Life after legislation: A brief look
Where are these North Iowans now?
You can take the gal out of politics, but you can’t take the politics out of the gal. At least that’s the case for three former North Iowa lawmakers.
Now all retired, Amanda Ragan, Sharon Steckman, and Linda Upmeyer have decades of experience in Iowa’s Capitol between them, and that experience flows into their respective daily lives, with each of them still involved in politics in some way.
Ragan, who was appointed Iowa Democratic Whip in 2016, had a lengthy career in legislation. After five terms in the Iowa Senate’s 27th District, Ragan announced in February 2022 she was not seeking reelection.
“I’m staying active in a lot of different organizations that have an impact on legislation,” Ragan said. “I think that people have no idea what the state legislature does to your life. It impacts you in a variety of ways.”
Steckman, a former school teacher, is the most recent of the three to exit her role as a lawmaker. She spent 16 years as an Iowa state representative in District 59. The Democrat announced early in 2024 she would finish out her term and leave office.
But like Ragan and Upmeyer, she’s not completely done with politics. “To me, it’s a moral obligation to keep informed (with political happenings) and keep involved and work for the betterment of the state and of the country,” Steckman said.
Ragan and Steckman are often fixtures at political rallies, and together, have moderated public forums with local elected officials.
“I kind of realize what my situation is, and so, ‘What can I do on a personal level?’ I’m not able to vote (in legislation) anymore, but I am able to keep informed,” Ragan said. “I’m able to go to forums to ask questions…which I think people should do.”
“I need purpose,” Steckman said. “And I can’t think of a better purpose than helping people be aware of what’s happening on the federal and the state level and how people are voting. A politician can say one thing to your face and then go down to Des Moines or D.C. and then vote totally opposite…it happens a lot
Upmeyer, who was arguably a mover and shaker at the Capitol, sat as the first female Speaker of the House in Iowa’s history. Beginning her political career in House District 54 in 2003, she announced in 2019 that she would be stepping away from her seat and would not seek another term. Upmeyer now serves as the co-chair of the Republican Party of Iowa.
“Honestly, there’s always a few things in the legislature that you wish you could have gotten to,” Upmeyer said of her career. She said she received feedback from a couple of people who suggested she continue working on those issues.
One of the initiatives Upmeyer has been continuing to work on is requiring healthcare providers use a universal file-transferring program, pointing out that facilities often still use fax machines as their method of transferring patient files from one provider to the next, which she feels could cause delays in care should pertinent paperwork be lost in the transfer. “This is one the governor (Kim Reynolds) is interested in as well,” Upmeyer said. “So, I meet with the governor from time to time and talk to her about how this gets into her agenda — where it might fit into one of her bills or someone else’s.”
A moment of pride
In their time since leaving the house and senate respectively, Ragan, Upmeyer, and Steckman have had a chance to look back at their careers and pinpoint areas in which they feel particularly accomplished.
For Upmeyer, it is her work in establishing the Iowa Taxpayer Trust Fund, which has since been renamed the Taxpayer Relief Fund. “We worked hard to make sure the Iowans could keep as much of their paychecks in their pockets,” Upmeyer said. “I’m proud of the fact that we set the infrastructure up and they’re able to continue lowering income taxes yet today. I think that was a really good track to get Iowa on — to live, work, and raise a family.”
Upmeyer also touched upon her work in redesigning the state program for expanding healthcare opportunities for Iowa residents, noting she reached across the aisle to work closely with Sen. Ragan on the project.
“During my 18 years in the legislature and in my 10 years in leadership, I feel like we really accomplished many things that, as a body of work, made Iowa an even better place to be,” Upmeyer added.
Ragan also spoke about the healthcare expansion project which affected around 150,000 Iowans, noting that healthcare debt is the number one reason for bankruptcy. “That (project) had a huge impact on people’s lives…I actually know of individuals that it made a difference for,” she said. “You know, it’s not just numbers. There are actual people behind those numbers.”
Ragan spent time in the legislature working with Health and Human Services as well. “I had an uncle with a disability,” Ragan said. “I think it’s important to continue to remember that their lives (those with disabilities) are important as well…My uncle was always someone that always made me remember that we (lawmakers) have a bigger responsibility.”
Steckman shared a little different outlook. “The thing I liked most about my job was not so much being able to get a bill passed; it was being able to help people — I did a lot of that...like if they were having trouble getting their healthcare bills paid,” Steckman said. “Legislators have a red exclamation mark by their name when they send an email to staff, so (departments) like Internal Revenue or [Department of Human Services], they pay special attention if a legislator sends them something.”
Leisure time
While they all have active roles in the area’s political circuit, the women have also been enjoying a slower pace than legislation offered.
“You know, I went from teaching for almost 30 years, right to the Capitol for another 16, so I’ve never really been retired,” Steckman said. “So this is a whole new ballgame for me.” Steckman said she’s liked being able to travel whenever she wants and doesn’t miss the commute from Mason City to Des Moines.
Upmeyer echoed the sentiment. “When you’re serving a legislature, it’s kind of nonstop because you’re either at the Capitol doing your work or coming in after a session to do community work,” she said. “Since I’ve retired from the legislature, I’ve done some traveling — I took my daughter, son and daughter-in-law to Spain this winter. So I usually have the freedom to do those kinds of things (now.)”
As for Ragan, she can be found enjoying her family and grandkids and tooling about Mason City’s many walking trails. But her eyes, like Upmeyer and Steckman’s, are still on the prize.
“I don’t want to stay home and not be involved in things,” Ragan said. “I saw how being involved can make a difference.”
Lisa Grouette is a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative, a group of Iowa writers, authors, and content producers. If you enjoy hearing from Iowa voices, please consider helping to broaden their reach with a paid subscription. Your support goes a long way.