If there is such a thing as having a political pedigree, Linda Upmeyer can claim one. The Clear Lake Republican this year became the first female speaker of the Iowa House, in her seventh term as a state representative. Upmeyer is the daughter of the late Del Stromer, who served in the House for 24 years. In fact, her bio notes that she and Stromer are the first father and daughter pair in the nation to have served as speakers of their state legislature. Upmeyer grew up in a household resolutely involved in Republican politics. She was a teenage Republican when there were those groups; she learned how to canvass for votes and taught her children how to do that as well. Public service was a core element in her family’s values. However, as a mother raising five children and working as a nurse, the first half of her adult life didn’t have room for a political career. Once her children were grown, however, she was drawn to it and she has successfully navigated from freshman legislator to minority whip, majority leader and now speaker of the house. She can artfully articulate the goals of the Republican-controlled House, but Upmeyer’s strength may be as a connector who looks for ways to bring people together to reach a common goal. And despite the fact that Iowa is one of only eight states in the country to have legislative chambers controlled by opposite parties, Upmeyer said she’s proud that Iowa legislators aren’t known for the same kind of partisan gridlock that many Americans believe affects Congress.

What are your goals for the 2017 session?
Truly, it will make some difference in how all the elections turn out. One of my goals is to continue doing the work that we’ve been doing in maintaining a very responsible budget. I think the fact that we made a decision six years ago to make sure that we didn’t spend more than we take in is important. … Another goal is to make Iowa a very competitive, positive place to live, work and grow a family. Anything we can do to make this state more competitive from a tax structure basis, to making sure we have a supremely skilled workforce, all those things make Iowa an even better place. 

Is there any way you approached this job that might be a little different than a predecessor?
One of the things I’ve always enjoyed doing most is putting people together who can work to produce a far better product than what I personally would have been able to do. As a leader in this role, that was one of the things that I wanted to be sure that I very consciously did. So when members come and they have an interest, they have a skill, they have something they want to work on, odds are there’s been somebody in the community, somebody that I’ve run across who has a skill set that matches up nicely with that. Putting those people together is something I do consciously. I don’t know whether it’s my life experience as a nurse, or maybe as a mom, but whatever it is, that is one of the things that can serve the state very well is making sure those people come together. Building the bench, working with folks to bring out their best is what I like to do and is what I am striving to do as a leader. 

Looking at the legislative session of 2016 and things that were important to the business community, there were some wins and there were some things that didn’t get done. The K-12 technical education for middle-skills workers got passed, and also the tax credit on renewable chemicals. But I’m wondering what you think of the other issues, the local option sales tax changes, simplifying Iowa’s tax structure and water quality funding?
One of the big losses I think we suffered this year was in the water quality area. I think the House brought forward a good bill. Unfortunately, we didn’t get support for that, nor did we get a bill as an alternative out of the Senate, so absolutely that is on the forefront for us to come back this year. 

Tax structure — absolutely. My caucus would never let a session go by without looking at the tax structure and making sure we look at the simplification and making Iowa an even more competitive state. But I do think we had some wins even on that front as we were able to move forward this year on the coupling for filing the taxes and in the consumables. We will go back and do more. 

The other thing was the local option sales tax. You know, I really thought we had an opportunity to do that this year. We had sessions early on. I think there was a path. And then it seemed like the folks who were pursuing that and cared about it just kind of went away. So we’re happy to look at that. I think there’s an opportunity there and some interest in doing it, even though it is a complicated thing, and we need to make sure we build consensus around that.

Did you always want to get into politics? 
I grew up in a family that paid very close attention to politics. I was always interested. In fact, I was a teenage Republican back when there were actually teenage Republican organizations. I went to teenage Republican camp. And as a young mom, the most I could do at that point was to be involved with some campaigns. … I was always very interested, but living some distance from the capital and having five kids that I wanted to devote time to and practicing as a nurse didn’t leave me much time to think about running for office. When some of the kids were raised, that’s when I really began thinking about perhaps running for office. Following redistricting in the 2002 election, I took that opportunity to throw my hat in the ring and had a hard-fought primary and succeeded in the general. 

What did you learn from your father that’s been helpful to you in your political life?
You know, my dad was a wonderful listener and, agree or disagree, he always listened to people’s perspective and I think brought them into his analysis and then ultimately his decision-making. And I think that was a good lesson to learn. Hard work. Gosh, he was a super hard worker, super hard campaigner, and that was certainly useful to me. His honesty and integrity are probably the very most valuable things that I learned from him. I always try to deal uprightly with people. For heaven’s sakes, my father would just not approve if I did otherwise.

Do you remember your first job?
I grew up on a farm six miles from town, and my mother said you’re not going to have a job until you’re old enough to drive yourself because I’m not going to make the trip back and forth to town, taking you to work. When I turned 16, I got a job at the local nursing facility and I was a nursing assistant. That certainly sparked my interest in helping other people, sparked my interest in being a nurse. And ultimately, helping other people, it’s something that gets in your blood, so I think that was something I did for the rest of my life.