Interview with Mark Smith, Chair Iowa Democratic Party by Celeste and Gary Lawson Mark Smith of Marshalltown, Iowa became the Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party on February 15, 2020. Mark is finishing his tenth term in the Iowa House, having represented Marshalltown and the surrounding area for twenty years. During those twenty years, Mark has served as a Chair of the Human Resources Committee and was, for 5 1/2 years, the Minority Leader in the Iowa House. Mark is married to Karen Lischer and they are the parents of Allison Paarsmith, who is the library director in West Liberty, Iowa. Mark also has two grown foster sons, Kevin Eggert of Clearfield and Darwin Eggert of Lenox. Mark was born in Osceola, Iowa and lived on a farm in Clarke County until he was ten. He then lived in Winterset until high school graduation in 1970. At his high school graduation, he was awarded the William and Mary Krabel Scholarship. He holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Social Work. Through the years, he has worked in almost all areas of social work and was a clinical director of a community mental health center for 18 years and most recently has provided co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Note: Following are excerpts from the interview conducted on September 8, 2020. Gary: The origins of the Iowa Democratic Party date back to when present day Iowa was part of the Wisconsin territory. Iowa officially became a state during 1846. Over time, the Iowa Democratic Party began growing and adapting to the changing demographics of our state. When urban areas began to grow, so did the influence of the Democratic Party. As the Democratic Party has evolved, they have won political offices with great support from the minority community. However, there are major issues that exist in the minority community such as education, healthcare, and jobs that are disproportionately plaguing the minority community, especially African Americans. What is the Iowa Democratic Party currently doing to turn out the vote in African American, and other minority communities, in 2020?
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