Prichard throws hat into ring

Rep. Todd Prichard’s campaign for Iowa governor started at home in Charles City.Prichard’s 9 a.m. appearance on Tuesday brought a local crowd of friends, high school students and county Democrats. He made the announcement in Aromas Coffee — a Charles City business previously located next to his own law office on Main Street.“You guys are our friends. You come to our Fourth of July party, we see you at ball games, we see you at school events,” Ann Prichard said to the crowd while introducing her husband.“It’s humbling to see you all on a work day,” she said.Speaking for 15 minutes, Prichard’s proposals included free community college for all Iowans at one of 15 community colleges across the state.“This program is something that’s based on what Arkansas has done. It’s an $8 million program, and I think it would be an $8 million program in Iowa. It’s something that we can afford,” Prichard told the crowd. “It’s something that we can’t afford not to do in a more competitive job market, a more competitive economy.”He also criticized Iowa’s privatized Medicaid initiative, signed into law by Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, and promised to issue an executive order restoring Iowa Chapter 20 collective bargaining rules that were in place before Branstad signed into law new limitations on what public employees could negotiate with employers.For the complete story see the 5/19/2017 New Hampton Tribune.