Public invited to ice cream social in Reynolds’ honor

One of the first stops on newly appointed Gov. Kim Reynolds’ agenda will be in Osceola. An ice cream social is being held in her honor 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 25, at the Clarke County 4-H Fairgrounds Event Center.

The public is invited to attend for a fun, free night of celebration alongside Iowa’s first female governor.

“It’s humbling and such an honor to be a part of history as it unfolds,” said Reynolds in an interview Tuesday. “We’ve made so much progress in the last few years.”

She doesn’t attribute her own success, or that of any of the women currently serving in Iowa politics to gender, however.

“I think you have to take a step back,” she said. “Iowans tend to re-elect their incumbants.”

Men have traditionally been in office, so it made sense they would stay there in a state where voters maintain loyal ties to the candidates they’ve supported in the past — in many cases, for good reason.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish,” said Reynolds. “Unemployment is the lowest it’s been in 16 years. We’ve created an environment where businesses can hire Iowans and they can have a great career.”

What up’s next for Iowa’s newly appointed governor?

“We’re going to embrace the past but do everything we can to have a brighter future,” said Reynolds, though from the sounds of things, comprehensive tax reform is top of her list — just after a smooth a transition into office.

“I think no one has ever been as well-prepared to be governor as Kim Reynolds,” former Gov. Terry Branstad said Tuesday during a press conference. “She’s proven to me that she’s ready to do the job and do it well.”

One of her first stops as governor will be right here. Everyone is invited to come out and help Reynolds celebrate — but that’s not all, she said. There’s also a very important message she needs to deliver directly.

“I want to say thank you to all the people of Clarke County for giving me a chance, and for giving me a second chance when I needed one the most,” said Reynolds. “I can’t wait to come down there and tell everyone that in person.”