Staed is both an educator and small business owner, and  has two Masters Degrees, currently teaches secondary education for Cedar Rapids Schools at the Four Oaks Phase program and is active in the Cedar Rapids Education Association.  He and his wife Susan also own and operate Coffee Talk Café near Kirkwood College.  They have 4 children and 5 grandchildren.

While previously in the Iowa House, Staed served as Vice Chairman of both the Education Committee and the Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee.  He also served on the Economic Growth, Labor, and Veterans Affairs committees.

“My mother believed in a common sense approach to solving problems through partisan politics.  I want to bring that common sense back to the Iowa House.  My mother also strongly cared about children in Iowa and wanted them to get the best education possible.  Unfortunately, the needs of our young people now seem less important with the Republicans insisting on zero percent growth for local schools and education cuts to state universities.  None of which my mother would approve of.  Nor would she support cutting programs that protect our natural resources and our environment.  She would definitely not support attempts to deny equal rights to any Iowan.  Being my mother’s son, I want the chance to continue her work for a better Iowa.”

Lundby said his decision to run for the Iowa House, in the same area his mother held for almost a quarter century, is for the same reason his mother did in 1986.  “She saw a need for fresh new ideas not fueled by party agendas, but through listening to the voters who elected her.  It is that same attention my mother gave her voters that I want to bring back to the constituents of House District 68.”

Explaining his decision to switch parties, Lundby said, “I changed my party affiliation from Republican to Democrat because the Republican Party and the people I was supporting no longer placed the best interests of Iowa and its voters before their own party agenda.”

For example, Lundby named improving the educational system in Iowa, to offer young Iowans more options for getting good jobs in the ever-changing workplace, as one of his main reasons for running for state representative.  In addition, Lundby wants to create jobs by finding better ways to recruit new small businesses to come to Iowa and assisting those businesses that are already creating jobs in Iowa, like his Grandmother Betty Hoehl’s bridal shop.

Daniel Lundby was born in Cedar Rapids and raised in Marion.  His father, Michael Lundby, is a Machinist painter at Quaker Oats and has been a member of Machinist Local Union 831 for 29 years.  Daniel attended St. Joseph’s Elementary school, in Marion, and graduated from Regis Catholic High School.  He was active in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts and spent summers as a camp counselor.  He also spent time in the summers at his grandparents’ farm in Decorah.  From the age of seven, he began campaigning at his mother’s side.

Daniel received an AA from Kirkwood Community College and a BS from Iowa State University.  He is currently working on a MS degree from Iowa State and is scheduled to graduate in December 2011.

Like many young Iowans, Daniel moved to New York City, for work, after receiving his BS degree but returned to Iowa to be with his mother in her last weeks of fighting cancer.  Shortly after the passing of his mother, his grandmother on his father’s side also passed away.  He returned to Iowa to support his father and family.

House District 37

Cedar Rapids

Contact: 319-377-9770

Mark Seidl grew up in Cedar Rapids from grade school through high school, graduating from Regis in 1977. He went away for college and law school at Creighton University in Omaha, then worked as an attorney and claims adjuster in Wisconsin. In 1990 he came home to marry his wife, Anne, a lifelong Linn County resident. They made their home first in Hiawatha, then Marion, and finally Cedar Rapids, settling in 1997. Mark Seidl grew up in Cedar Rapids from grade school through high school, graduating from Regis in 1977. He went away for college and law school at Creighton University in Omaha, then worked as an attorney and claims adjuster in Wisconsin. In 1990 he came home to marry his wife, Anne, a lifelong Linn County resident. They made their home first in Hiawatha, then Marion, and finally Cedar Rapids, settling in 1997. On the way they had a daughter, Amelia, and son, Daniel. Daniel is 15; Amelia is 18 and will cast her first vote this fall. Both attend Linn-Mar High School. Mark has been active as a soccer coach and Adventure Guides leader, and has done volunteer work for the Lin-Mar Boosters and Orchestra Department. He has served on the boards of the Alzheimer’s Association for East Central Iowa, and Green Square Meals, and as a youth minister at St. Pius X Parish.

Mark has practiced law for the past 13 years with his brother, Phill, and sister, Mary Chicchelly, in the firm of Seidl & Chicchelly (their father, Jerry, is of counsel). Mark is a member of the Iowa Bar Association, the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Iowa Association for Justice, the American Association for Justice, and has been admitted to several Federal district courts and the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals. This is his first campaign for elective office.

Running-Marquardt was sworn-in by State Senator Bob Dvorsky, who serves Linn and Johnson Counties. She was elected on November 24th in a special election to replace Dick Taylor, who resigned the post.

“I look forward to being a strong voice in the Iowa House for the people of Cedar Rapids. I will listen to my constituents and work together to build a bright future for Cedar Rapids,” said Running-Marquardt.

Kirsten was born and raised on the west side of Cedar Rapids. She attended Kirkwood Community College and graduated from the University of Iowa. After working for quality, affordable health care as Director of Iowa for Health Care, Running-Marquardt became district representative for Congressman David Loebsack.

Running-Marquardt, 32, is married to Coy Marquardt and they have one son, Jack.

To contact Kirsten, log on to send an email at kirsten.running-marquardt@legis.state.ia.us or call her at 319-330-9899 (cell), or 319-892-3008 (home).

A new AmeriCorps group is working to make Eastern Iowa a little greener.

The 56 members of Green Iowa AmeriCorps, the first of its kind in the nation, are based in Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls. Their mission is to assess energy needs and provide energy education and service.

Green Iowa AmeriCorps workers Stephanie Meyer of Swisher and Jared Musil of Ely weed a plot of potatoes Monday at the AmeriCorps-built community garden on Third Street SE in Cedar Rapids. The garden is built on the former site of the historical Vavra House, lost to the 2008 flood.

Part of the group’s outreach is a community garden, created in two vacant lots in the flooded New Bohemia neighborhood in Cedar Rapids.

Where floodwaters washed away a historical home — the Vavra House, 1019 Third St. SE, owned by Michael Richards and his wife, Liza Duquilla — the 19 Cedar Rapids-based members of Green Iowa AmeriCorps have literally built a garden from the ground up.

Tim Reynolds, a group leader, said five members hand-loaded 12 truckloads of limestone foundation stones from four houses demolished to make way for an office building in the 1800 block of First Avenue SE. Those stones formed the raised beds in which seeds for the garden were planted.

“We use anything we can find,” said Reynolds, 25, who lived in Newton before moving to Cedar Rapids for the program. “We’re trying to teach people there are other options besides sending it to the landfill.”

Fencing donated from a flooded home, a metal bed frame and wooden doors that were discarded all find a use in the garden, sandwiched between two buildings that are being reconstructed. Seeds, plants and wood for more beds were donated.

Members also focus on weatherization of homes in older neighborhoods and flooded areas of Cedar Rapids. Reynolds said the goal is to improve 100 flooded homes with caulking, weatherstripping and other energy efficiencies.

The team can insulate homes, provide compact fluorescent light bulbs and help find funding for energy-efficient refrigerators and washing machines for homeowners. Those efforts are supported by a grant from the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation.

Green Iowa AmeriCorps receives federal funding, with a matching grant of $150,000 from the Iowa Power Fund. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources manages the funding, while the Community Corrections Improvement Association oversees the Cedar Rapids team.

“There’s not a road map out there for this type of startup,” said Jane Mild, supervisor of the DNR’s Office of Volunteer Service. “They’re doing an absolutely terrific job.”

Green Iowa is one of five AmeriCorps groups under the Community Corrections Improvement Association’s umbrella.

Most members are just out of high school or in college and spend three to 11 months with Green Iowa AmeriCorps. Members receive living stipends of $3,176 to $12,000, depending on the length of their stints. Upon completion, they also receive education awards of $1,250 to $4,725. Kirkwood Community College student Derek McNerney, 19, said he joined to help Iowans recover from last year’s floods. Digging a trench for another garden bed this week, McNerney said the work has been rewarding.

Neighbors in need can visit the garden and pick cucumbers, zucchini and other ripe produce.

“It’s pretty enjoyable, once you see the look on someone’s face,” McNerney said.

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – Construction on two Iowa Army National Guard facilities and an undersized Iowa Air National Guard building are expected to create more than 1,000 construction jobs.

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved more than $10 million for the three Iowa facilities last week. Confirmation from the full Senate could come by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

The construction will include work on a 35-year-old Armed Forces Reserve Center in Davenport, the Security Forces Facility in Des Moines and a building that houses administrative staff for the National Guard in Johnston.

Separately, the Senate committee approved more than $77 million to replace facilities in Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Muscatine and move units to other centers.

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) this week approved $5.1 million in the first round of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds to be used by Iowa communities for public acquisition of property damaged by the devastating floods of 2008.

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds assist communities in minimizing the effects of future flooding through the purchase of damaged property in flood-prone areas. Properties purchased by communities in this program must be converted into green space and cannot be redeveloped.

“FEMA officials and members of the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division should be commended in their efforts to move this process forward, a process which will in turn help communities and individuals move forward in recovery,” said RIO Executive Director Lt. Gen. Ron Dardis.

Although it will still take some time for the funds to reach individual communities and for the communities to decide which properties to buy out in the flood mitigation program, state officials are excited to see the approval process moving forward. The flow of this money is reflected in the funding chart included in today’s news release, and in the funding charts available on the Rebuild Iowa Office (RIO) Web site www.rio.iowa.gov.

Meanwhile, another recovery program continues to assist disaster-affected Iowans. Residents in all 78 counties declared presidential disaster areas for Individual Assistance after last summer’s natural disasters can apply for Iowa’s Unmet Needs Disaster Grant Program. The program, which was included in the Iowa Disaster Recovery Bill, provides up to $2,500 per household to help pay for losses or expenses from last year’s disasters which have not yet been covered by other forms of assistance.

Applications for the Unmet Needs Disaster Grant Program were first accepted by Long-Term Recovery Committees in 14 counties in mid-March. Since then, the remaining 64 counties have finalized their preparations and are ready to accept applications through their designated Long-Term Recovery Committees. The Iowa Disaster Human Resource Council (IDHRC) has agreed to serve as the Long-Term Recovery Committee for those counties that do not have an organized committee at this time.

The grants provide up to $2,500 for unreimbursed expenses for personal property, home repair, food assistance, mental health assistance, child care, transportation and temporary housing incurred as a result of last year’s disasters. The grants are designed to help cover unmet needs in counties declared presidential disaster areas for Individual Assistance between May 24 and Aug. 14, 2008.

Applicants should apply to the Long-Term Recovery Committee that covers the county where they lived when the disaster occurred. Applicants have until June 30, 2010, to apply for any existing funds. Applicants can find their Long-Term Recovery Committee on the Rebuild Iowa Office Web site at http://www.rio.iowa.gov/case_management/index.html.

Funds continue to flow from federal and state disaster-aid programs to communities, businesses and individuals in Iowa from the more than $2 billion which has been promised to Iowa for disaster relief. Charts featured on the RIO Web site at www.rio.iowa.gov/funds.html detail the movement of these funding sources and are updated weekly.

For each specific source of funding, two graphs outline the status of Iowa’s progress. The first graph details how much has been allocated to Iowa from the funding source, how much has been approved for state and/or local programs, as well as the amount that has actually been spent within Iowa, the state’s communities or on individual Iowans. The second graph focuses on the weekly progress of these funds. These charts, which highlight more than 15 different sources of disaster aid, will be updated at the end of each week and can be printed off the RIO Web site.

It is important to note that each chart also includes a “Comment” section. This provides an explanation as to why funds may not be in Iowa at this time, may not be accessible to communities at this time or may vary from previous reports.

More than 39,800 Iowans have registered with FEMA for disaster assistance and more than 35,000 Iowans have visited FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers around the state. Of the 85 Iowa counties eligible for federal assistance, 77 are eligible for both individual assistance and public assistance.

JUMPSTART IOWA UPDATE

Of the funding approved for the 2008 disasters, $161 million will be used for the Jumpstart Iowa Initiative. Jumpstart Iowa is a state housing and small business recovery initiative, announced by Governor Culver on Sept. 12. The state’s housing and small business assistance plan brings assistance to Iowans still feeling the effects of this year’s natural disaster. The initial allocations were released to the Councils of Government and Entitlement Cities on Sept. 26, with checks flowing to individual Iowans days later. The Jumpstart Iowa Initiative is designed to allow homeowners and businesses to apply for forgivable loans to assist in business rebuilding, home repair and purchase, and interim-mortgage assistance. The Jumpstart Small Business Program stopped accepting applications on April 15. A new assistance program, the Disaster Recovery Business Rental Assistance Program, began accepting applications on April 16.

Below are the latest available figures for the Jumpstart Housing and Small Business Assistance programs statewide:

Jumpstart Housing Update (as of May 7, 2009):

Total number of applicants: 4,034
Total amount requested in those applications: $68.8 million
Total number of applicants approved to-date: 2,651
Total amount approved: $44.8 million
Total amount disbursed: $30.6 million
Average award: $16,891
Applications ineligible for the program: 435

Jumpstart Small Business Update (as of May 7, 2009):

Total number of applicants: 1,156
Total amount requested in those applications: $120.2 million
Total number of applicants approved to-date: 925
Total amount approved: $28.8 million
Total amount disbursed: $ 22.5 million
Average award: $31,212
Applications ineligible for the program: 193

Iowans can learn more about financial assistance programs and how to apply by calling 1-866-849-0323. For more information about the state’s recovery and rebuilding efforts, please visit the Rebuild Iowa Web site at www.rio.iowa.gov.