Political Quotes

“Mr. President, on Maundy Thursday, the Lord called home one of Iowa's best and brightest civic leaders and a beloved husband and father. A native son of northwest Iowa, Jay Byers passed away at age 54. Maundy is derived from the Latin term mandatum, which means commandment. On the night before His betrayal and arrest, Jesus gave his disciples a ``new commandment'' to love one another as he had loved them, John 13:34. By all accounts, Jay's life was deeply rooted in servant leadership. He lived his life in service to his family and to others, sharing his outsized leadership gifts to make his community, his alma mater, and his State a better place. I was honored to know Jay for several decades--first, as a congressional staffer to Congressman Leonard Boswell and later as he joined and eventually took the helm of the Greater Des Moines Partnership. In this leadership capacity, our paths would cross many times over the course of a decade to collaborate on issues important to the 11 counties and affiliated chambers for whom he spearheaded priorities, including the partnership's annual visit to Washington, DC. Through these meetings, I was impressed by Jay's professionalism, energy, and ability to motivate others around him to find common ground for the common good. You might say he was a force of nature who lifted up others through sheer grit and determination. I could always spot him in a crowd wearing his signature bow tie.…”