Beau Klaver says he is up for the challenge ahead
Will be youngest member of the Iowa House
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It was a long night for Beau Klaver, as the Kamrar farmer and business owner stayed up late with family and friends, watching the returns which ultimately determined he had won the Iowa House of Representatives seat for District 55. The unofficial results reflected that 66.8% of the voters chose him to represent Hamilton County and parts of Story, Franklin and Wright, a decisive win over Cynthia Oppedal Paschem.
Beau Klaver will be the youngest member of the Iowa House of Representatives, just past his 23rd birthday.
Klaver, a 2022 graduate of Webster City HIgh School, and the son of Patrice and Jerry Klaver, will be bringing an unusual amount of experience to the House, especially for his age. He completed his studies at Iowa State shortly after he started campaigning for the House seat last spring. This was while he was also working as a clerk for Senator Annette Sweeney, working on his family farm and running an agriculturally based drone business called BK Air.
His degree from Iowa State was in Agricultural Studies, and one of the people he talked with Wednesday after the election was Mike Naig, who was re-elected as the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Tuesday.
"My first step is going to work with the Secretary of Agriculture, I think we will be able to talk with him about beginning farmer loans, and the Choose Iowa program," Klaver said. " I think we are going to be expanding this, so schools can buy more Iowa products."
Klaver said his discussion with Naig was also about conservation issues, talking about buffer strips and cover crops. Klaver was able to plant a cover crop on his family farm, using drones from his business to plant a mix of oats and radishes.
This also ties into one of the issues he thinks will be a unifying subject that will help the Democratic and Republican members work together in the future.
"I think it will come from the water quality issue," he said. "I think that has been the bipartisan issue that needs to be addressed. We all want clean water."
Klaver said the implementation of buffer strips and cover crops are key programs that are important to address Iowa’s water supply.
Many of the candidates cited the need to improve the economy, and reduce prices, but his campaign also focused on keeping more young people in Iowa after graduation.
"When we look at the economy, I think we need to create more quality jobs," he said, "Everyone wants a lower cost of living and lower gas prices.
But there is more than this.
"My original idea, and it will take some time, is if we could exempt 5 years of income taxes, if you (graduates) would stay in the state of Iowa," he said, "I think we need to look outside the box."
This recent college graduate acknowledges that he is the youngest elected house member by a couple of years. But he feels prepared to take on this role.
"Running the drone business has prepared me for the House job," he said. "And working with other farmers and employees, it has greatly prepared me for this position."
Klaver has thought about how to balance his business, farming and the house position.
"The drone business is very seasonal," he said. "Since I will be fulltime from January to May, I will still be farming. I promised my dad and my brother, but they will be handling more of the day to day responsibilities. During the summer, I will continue the Drone business until the fall, and still do the constituents duties."
Klaver says he has a good backup plan.
"I have three employees who work for me, (to handle things) if I need to be gone, I think it will take a team effort, once I'm down in Des Moines."
Klaver also said he intends to keep the political ugliness at a distance.
"I will stay true to my faith, my family and my word," he said. "We need to unify and create a better future for the state of Iowa."