We spoke to Democrat Steve Roe yesterday about his announced intentions to run for a legislative seat in Iowa’s House District 20, and our discussion will continue on today.

Roe, currently a resident at Lake Panorama, has deeply ingrained roots in Guthrie County and the District 20 area.  His parents lived in Stuart for over 30 years, and during his younger years, Roe competed against many area schools when he was a high school athlete in Redfield.

Safe to say, this area means a lot to him, and Roe explains why.

“It’s old home to me.  My parents were charter members when they built the 5×80 golf course and I’ve been playing there since I would have been about 14 or 15.  My roots are here, I want to keep my kids nearby and there is just a lot of work that needs to be done.”

For Roe, keeping his kids nearby can be a result of bringing jobs back to the area, which he feels is entirely possible.

“I mean we’ve got some great businesses here.  If you look in Adair, the Schafer brothers (Agri Drain Corp.) have really succeeded and provided great employment, but we need more.  And I-80 going right through the middle of us is a pathway to expand because we’ve got economic shipping from here.  We also need to keep improving our workforce so that those businesses will arrive.”

To hear the conclusion of our two-part conversation with Roe as he talks about his impending run for the Iowa House, tune-in to today’s Let’s Talk Guthrie County on K107 during the 9am, noon and 5pm hours.