On Thursday, Cherokee County Supervisor Shane Bellefy announced his campaign for the Iowa State Senate, promising to bring a strong, conservative voice to Des Moines that puts District 3 families, farms, and communities first.
A native of Cherokee, Bellefy is running to represent the people of Buena Vista, Osceola, O’Brien, and parts of Cherokee and Clay Counties. He aims to prioritize the excellence and career-readiness engagement in our rural schools, fight skyrocketing property taxes, overreaching government regulations, and the everyday challenges facing Northwest Iowa families, and communities.
Bellefy says, “When my wife and I decided to move our family back to NW Iowa from Des Moines nearly 8 years ago, we were returning to our roots. As we developed our careers and relationships, we continually reflected on growing up in rural Iowa. It was an easy choice to commit to raising our children with those same values. Our careers led us to live in a handful of Midwestern cities, but we never forgot where we came from.”
“Political involvement was not part of the plans when we moved back,” Bellefy stated. “But things changed after being asked to run for County Supervisor nearly 2 years ago. I understand the importance of effective leaders and recognize the time, dedication, and responsibility required to shape leadership. I’m committed to the task of serving our district and am ready to get to work. I firmly believe we need more elected leaders in office who regularly deal with everyday issues because their insight will better position our state for future success.”
Bellefy’s agenda for Northwest Iowa includes:
- Stronger schools for our kids – He recognizes the value of well-positioned rural schools and advocates for their stability and growth. Bellefy supports the development of school-community partnerships that build a viable local economy and challenges the “brain drain” out of our rural communities, providing our children the opportunity to find stable employment without having to relocate to urban areas. As a father of four young children, Bellefy understands that the next generation is our most valuable asset.
- Lower property taxes – He looks to deliver meaningful property tax relief, cap runaway increases, and protect ag land valuations. As a fiscal conservative, Bellefy is dedicated to ensuring every tax dollar is spent wisely. Bellefy’s career in the banking sector and experience as a supervisor gives him valuable insight as to how property taxes impact and influence local economies and the finances of our rural counties.
- A stronger farm economy – Bellefy will defend Iowa agriculture from burdensome regulations and foreign threats, fight for fair trade, lower input costs, expand biofuels, push for new markets, and support beginning farmers with tax incentives and mentorship programs.
- Safer rural communities – He fully backs law enforcement and first responders, is prepared to crack down on illegal immigration, and will work to keep deadly drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamines out of our communities.
- Better rural healthcare – He recognizes the necessity of bringing healthcare providers and specialty services back to Northwest Iowa through expanding telehealth access, provider incentives, and protecting community hospitals.
- Reliable infrastructure & broadband – He will push for maintaining critical infrastructure including necessary repairs to roads and bridges and delivering high-speed internet at reasonable prices to every farm and small town.
- Protecting our way of life – Unwavering defense of Second Amendment rights, prolife values, and the conservative principles that make Northwest Iowa strong.
“My successful career in a very competitive, highly regulated industry is possible because of my ongoing drive to face challenges head-on, the fortitude of my personal values and respect for my Northwestern Iowa roots. Just like my campaign for County Supervisor, this decision was not taken lightly. After many long nights of reflection, prayer and discussions, I feel now more than ever that it is my duty to take on this challenge. I am well prepared for the legislative challenge and to fight for the enrichment of District 3. I remain inspired by constituents who have shared their stories, hopes and dreams for a brighter and stronger rural Iowa. I am eager to apply my time and talent to the important work of making rural Iowa more affordable, creating a competitive environment for business and investments, improving education for Iowa kids and keeping our communities safe. With your support, together, we’ll keep our rural way of life strong for generations to come.”
A committed Republican, Shane Bellefy is a Vice President and Corresponding Banking Officer at United Bankers’ Bank, a Cherokee County Supervisor, husband to Kristen, and father of four children under the age of 10. He is a proven conservative leader with a common-sense background that’s ready to deliver real results.
For more information about the campaign, follow Shane Bellefy for Iowa Senate District 3 on Facebook.
(Editor’s note: The seat is currently held by Sen. Lynn Evans, who is running for re-election. Evans was one of the Republican senators in the last session who withheld his vote on a budget until a vote was taken on eminent domain in the Iowa Senate.)
In other words a new type of retaliation against the Dauntless Dozen, primarying – Lord willing the people of Senator Evans District will see through this attempt – interesting that his priorities don’t include anything about protecting Property Rights, which stands out as the most important issue to Iowans this session!