Member spotlight

Susie Petra
Story County

What got you involved with CCI? What keeps you engaged/motivated? Who are you fighting for?

"Back in about 2005, money-in-politics was the issue which first got me interested in joining Iowa CCI. Truth be told, most every barrier to issues affecting your community, your state, your own life & mine, can be tied back to money in politics...and whether our voice has as much impact as those with lots more money  & clout have.  And, unless & until money stops ‘outshouting’ our individual voices, we won’t have an ACTUAL democracy, one which ensures every person has an equal voice in our republic.

I am a retired public educator and old enough to remember when Iowa’s public education was the envy of the country. What Kim Reynolds is doing to our public education system, is a disgrace – and, unsurprisingly, can be tied back to ‘money-in-politics:’ the feverish desire of corporate power and their cronies to siphon public money -our tax dollars- into private hands, especially wealthy corporate hands...all without public accountability!

Why am I a member of CCI? To fight for a better Iowa. And, I can’t do that alone. With CCI, my friends and I get to work on making democracy work for our state. Together, we tackle tough problems and demand solutions. We work  to make an ACTUAL democracy."