On Tuesday, Paul Dykstra, of Kellerton, filed nomination papers to make official his candidacy for Iowa House District 17 which includes Adams, Ringgold, Taylor and the southeast portion of Page and southwest portion of Union counties. His filing makes official his candidacy for this seat in the Iowa House of Representatives, and he believes he possesses a unique background to be successful for every citizen in that District.
Dykstra hopes to turn a lifetime of experiences into a way to continue to serve the citizens of the new Iowa House District 17. Dykstra and his wife of over forty years, Nancy, raised three daughters, two of whom are career military, and they have eight grandchildren, all who live in Iowa. Dykstra found his days working at Maytag were filled with both learning and opportunity, but the closure of the company took Dykstra to southern Iowa to farm full-time. During his time as a County Supervisor, he saw, firsthand, the inner workings of county government along with the direct connection to regional and shared partnerships such as Regional Mental Health. As a Lay Pastor, Dykstra has answered the call to fill empty pulpits of local churches, and his calling to serve as the Director of the Iowa Prayer Caucus expanded the opportunity to share God’s word. As a farmer, Dykstra found that working the farm and caring for livestock was both rewarding and stressful, with many decisions contingent on weather.
Dykstra’s goal, as your legislative representative would be to continue to serve Iowans, especially in rural areas, the place he loves most. He hopes to communicate with citizens through all means and help them to understand more about state government. Dykstra feels the agriculture surrounding us provides a tremendous opportunity for teaching our young people, as the next generation becomes our new leaders. Dykstra has a keen interest in helping those most vulnerable, including those within the education system, those within our mental health system, those with handicaps, and protecting our seniors who gave us life and cared for us as we grew and matured into life. He would like to see a guarantee for the right to life and opportunity to all. Dykstra believes Iowa is the heart and soul of our great nation, with strong values and work ethic—he will strive to continue to reflect those values if he is elected as the next Representative of the 17th House District.
If successful, Dykstra would serve in the Iowa House of Representatives, but must first prevail in the Republican primary on June 7, 2022, followed by the general election in November.
