, but says he’s ready to face his old foe, Republican Rep.Renee Schulte, once again in 2012.
“I have decided to run again because I fear that our state is heading in the wrong direction. Rather than prosperity for the hand-picked few, I believe that we must have prosperity for all Iowans who are willing to spend their days working hard and taking care of their families,” said Staed.
“We can build a brighter future for our state. However, to do so, we need to create an economy centered on innovation and focused on both new and existing businesses. These businesses will create more good-paying jobs if we spread the responsibility of taxation equitably, rather than picking winners and losers. This will also allow every Iowan a fair opportunity to prosper.”
When Staed and Schulte, a mental health counselor and former adjunct professor of psychology, faced off in 2008 for a seat in the Iowa House, the demographic of the District provided just over a 300 vote advantage to Democrats. Redistricting, as Iowa City resident John Deeth pointed out on his personal blog, has changed this quite a bit. With the addition of two southern districts, the Democratic vote advantage has swelled to 1,100.
When Schulte’s ascension into Republican leadership was combined with the voter registration advantage, there was little doubt that the newly formed House District 66 would be a Democratic target.
Staed, who has two Masters Degrees, currently teaches secondary education for Cedar Rapids Schools at the Four Oaks Phase program and is active in the Cedar Rapids Education Association. He and his wife, Susan, also own and operate Coffee Talk Cafe near Kirkwood College. They have four children and five grandchildren.
During his previous stint in the Iowa House, Staed served as vice chairman of the education committee and economic development appropriations subcommittee. He also served on the economic growth, labor and veterans affairs committees.
Schulte is married to Brent, a discipleship pastor at Antioch Christian Church in Marion, and they are licensed foster parents. During the 2011 General Assembly, Schulte served as chairwoman of the administration and rules committee, and was a member of the appropriations, education, human resources and state government committees.
