John was first elected to the position of State Representative in 2014 and has served in the legislature since January 2015. He was elected an Assistant Majority Leader during his first term in 2015. Some of his greatest achievements, to date, have been saving the state money, protecting the rights of the citizens of Iowa, and being elected as an Assistant Majority Leader. One of his proudest accomplishments since serving in the Legislature was serving as floor manager of the largest water quality bill that Iowa has ever enacted. The bill was three years in the making and provides a long-term dedicated funding source to improve and protect water resources in Iowa.
John has been involved in water quality and conservation work for more than 20 years. His specialties include coordinating projects, communicating with landowners, educating youth, and funding projects that protect the lakes of Dickinson County. His work with the Clean Water Alliance has him operating with over 80 groups and organizations whose mutual goal is to protect the water resources of the county. John works in both the agricultural and urban community. He has 4 goals when working with the Clean Water Alliance: to educate people about clean water, to coordinate various projects within the watersheds of Dickinson County, to communicate about clean water and what is being done to protect our lakes, and to fund projects that improve water quality.
John served in the National Guard as a First Sergeant of a Calvary unit. He retired from the military after 25 years of honorable duty. He was deployed to combat zones on three separate occasions as well as duty positions throughout the world. He served in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
John has been involved in Pheasants Forever on the local level, as well as the State Pheasants Forever Board of Directors. He is also a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and is the Adjutant of the John W. Kidd Post in Spirit Lake. He also served as the President of the Okoboji Protective Association, an organization that has been protecting the lake for over 100 years. He is a board member of the Friends of Lakeside Laboratory, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the 100-year-old Regents University Field Station.
John is married to Cami. He and Cami have three children ages 23 to 32. He has an Associate Degree in Environmental Studies, a Bachelor’s Degree in biology (with Secondary Teaching Endorsement), a Master’s Degree in Political Science, and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Policy and Management.