Iowa Falls business owner Rocky Damiano recently announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for the Iowa Senate District 27 seat, currently held by Republican Annette Sweeney.
Damiano moved to Iowa Falls in 2014 and worked for Farm Bureau Insurance up until July 2024. He opened his business, Nimrod Meats, in 2022. Damiano tells RadioOnTheGo News though he is not a career politician, he’s had his sights on getting involved in the political landscape.
“When Governor (Kim) Reynolds vetoed that bill, dealing with insurance for as long as I did, and the farmers’ property rights is very important. I saw, obviously, I know Annette (Sweeney) personally, I think she’s a great person. We just stand on two different sides of the fence. I don’t believe that eminent domain should be used in the private sector at all. And I think it’s important that the farmers and community and Iowans, their property rights are protected. So I just saw a need for that to be able to defend the constitution and constitutional rights of you know, Iowa people.”
Damiano says he made his decision to run for the District 27 seat after Governor Kim Reynolds’ recent veto of a bill that would restrict the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines.
“Eminent domain has its purpose in the government side, the federal government side, when it’s going to be a position that really in the long run is going to better that community, i.e. roads, highways, things of that nature. But for it be used in the private sector just doesn’t make any sense. That’s probably the biggest thing. When you give it out to the private community, the private contractors, private companies, you’re just opening the door for lots of things that just don’t make sense. And again, with that, you’re taking away the property rights of Iowa that own that ground. If it’s going to be used in an easement like most utility lines are, that’s a different story. But to literally take those individuals who have owned that property, worked their whole life for that property, and say, we’re going to take it away and put something in just to me is wrong. And it’s not constitutional.”
Iowa Senate District 27 covers all of Hardin and Grundy counties in the broadcast area in addition to Poweshiek County and parts of Black Hawk and Tama counties.
