easterniowagovernment.com
July 15, 2011, 12:07 pm
By James Q. Lynch/SourceMedia Group News

A one-term state representative from northeast Cedar Rapids has announced plans to make another run for the Iowa House.

Democrat Art Staed, 62, a teacher and businessman, will challenge Rep. Renee Schulte, R-Cedar Rapids. Schulte defeated Staed by 13 votes in 2008 and was re-elected in 2010.

“I fear that our state is heading in the wrong direction,” Staed said in announcing his candidacy July 14.

“We need to create an economy centered on innovation and focused on both new and existing businesses,” he said. “These businesses will create more good-paying jobs if we spread the responsibility of taxation equitably, rather than picking winners and losers.”

Staed, who has two master’s degrees, 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, own and operate Coffee Talk Café near Kirkwood College. They have 4 children.

As both an educator and small business owner, Staed said he knows that for Iowa to remain competitive and innovative, the state must continue to support a world-class, well-funded public education system with the highest standards for every child and school.

“We need well-trained teachers who will nurture our children’s minds and provide them with the opportunity to fulfill their full potential,” he said.

Staed previously worked as a sales manager, training specialist and workforce development counselor. His experience provides valuable insight into the challenges Iowans face, he said.

While in the House, Staed served as vice chairman of both the Education Committee and the Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee.  He also served on the Economic Growth, Labor and Veterans Affairs committees.

District 66 is a new district created in by the redrawing of legislative boundaries to reflect population changes following the decennial census. It includes Cedar Rapids north and east of First Avenue, west of the Cedar River, those parts of Cedar Rapids that wrap around Hiawatha and south of Collins Road.