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Conflict with Annette Sweeney

In the November 8th election, we will decide who will be our state senator for the next four years. The Republican candidate is Annette Sweeney of Iowa Falls. The Democratic candidate is Sam Cox of Grinnell.

Bruce Rastetter, head of Summit Carbon Solutions, seeks to build a controversial carbon capture pipeline across this district which will make him millions of dollars. To build it, he needs landowners, such as farmers, to sell their land to him or give him an easement. He is finding that many of them do not wish to sell to him, so he has announced he will seek to use the state law on eminent domain to force them to sell whether they want to or not.

The next session of the Iowa Legislature will undoubtedly see bills introduced to scale back eminent domain so it can only be used as it was intended, for public projects, not for private profit. Bills may also be introduced to expand eminent domain to further help Mr. Rastetter and other pipeline projects.

Republican Annette Sweeney is an acknowledged lifelong personal friend of Bruce Rastetter since childhood. He has also donated substantial sums to her many political campaigns over the years. She, therefore, will have a conflict of interest when those bills come up for a vote if she is elected to be our senator for the next four years. Will she vote in the public interest or the interests of her friend and benefactor?

It seems the choice is clear: when we vote for that office in a few days, vote for Sam Cox, who has no such conflict of interest and will represent all of us.

Jon Heitland

Iowa Falls, IA