DENISON, Iowa (KTIV) -
This week, voters heard from the presidential candidates as they squared off in their first debate. Saturday, the focus in Denison, Iowa was on local politics.
Candidates for the State Legislature and Crawford and Harrison County Board of Supervisors participated in a forum.
Patricia Ritchie wears many hats. Her proudest are being a two-time combat veteran, mother, and military wife.
She currently works with domestic violence victims in Denison and is running for a seat on the Crawford County Board of Supervisors.
Paul Wilderdyke, of Woodbine, spent three terms in the Iowa House before walking away from politics.
He's back, campaigning for a seat on the Harrison County Board of Supervisors. He says government needs to be representative of the needs in rural communities.
State Representative Jason Schultz has been serving Western Iowa in the Legislature since 2008 in District 55. He's now running for reelection in District 18.
The forum, which KTIV's Kristen Johnson had the pleasure of moderating, was sponsored by the American Association of University Women in Denison.
It covered many women's issues like equal pay and gender balance in the workplace.
"I definitely support equal pay for equal work, but I do not believe in a preference of gender, or race, or creed. You get hired and paid for what you produce," said Wilderdyke.
"Where I was discharged from the military it says was in hazardous duty pay, it didn't say she's paid less because she's paid less because she's a woman. I do believe I got the same pay as my counterparts," explained Ritchie.
"Government's a lousy defender of some of these rights are you're responsible for yourself. I'm teaching my daughter's this," added Schultz.
Hear what the candidates had to say about healthcare for low-income women and the controversy over Planned Parenthood Saturday night on News Four at Ten.
