Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the late Dave Heaton, a beloved Iowan, whose passing on February 12 at age 84 has left his wife Carmen; daughter, Mary Elizabeth; the city of Mount Pleasant; and Iowa in mourning. Dave graduated from Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, and he enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve and served with an engineering battalion in Washington, Iowa. He taught social studies and government at Van Buren High School, and he also was an assistant coach for the girls' basketball team and a defensive coach for the football team. Before public service, Dave and his wife, Carmen, ran the Iris Restaurant for 42 years, and Dave's family in Sigourney, Iowa, ran restaurants as well. The Iris Restaurant was a community hub where he carved roast beef and listened to everyone who entered. Known as the best boss, he made it into southeast Iowa's finest dining spot. For 24 years, Dave served in the Iowa House of Representatives, where his pragmatic compassion shaped mental health, human services, and education policy. As chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, he turned conviction into progress. His reach extended to education, working with school boards, and inspiring leaders like Jesse Howard. Healthcare in general, but also mental health, were his focus, and later in life he served on the board of directors of the National Alliance of Mental Illness.…”