Paddling for votes

Ag secretary candidate Jones seeks to raise awareness of water quality problems

It's not every day that you see a political candidate kayaking down the Des Moines River, paddling for votes. But that's what Chris Jones, Democratic candidate for Iowa secretary of agriculture, was doing in Fort Dodge on Thursday.

After paddling more than 50 miles down the Des Moines River during the past two days, Jones stopped off at the Matt Cosgrove River's Edge Discovery Center for a stump speech and discussion about how to clean up Iowa’s water and build a more resilient agricultural system.

Touting the event as a "Clean River Rally," Jones says he is trying to draw attention to the pollution affecting one of Iowa’s most important drinking water sources, the Des Moines River.

Jones kickstarted his kayaking campaign in Emmetsburg on Tuesday, and will conclude it in Des Moines on Sunday. Along the way, he has stops scheduled in Humboldt, Fort Dodge, Lehigh, Boone, and other cities. His trip will last six days and cover over 100 miles of river.

Jones has built his 40-year career on water quality tracking and promoting sustainable farming. He is challenging Republican incumbent, Mike Naig, for the secretary of agriculture position in the upcoming November election.

Running on the slogan “clean water for Iowa," Jones is advocating in favor of systemic agricultural changes and cleaning up state waters. He authored a recent book on the topic entitled, "The Swine Republic: Struggles with the Truth About Agriculture and Water Quality."

In the event Thursday in Fort Dodge, Jones observed that people around Iowa are frustrated with the condition of their water.

"They’re ready for something different," he said. "We’ve had some things in the news the last couple years that have changed the mindset of many people. One is the situation in Des Moines where they’ve had to restrict water use each of the last two years because they don’t have enough nitrate removing capacity."

Jones observed that Iowa's high cancer rate is almost certainly connected to poor water quality. "We’re the second highest state for cancer rate. We are one of only three states where the cancer rate is increasing," he said. "We wanted to come to the Des Moines River, because Palo Alto County, where we started, has one of the highest cancer rates of any county in the United States."

Jones said that the Des Moines River is one of the longest interior rivers in the United States, and is a natural resource that could become a major tourist draw if it was cleaned up.

"The Des Moines River would be great resource for people if we could just get it in a good condition," he said. "And so, my campaign is focused on water quality. The trip down the river is a way to feature that component of the campaign."

Jones was critical of his opponent at the event, noting Naig claims to be spending $100 million a year on water quality projects.

"Well, he’s going on 10 years in the office, and so that’s nearing a billion dollars. And does the water look a billion dollars better to you?" Jones asked. "Because it doesn’t to me. And so, so let’s try to devise a system that’s not going to generate pollution in the first place. I think that’s a much better expenditure of taxpayer money."