Smith announces candidacy for Iowa Legislature

CL Councilman will seek House District 54 seat as Independent

by Marianne Gasaway

Clear Lake City Councilman Bennett Smith has announced his candidacy for the Iowa Legislature.  This fall he will run as an Independent candidate for the House District 54 seat being vacated by Linda Upmeyer.

“I want to offer my thanks to Speaker Linda Upmeyer for her service in the Iowa legislature representing North Iowa and wish her well with her future endeavors,” said Smith in a prepared statement.

“As I have explored a potential candidacy over the last several weeks, I have had the opportunity to listen to many people about the legislative issues that are important to them and had the chance to offer some of my views on how we can address those concerns,” he continued.  “I am deeply grateful for the overwhelming positive response that my potential candidacy has received, and will look forward to offering a vision and concrete proposals for how we can enhance the quality of life for all Iowans as the campaign develops this year.”

Smith said he considers himself very fortunate to have grown up in Clear Lake and has had the opportunity to serve the public on various nonprofit boards and as the Second Ward City Councilman.

“It is in that same spirit of public service that I now seek the office of state representative.  As an independent candidate, my objective will be to build a coalition of Republicans, Democrats and Independents that want to move Iowa forward with a positive vision for conserving our natural resources, improving our educational outcomes, reforming our healthcare system, and promoting economic development across the State of Iowa.”

Smith is an instructor in history and political science at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC). He is also an instructor in various lifelong learning programs including the NIACC Lifelong Learning Institute; the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Iowa State University and the LIFE program at Rochester Community and Technical College in Rochester, Minn.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in speech communication and a Master of Arts degree in history from Iowa State University. He has also done graduate work at the University of Iowa in Social Foundations of Education.