In the latest Business Record Leaders Survey, an unscientific poll conducted annually with our readers, we asked business community leaders and executives for their opinions on a variety of topics, including one of the most debated actions by the 2017 session of the Legislature — legalizing the sale of fireworks.

This topic may not pertain directly to making deals and building relationships with clients, but it was a topic that has come up in the headlines again and again with different towns and cities taking action on the matter.

We know this was a topic that was discussed in the newsroom especially around the Fourth of July and summer months, and we would venture to guess other employees talked about it around Greater Des Moines.

So far, the topic has not come up at the Statehouse this session, but here are various comments on the matter.

Overall, the survey found respondents mostly divided, but this question drew the most comments. About a fifth percent reported they weren’t sure if they agreed or disagreed.

– Suzanne Behnke, Business Record editor

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Question: Agree or disagree. The Iowa Legislature should make fireworks illegal again.  

Banking & finance
Jaimie Miller, executive director, Iowa Credit Union Foundation
“Agree. {During the July Fourth} it was a pretty exhausting week at our household!”

Banking & finance
Adam Obrecht, CEO, AO Wealth Advisory
“Disagree. Leave it up to the cities and counties.”

Tech & innovation
Michael Sadler, assistant vice president, CenturyLink
“Disagree. I think local governments have control over the issue in their respective communities.”

HR & Education
Kevin Pokorny, owner and consultant, Pokorny Consulting
“Agree. Why are we wasting our time on this issue? Police and firefighters don’t want them. That’s good enough for me.”

Banking & finance
Greg Cole, president, NCMIC Finance Corp.
“Silly to bring it up after many decades with fireworks being illegal. Inconsiderate to neighbors.”

Economic development
Mark Imerman, president, Regional Strategic, Ltd.
“Agree. It is a negative externality and insurance liability issue. People shooting off fireworks create general risks that others must bear.”

Insurance & investments
Debbie Korver, manager, Project Management Office, Farm Bureau Financial Services
“Agree. {It’s} ridiculous to have this legal in such a heavily populated area. It’s only a matter of time before there are serious injuries, property damage and deaths. Our neighborhood looked like a war zone the morning of July 5.”

Insurance & investments
Mike McCoy, CEO, NCMIC Group
“Disagree. Spending more time on ‘fireworks’ legislation cannot be the highest and best use of the Legislature’s time!”

Culture
Zachary Mannheimer, principal community planner, McClure Engineering
“Agree. Humans have proven they are not mature enough to handle explosions in their hands.”

Tech & innovation
J. L. Warren, research scientist, DuPont Pioneer
“Agree. There is no economic or community advantage to legalizing fireworks; the Legislature was remiss to legalize fireworks when other more important human needs go unheeded, such as hunger funding.”

Sales & marketing
Chantelle Cadek, account executive, Integer Group 
“Disagree. Iowans have always found a way to obtain fireworks, legal or illegal. Making them legal has provided new business opportunities for Iowans, adding legal revenue streams for our state.”

Tech & innovation
Joseph Benesh, president and CEO, Ingenuity Co.
“Agree. Local resources to limit or prevent the Iowa law from being widely implemented seems like this is not a change that should have been made in the first place.”

Culture
Terry Hernandez, executive director, Chrysalis Foundation
“Agree. Legalization has caused a confusing array of regulations between communities, suburbs, etc., and do not add to the quality of life.”

Business consulting
Roxanne Pals, president, 3Consulting, Inc.
“Disagree. The safety hazards outweigh the entertainment experience.”

Financial services
Kate Banasiak, president and CEO, Diversified Management Services
“I’m not sure. I think it just needs to be on fewer days but I get that then you have to monitor that.”

Law & government
Darrell Sarmento
executive director, Des Moines West Side Chamber of Commerce
“Disagree. Either make them legal and enforce the law (which is fine by me), or make them illegal. My neighborhood was terrible with violations.”

Culture
Teree Caldwell-Johnson
CEO, Oakridge Neighborhood
“Disagree. For me it is purely a 
safety issue.”

Real estate & development
Carrie Woerdeman
vice president of operations, T&L Properties, LLC
“I’m not sure. It really does not matter to me one way or the other. Focus on civility and responsibility and the issue will be moot.”

HR & education
Sharon Goldford
executive director, Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines
“Agree. Huge issue from increase in injuries to noise issues. Animals and small children are very upset.”

Culture
Bobbi Segura
regional manager, IWLC – Iowa Women Lead Change
“Agree. If I could say ‘agree’ again & again, I would do it!”

Banking & finance
Casey Lewis
service manager, Bening Financial Organization
“Quit making stupid laws.”

Tech & innovation
Howard Tempero
experience architect, Pillar Technology
“I’m not sure. I’m not convinced the tragedy and injury that occurred last year was worth the benefit of making fireworks legal. When you view the issue through a safety lens, it’s hard to justify and I’m not clear the other lenses that the legality of fireworks should be viewed through.”

Insurance & investments
Bernard Stone
financial services professional, New York Life Insurance
“Disagree. Stop meddling in the unimportant and focus on real concerns — the budget, health care, medical marijuana, etc.”

Sales & marketing
Michele Farrell
partner, Measured Intentions/Farrell’s Extreme Bodyshaping
“Agree. Personally, I hate the noise and fear people will hurt themselves.”