ESA ethics complaint against Iowa lawmaker dismissed
A bipartisan panel of Iowa lawmakers unanimously tossed an ethics complaint Tuesday against Rep. Dean Fisher, R-Montour, dismissing allegations by a liberal advocacy group that Fisher set up a private school to financially benefit from legislation he voted for.
Fisher serves as a founder and the board president of Tama-Toledo Christian School, a K-8 private school set to open in 2025.
The group Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement accused him of “abusing his public power for private gain,” arguing in a Feb. 28 complaint that the school would benefit from Iowa’s education savings account program, which he voted for in 2023 on its way to becoming law.
In a response written to lawmakers, Fisher called the complaint “politically motivated,” saying it was based on disagreements about the legislation.
The committee sided with Fisher in a unanimous 6-0 decision after a short discussion Tuesday.
“I don’t think that Dean Fisher’s personal interest was necessarily the driving force behind the effort to have vouchers for the private school,” said Rep. Stan Gustafson, R-Norwalk.
And Rep. Monica Kurth, D-Davenport, said the complaint “gave her a bad feeling overall” but didn’t believe it rose to the level of violating the ethics code.
In a statement, Fisher praised the committee’s dismissal of the complaint.
“It’s wrong to attempt to use the mechanisms of government to attack someone you simply disagree with on policy,” Fisher said. “Fortunately, the ethics committee agrees, and this situation has been resolved.”