Recent global events, including the temporary implementation of martial law in South Korea and the ongoing conflict in Israel, have drawn significant attention. Additionally, last month’s presidential election has further contributed to the current geopolitical landscape. Attention has focused on President-elect Donald Trump and his proposed plans for addressing current global issues.

With everyone caught up in this more national and international status of the world, it’s easy to forget about the more local status of your own world. Because while a presidential election was taking place last month, the elections for representatives at not only the state but also the congressional level took place. 

Together, Iowa House Districts 41 and 42 make up the entirety of Ankeny’s city limits, with 42 covering most of the southern half of town and 41 covering more of the northern half. Both lie within Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District represented by Congressman Zach Nunn. 

Nunn had planned to do an interview, was unavailable during his time back in Iowa. However, Nunn’s background, belief system, and political motivation is covered on his website,.

When considering the more generally well-known responsibilities of a congressman, they often deal with issues much farther from home. The focus here will be on local representatives.

Representative Heather Matson: Building consensus and community connections

Heather Matson

District 42 Iowa House Representative Heather Matson is originally from Rhode Island but has lived in Iowa since 2003. Matson has been in Ankeny for a little over 10 years with her two kids and husband, Chris. Matson is a member of the Democrat Party and has been since she began her first political work in D.C. as an intern on the senate committee for labor and human resources in 1996, citing her east coast roots as the main reason behind this affiliation and her own system of political beliefs. 

When talking about some of her personal, more philosophical beliefs and values, Matson explained that her childhood family structure had more impact than anything on these views, and that they serve as the foundation for her political ideology.

Matson explained how in a family with four children and parents that didn’t often meet eye to eye, she felt like something of a “consensus builder,” and believed that this ability to not only make her case but listen to other’s cases, is what makes her a good legislator.

“This probably sounds a little cliché at this point,” Matson said. Matson says that politics have become progressively more argumentative and dividing than ever before. 

Politics should be about “listening to understand, not listening to respond,” she said. 

Matson believes that her most important job in order to do these duties to the best of her ability is to connect and get involved with people and organizations within the community of Ankeny. This is in order to represent District 42 as accurately as possible when it comes time to signing a bill or enacting legislation, but above all else she’s always striving for more, “economic security and economic opportunity,” she said. 

“No matter where you live in this state, you should be able to not just survive, but thrive,” Matson said. 

This ideology is reflected in some of the issues Matson wants to address in her upcoming term, two of which she made clear: the cost of housing and access to childcare. Matson says that Iowans find themselves in a cost burden, meaning they’re either unable to afford necessities or only able to afford necessities. 

Matson also made a point on the importance and availability of quality public education.

“[Schools should be] where every kid has the ability to succeed and be a leader for our community,” she said.

Matson expressed the importance of local government and its real power that she wants students to be aware of saying that most of what impacts people’s daily lives doesn’t come from Congress or the White House, but rather from things like the State House or a city council, and that recognizing this power is the best way to truly make a difference within your community. 

“Know your power,” Matson says to students as this will help make a difference in the community and the world.

Ryan Weldon: From entrepreneur to community advocate

Ryan Weldon is originally from Minnesota and has lived in Iowa since he was a teenager, where he graduated from a Catholic school in Dyersville, Iowa. He’s lived in Ankeny for 15 years with his wife and four kids and worked in Iowa all of his adult life.  From 2019-2024, Weldon was a member of the Ankeny School Board, where he eventually became president in the middle of 2022. 

Weldon is a member of the Republican Party and will be getting his first taste of legislative work in his upcoming term. He’s worked on everything from Medicare insurance sales to a pair of web-development startups throughout his career, but never within the world of politics. 

Weldon however believes that his many careers and his own personal background will help him as a legislator, as he feels his variety of experience in the workforce has given him lots of knowledge that can be applied to many different industries.

“Jump in and out of different situations and apply some strategic problem-solving skills,” Weldon said. 

As for his background, Weldon’s parents separated when he was younger and it caused him to grow up very quickly due to factors like balancing multiple step-families and having to take care of his many younger siblings. He believes, however, that this reality helped him build a natural sense of taking responsibility, taking initiative, and understanding justice.

Weldon also recognizes that it made him a bit of “an angry young man” who dealt with his frustrations by throwing himself into numerous sports and activities, a mindset that carried over into Weldon’s entrance into the workforce after just a year at the University of Northern Iowa.

Weldon then began his unorthodox career path, which is what inevitably drove him into local politics. During his time on the school board he saw what he described as a, “lack of leadership in the public sector.”

“I felt like maybe I could make a difference, maybe I could serve my community,” Weldon said.

A big point of emphasis from Weldon is on education, more specifically on the availability of flexible education options. 

He expressed his belief in the vital importance of the youth’s role in maintaining and eventually evolving in the world. Weldon wants to provide the best quality education to each and every child to prepare them for this task, whether that be through public school or otherwise. Weldon also expresses that because of his entrepreneurial background, he feels very strongly about promoting local, smaller businesses to bring in new opportunities to the community, and feels that government shouldn’t involve itself with smaller businesses unless it’s to “get [smaller businesses] up and running and have that pathway that they can succeed.” Weldon mentioned the importance of public law enforcement in keeping the community safe and his hopes to decrease property tax burdens. 

“Really, really dream big,” Weldon says to students.

Weldon encourages students to not hold back, and he encourages adults to be better at giving children the opportunities to make a difference.

“I know that kids are searching for that deep, meaningful work,” Weldon said. “I just don’t think we as adults are doing a good job of saying, ‘Hey, kids, you can do that now.’”

Both Matson and Weldon urge students to pay attention to and get involved with local politics. They  explained that the biggest decisions that impact daily life are made at the local level. 

“Local government is the place where you can make the biggest impact on a person’s bad day,” Matson said.