Iowa Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg resigned his position on Tuesday afternoon.
A news release from Governor Kim Reynolds’ office said Gregg is, “stepping down from his position to pursue a career opportunity that allows him to focus more on his family.” The Iowa Bankers Association announced Gregg will begin serving as its president and CEO on October 1.
In a statement, Gregg it was “a great honor” to serve with Reynolds for seven years. He says it was a difficult decision but he feels his “time in public service must come to a close.”
Reynolds says Gregg was a “tremendous partner” and it’s the right decision for him to prioritize his personal life. Reynolds appointed Gregg as acting lieutenant governor when she became governor in 2017. They were elected to full terms in 2018 and 2022.
Reynolds’ office says the president of the Iowa Senate—Amy Sinclair—is next in the line of succession until Reynolds appoints a new lieutenant governor later this fall.
*In other news, a Woodbury County elected official said an attempt to get union supporters to contact him to air disgruntlement fizzled out.
Hundreds of people attended the 121st annual Labor Day Picnic at Riverside Park on Monday, where leaders of one of Northwest Iowa’s largest unions said they are optimistic about the future of the labor movement in Iowa.
Additionally, a Democratic nominee for a Woodbury County Board of Supervisors position also urged attendees to call county board chairman Matthew Ung to share their displeasure with him.
The county is seeking to add many more attorney hires, since the office has eight of 18 positions vacant.
Ung and the supervisors in August thought they had a plan that tweaks the current contract with the union that represents Woodbury County Attorney personnel, with some increased perks, such as increased pay, to entice job candidates.
However that union then rejected that plan on August 22, which led Ung last week to criticize the union.
That criticism by Ung, who is a Republican, led John Herrig, a Democratic county board candidate at the Labor Union picnic to give out Ung’s cell phone number to people so they would call Ung.
Ung told Siouxland Public Media News on Tuesday that he only received four texts on the matter.
“Extended car warranty companies do a better job harassing me than John Herrig,” Ung said.
Also at the picnic, Jaylee Hurst, who is secretary-treasurer with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 222 said it’s time for workers to take their power back as government leaders have weakened unions over the years.
“Every law and regulation that was written is generally because somebody was hurt, and I really do not want to see those rollbacks happen. I think we have a lot more work to do, and so watching the membership strengthen and get ready for this fight, I'm excited,” Hurst said.
Leo Kanne is president of one of western Iowa’s biggest labor unions -- UFCW Local 222. He admits unions have lost power over the years, but said there’s been a resurgence, including a recent merger with a similar union in Nebraska.
*In other news, a new report on the economic landscape of Iowa’s healthcare system found significant disparities between urban and rural areas.
The report by the non-partisan economic non-profit Common Sense Institute Iowa found significantly more rural hospitals operated at a loss in 2022. It also found that rural areas are seeing a higher decrease in primary care providers.
Chelsea Lensing is a professor of economics at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, and she helped work on the report.
“In the last 10 years, we've seen a decrease of 1 percent in access to primary care providers in urban counties, but we've seen a decrease by 8 percent in our rural counties,” Lensing said.
She said the premature death rate is also increasing faster in rural areas.
Lensing says lawmakers have enacted some policies aimed at supporting rural healthcare in recent years, but it’s still too early to measure their impact.
*Additionall, the traditional tourism script has been flipped in South Dakota.
The Southeast region anchored by Sioux Falls has overtaken the Black Hills and Badlands region for overall visitor revenues in both of the past two years, according to South Dakota News Watch.
South Dakota saw $4.7 billion in tourism spending in 2022, with a jump to $4.96 billion in 2023. That year, 14.7 million visitors came to the state, producing a total economic impact of $8 billion, fueling almost 58,000 jobs.
State data showed that in 2022, the Black Hills and Badlands region took in $1.81 billion in tourism revenue, or slightly less than the $1.86 billion generated in the Southeast region, as anchored by Sioux Falls.
In 2023, the Southeast region again topped its West River counterpart to the tune of $1.96 billion compared to $1.92 billion. The Glacial Lakes and Prairies region in the northeast saw $700 million in 2023 revenues, while the Missouri River region in the center had $386 million.
Tourism marketers in South Dakota used to have a competitive, sometimes prickly relationship. However, agencies are now cross-promoting other state areas in an “all boats rise together” approach to luring visitors.
