A group of Pella representatives met with Iowa’s U.S. legislators this week in Washington D.C.
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley met with members of PADCO and the Pella City Council. Grassley had to meet with the local delegates over-the-phone due to St. Patrick’s Day functions in the nation’s capital. He says it’s important to meet with constituents because local issues become more tangible to legislators when they discuss issues with who they serve at the Capitol.
“We’ll have to deal with the issues various communities bring up, but when they bring delegations out, I get the feeling that what they consider problems and solutions that theyre asking us to do, that they’ve kind of solved some of the disputes within a city,” Grassley says. “That makes our job that much easier in helping them, as opposed to if they didn’t come out and we had to listen to different interests on the same issues.”
The group also met one-on-one with Congressman Dave Loebsack. Loebsack says meetings like these are continuations of discussions he has back here in his district.
“Meeting with members of the Pella Chamber in Washington gives me a very important opportunity to continue the conversation we have when I am in the district,” said Loebsack. “I am glad the Chamber could come and discuss important projects aimed at moving their region forward. I look forward to working alongside them and being a strong voice for their priorities.”
Pella’s representatives discussed transportation projects, including connecting Pella to I-80 and the regional airport, as well as issues that rural critical access hospitals face.