MASON CITY – Legislators Amanda Ragan and Sharon Steckman met with the Mason City Chamber of Commerce in December as well as this month, NorthIowatoday.com has learned.
According to a publicly-viewable Chamber of Commerce newsletter released this month, “State Senator Amanda Ragan and Representative Sharon Steckman attended the December meeting of the Mason City Chamber Board to discuss topics likely to come before the 2013 state legislature.”
Apparently, Steckman and Ragan personally attended a Chamber Board meeting held at the exclusive “North Iowa Commerce Center,” a building fully owned by the Chamber and in general only open for use by members of the Chamber of Commerce, although largely paid for with public tax dollars.
At a town hall meeting held on Saturday, January 19th, both Steckman and Ragan admitted to seeing Chamber of Commerce Director Robin Anderson in Des Moines, meeting with her at the State Capitol. “We meet with lots of people who do not agree with us,” Sen. Ragan explained.
Local media have lavished praise onto the two beloved legislators from North Iowa, who are strong Democrats, for securing $1.5 million dollars for the Chamber of Commerce’s new headquarters in downtown Mason City.
Steckman and Ragan were both questioned by NIT Publisher Matt Marquardt at Saturday’s town hall meeting regarding their relationship with the organization. The Chamber of Commerce is a lobbying organization that is against raising minimum wages, is against the rights of workers, is in favor of de-regulating Wall Street, is anti-environment and is pro big business.
At that town hall meeting, Senator Ragan claimed no knowledge of any agenda by the Chamber of Commerce.
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The Mason City Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors is stocked with persons who run some of the biggest businesses in Mason City, as well as members of the media. Some of these businesses are known to pay low wages, employ the use of staffing agencies and in at least one case, farm out their labor to overseas workers. Several businesses listed below have received significant public funds to expand their operations.
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Tom O’Neill
President
Lehigh Cement Co.
Debra Derr
President-Elect
NIACC
Bob Klocke
Treasurer
First Citizens National Bank
John Michel
Past President
Kraft Foods
David Laudner
Government Affairs DVP
Heiny McManigal Law Firm
Kent Brcka
Business DVP
Henkel Construction Co.
Mike Castle
Community & Events DVP
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
Glenys Schloemer
CVB DVP
Southbridge Mall
BOARD
Stewart Anderson
Wal-Mart SuperCenter
Jim Coloff
98.7 Kiss Country/103.7 The Fox/KIOW 107.3/KCHA 95.9
Dr. Timothy Gibbons
Mason City Clinic
Gary Hall
ISU Extension
Brian Janssen
Allied Purchasing
Kim Pang
Diamond Jo Casino
Howard Query
Globe Gazette
Scott Smith
Mercy Medical Center – North Iowa
Troy Swanson
Cargill Kitchen Solutions
Bart Walker
Torrance