Iowa’s gubernatorial candidates can all agree that one of the state’s largest issues is figuring out how small businesses should coexist with the state’s larger corporations.
Iowa is home to 266,382 small businesses, according to the U.S. Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy. Larger corporations are moving into the state like Apple’s next data center in Des Moines that will create 550 construction and operations jobs, and will contribute to an almost $100 million to a public-improvement fund.
Although Gov. Kim Reynolds did not respond to the Daily Iowan, other governor candidates gave their two-cents. This week, the governor released her tax plan, which called for $1.7 billion in state income tax cuts.
Governor candidate Steve Ray says he is an advocate for small business owners and larger businesses, as he told the Daily Iowan.
“Well, [small-business owners] are going to have a great amount of support from me,” Ray said to the Daily Iowan. “I’ve always been pro-small business, and I understand the entire concept behind big business, communities do stuff to try to attract big businesses.”
Sen Nate Boulton, another candidate, is also a small business supporter.
“While the current administration focuses on giveaways to large, out-of-state corporations, we can offer better support and development assistance to Iowa employers and entrepreneurs,” Boulton wrote in an email to The Daily Iowan. “We can also help sustain and grow opportunities for employers of all sizes by ensuring our state is addressing the real problem employers want addressed: creating the skilled workforce we need for the future.”
Candidate Andy McGuire want to focus on education to help stimulate local businesses.
“I’ll also work to make it easier for our community colleges to collaborate with their local business community and chambers of commerce to better align the supply of new workers with the needs of local available positions,” she said to the Daily Iowan. “And I’ll support the creation of new entrepreneurship programs within our community colleges that work with people who want to start a small business but need help getting it off the ground.”
