DES MOINES, IA – Today (Wednesday, June 3rd), nominee for governor Rob Sand announced his annual 100 Town Hall Tour across Iowa, again listing all dates and times of every stop at once. Sand’s news release said his 100 Town Hall Tour stops in every county – plus Lee County’s two county seats. In addition to announcing the full 100-stop tour, Rob also announced a new policy proposal as part of his “Accountability for All” agenda: making public town halls a requirement for elected officials to qualify on the Iowa ballot.
Here’s how it would work:
- Require 20 public town halls per year for statewide elected officials and five for state legislators in their districts.
- Each town hall would require at least two weeks’ notice, be posted publicly either online or in print, must be free and open for all to attend, and must be open to members of the press.
- Half the time must be devoted to answering non-scripted and non-preselected questions from Iowans.
- This would be enforced through ballot access: if an elected official does not fulfill this responsibility during their term, they cannot get on the ballot for another term.
“If you want a job in public service, you have to be willing to answer to the public. To me that sounds like a no-brainer, but unfortunately has become a forgotten tradition for too many of our current officials,” said nominee for governor Rob Sand. “That’s why I’m proposing a requirement for all statewide elected officials and legislators to complete annual public town halls. Think of it as an annual performance review: if you can’t face the people you represent, you have no business being in public service. I’m looking forward to getting back out on the road this summer to hear from Iowans about their top concerns and share my vision for an Iowa that isn’t redder or bluer, but better and truer.”
The Town Hall Tour begins on Wednesday, June 17th, at 7:00pm in Rob’s hometown, Decorah. Last year, Rob answered over 750 honest, non-scripted questions in front of over 10,100 Iowans, with each event including registered Republicans and independent voters. Rob will continue to hear from Iowans about the issues most important to them this year while continuing to make his case to all Iowans – in their communities – about why he will be a true governor for all.
The tour schedule includes the follow AREA dates, times, and locations:
Wednesday, July 1st:
- Page County, 10:00 am
- Fremont County, 12:30 pm
- Mills County, 2:30 pm
- Pottawattamie County, 7:00 pm
Wednesday, July 15th:
- Union County, 9:00 am
- Adams County, 10:45 am
- Taylor County, 12:45 pm
- Ringgold County, 2:45 pm
Monday, August 31st:
- Guthrie County, 1:30 pm
- Adair County, 3:30 pm
- Madison County, 5:30 pm
