State Auditor Rob Sand visits Lansing as part of 100 Town Hall Tour
State Auditor Rob Sand visits Lansing as part of Town Hall Tour... State Auditor Rob Sand addressed a large crowd at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center in Lansing Tuesday, October 21 as part of his 100 Town Hall Tour across the state of Iowa. Sand had discussion with and fielded questions from the crowd regarding water quality, changes affecting Medicare, Medicaid and rural hospitals, military veterans issues, Iowa’s private school voucher program, cancer research and the Iowa National Guard. Standard photo by Joe Moses.
by Joe Moses
Current State Auditor and Iowa Gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand visited the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center in Lansing Tuesday, October 21 as part of his 100 Town Hall Tour across Iowa. The Allamakee County stop October 21 in Lansing was one of five Town Hall Q&A sessions for Sand that day including Howard County, Chickasaw County, Bremer County and Allamakee County with the 100 Town Hall Tour concluding in Decorah in Winneshiek County.
Prior to the Town Hall at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center, in response to a question from The Standard relating to the closure of the Black Hawk Bridge in Lansing and the continued pursuit by local officials relating to disaster relief to provide assistance during the anticipated two-year period remaining for the bridge replacement, Sand noted his frustration about the closure, “I can’t understand how it came to this point. I mean, it’s irresponsible.”
Sand noted the limitations relating to the number of cars that can move by ferry in comparison to the regular vehicle traffic on the bridge. He further noted the need for accountability relating to the decision that was made relating to the bridge closure.
Sand advised, “This economy is going to take a big hit because somewhere along the way, people made decisions that were convenient for them and terrible for Lansing.”
Sand discussed the Allamakee County stop on the 100 Town Hall Tour, with the final stop taking place later that evening in Decorah. Sand noted, “It’s been an amazing Town Hall Tour. People are fed up with the direction of things. They look at what I’ve done in the Auditor’s office and they recognize I have a different approach.” Sand noted his campaign’s appeal beyond his party with Independents and Republicans attending and providing feedback in support of his efforts.
Relating to the current Federal Government shutdown, Sand shared, “I think it is a great example of why we should end special privileges in both the Democrat and Republican parties. Why should we only be forced to pick between the lesser of two evils when they are more interested in fighting with each other rather than solving our problems?”
Relating to a question from The Standard concerning health care availability, Sand noted that at the state level, to lower costs for everyone and improve outcomes, a reversal of the privatization of Medicaid is necessary. He noted issues with this privatization including middle-men companies being paid large amounts of money and holding payments as long as possible. Sand further noted that a 500-percent increase in illegal denials has resulted with Medicaid privatization.
The hour-long Lansing Town Hall Meeting was separated into two portions with the first half of the meeting involving an introduction from Sand in which he discussed his background and an overview of state-related matters and feedback that he has received during his Town Hall Tour. Sand discussed the current political system as being broken with his campaign being about the pursuit of public service.
To read the full article, pick up the Wednesday, October 29, 2025 print edition of The Standard or subscribe to our e-edition or print edition by clicking here.
