News 18 October 2017

Hubbell makes his pitch during campaign stop in city

Iowa gubernatorial candidate Fred Hubbell says the first order of business for the next Iowa governor will be to clean up Iowa’s financial mess.And he thinks he’s just the guy to do it.“We need someone to take care of this fiscal mess,” he said Thursday at New Hampton Economic Development. “We’ve seen a serious misallocation of our financial resources. I think it’s clear what our state needs. We need a governor who makes tough decisions and invests in people.”Hubbell said the difference between him and all the others running for governor in the 2018 election is, they’re all politicians, he’s not.“Politicians in Iowa have squandered a billion-dollar surplus,” he said. “I’m not a politician, I’m not beholden to any groups or interests, I just want what’s best for Iowa.”He said that it’s going to “take a business person,” to sit with state legislators and discuss budget issues, and added, “I’m the type of guy who always balances a budget.”Hubbell, who visited New Hampton on Thursday for a roundtable discussion with community leaders and other interested citizens, called himself a “fiscally responsible, but also socially progressive” Democrat.Hubbell said that his priorities are to fix the budget, invest in education to create skilled employees for the future, and help grow small and mid-size businesses to get incomes rising across Iowa.He is a retired CEO of the Equitable Life Insurance Company and a well-known Des Moines philanthropist. He is former chairman of Younkers and former president of Equitable of Iowa, which his family founded in the 1860s. His family built its fortune in finance, real estate and railroads in Iowa, and even owned Terrace Hill for nearly a century before donating the mansion to the state of Iowa to serve as the governor’s residence in 1970s. He has served on the boards of several other international and Iowa corporations, including Pioneer Hi-Bred International, West Bank Corporation and The Weitz Corporation.Hubbell is disappointed with the way politicians in Des Moines have handled the Iowa economy, and said he believes the worst is yet to come.“We haven’t seen the bottom yet,” he said. “Clearly, the first thing we’re going to have to do is find some revenue.” 
For more about Fred Hubbell's campaign stop in New Hampton, see Tuesday's New Hampton Tribune.

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