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John Norris, a Montgomery County native who worked in the administrations of Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and President Barack Obama, has entered the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

I just got fed up with this governor and the Republican Legislature doing everything for special interests and not the people of Iowa, Norris said of his decision to run.

Norris, 58, listed health care, water quality and education among the key issues facing the state. He called the 2017 Iowa legislative session destructive to our future.

We dont address serious concerns about access to health care in Iowa. Were not answering the call for improvements to water in the state, he said. Those are examples of where I think theyve taken the side of special interests.

Norris grew up on a farm outside of Red Oak and is a Red Oak High graduate. He went on to receive degrees from Simpson College and the University of Iowa College of Law.

Norris worked for then-U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, a Democrat, and ran the Rev. Jesse Jacksons Rainbow Coalition operation in Iowa during the 1988 presidential campaign. Norris opened a restaurant, the Old Hotel, in Greenfield, and worked with the Greenfield Chamber of Commerce. He served as chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party in the late 1990s.

Norris was head of the Iowa Utilities Board for five years before spending a year as chief of staff for Vilsack when Vilsack was the U.S. secretary of agriculture. Norris served on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for five years under Obama and was the U.S. representative to the United Nations on agriculture policy in 2014 and 2015.

Today Norris runs a small consulting firm that does public policy work, focusing on health care and education, with some energy work as well.

I bring a set of experiences that will enable me on day one to get this state back on track, Norris said.

One of the top issues facing the state is a budget shortfall in the hundreds of millions of dollars. A combination of a stagnant agriculture economy, a high amount of tax incentives and other factors have left the state with the budget crunch.

This administration has failed to get our budget back on track. We have to roll back these tax cuts to the wealthiest Iowans and corporations. Weve given away too much, which hurts health care, education and the environment, Norris said.

Norris said the 2017 legislative session was an assault on workers, as the Republican-controlled House and Senate put through a bill that stripped most public employees of the majority of collective bargaining rights.

We should be lifting people up, not pushing people down, he said.

Norris called the defunding of Planned Parenthood disrespectful to women and bad public policy.

For water quality, Norris said defunding Iowa State Universitys esteemed Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture was the wrong move.

We have to change the mindset of how were farming the land and how were treating the soil, he said, also noting that rules on the responsible application of animal waste on fields should be enforced at large animal confinement operations.

There is too little enforcement and too little observation of how a lot of the animal waste is being applied to the soil, he said. The wrong times, wrong surface areas. That leads to additional runoff of bacteria into our rivers and streams, which is affecting downstream water supplies. A bunch of our water problems are associated with poor soil use and poor enforcement of environmental regulations.

Water is a right for all Iowans to have water they can drink. It needs to be protected for everyone, Norris said. I just worry about the future for our state. If you cant drink the water, if you cant swim in the rivers or lakes, what does that say to people thinking about moving here? Its bad for our future.

Norris is the sixth declared candidate in the Democratic primary. He joins Iowa State Sen. Nate Boulton, union head Cathy Glasson, former Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Andy Maguire, former Des Moines school board member and state auditor nominee Jon Neiderbach and State Rep. Todd Prichard.

On the Republican side, Gov. Kim Reynolds has launched a campaign, along with Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett and Boone Mayor Pro-Tem Steven Ray. Independent Brent Roske, a film director and producer, is also running. The Libertarian Party does not have a declared candidate.

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Democrat John Norris launches bid for Iowa governor - Omaha World-Herald