Todd DormanTodd Dorman
Jun. 11, 2023 6:00 am

Gov. Kim Reynolds sent a letter this past week to President Joe Biden seeking federal help in dealing with the aftermath of the tragic apartment building collapse in Davenport.

And she didn’t refer to him as a “radical socialist” even once. The restraint is admirable.

The building, where three people died and another tenant had to have a leg amputated to be freed from the rubble, will have to be torn down. It remains a structurally unstable threat to public safety. Because of the building’s age, the governor points out that asbestos is likely to present a challenge.

That and covering other expenses are going to be a costly endeavor, with estimates as high as $5 million.

Still, it was jarring to read a couple passages in the letter.

“The emergency measures required as a result of the severity and destructiveness of this major structural building collapse are beyond the capability of the state of Iowa and affected local governments to perform, or to contract for, thus requiring federal assistance,” Reynolds wrote.

She repeats this argument in the letter’s summary.

Given the size of Iowa’s multibillion-dollar state budget and the fact lawmakers approved a budget for 2024 that socks away a $2 billion surplus, that’s an astounding claim.

more...https://www.thegazette.com/staff-columnists/iowa-lacks-the-capacity-in-so-many-ways/