Joe Bolkcom
Joseph Bolkcom (born July 29, 1956) is a member of the Iowa Senate, where he is currently an assistant majority leader. A Democrat, he was first elected to the Senate in 1998. He represents the 43rd District of the General Assembly, which includes most of metropolitan Iowa City. Bolkcom currently serves on several committees in the Iowa Senate - the Appropriations committee; the Commerce committee; the Human Resources committee; the Natural Resources and Environment committee; and the Ways and Means committee, where he is chair. Bolkcom was reelected in 2002. In the 2006 General Election he won 78% of  the vote (14,816 votes). His only opponent was Jay Christensen-Szalanski, an independent, who received 22%. Bolkcom graduated from Saint Ambrose University in Davenport in 1983. He went on to earn a master's degree in Public Affairs from the University of Iowa. He served from 1993 to 1998 on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. Prior to that he worked for Johnson County Health Department, Senior Advocates, Inc., and Senior Education, Inc. He is a member of the Iowa Civil Liberties Union, and the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club.