Q&A: The Passion of Iowa State Rep. Swati Dandekar

Facing a hard re-election race, Dandekar talks about her passion for education, for John Kerry, and for the state that made her the first Indian-born American to serve in a state legislature

By Stewart David Ikeda, IMDiversity.com

Swati Dandekar was elected as the State Representative from Iowa House District 36 in November 2002. The first Indian-born American citizen to win a state legislature seat in the U.S., Dandekar has resided in Iowa for over 30 years, working on numerous community initiatives to improve education, children's welfare, and diversity efforts in the state. A graduate of Nagpur University and Bombay University, Swati immigrated to the United States in 1973.  She cherishes the support of her husband Arvind, the CEO/President of Fastek International in Hiawatha, and her sons Ajai and Govind, who are both proud Stanford graduates. 

She spoke from her home in Marion with IMDiversity about Iowan and national priorities in the 2004 election, her "passion" for education, and what she loves about the state that helped her break new ground as a South Asian American immigrant woman in politics.

IMDiversity: Before Iowans elected you to office, your career was already significantly dedicated to education and diversity initiatives -- with a special emphasis on children. What are some priorities in education that concern your constituents in Iowa?

Swati Dandekar: I have always been invested in education, even before elected. I worked on the Linn-Mar Community School District Board, and on the Iowa Association of School Boards. I say it over and again that education is my passion, because I truly believe that the reason the United States is a superpower is because of our public education. Right now, we need to focus on our public education again and ensure that we help every American become a great engineer or a great artist or teacher or nurse or doctor. In our legislatures everybody talks about education, but we are not helping children the way we should be helping them. By help, I don’t just mean putting in more money into education.  We need to be more accountable for education.  That is, we need to set the achievement bar high and to make sure that the students are doing well. My friends, who include teachers and administrators, all want that. But we have to give them the right tools to accomplish what they would like to set out to do.

You're someone who has in many ways achieved the American Dream yourself and for her family. You were a driving force behind the Iowa Dream Act. What led you to undertake this major effort in your first term?

It was important to me that everyone felt comfortable and were treated fairly here, including the workers who came here with their children on work permits. Some of them have lived here for as long as 17 to 18 years. These children didn't know any other home but Iowa, and they saw themselves as part of the community. One of the big concerns for these families was education because those who came here to work in the meatpacking industry or to help the farmers could not pay the expensive international fees for their kids’ college education. Even if their children excelled in high school, they faced high institutional fees if they wished to go to a state university or community college because they were treated as international students.

We wanted to make sure that the bright students who came here were given every opportunity to pursue higher education and their career goals. We didn't want them to be left out just because we didn't have a provision for their situation. We wanted everyone to have college as a viable option made available to them.

As I said, education is my passion.  After all, education is another tool that allows others to pursue and achieve the American Dream.

Your son Ajai is a medical student at the University of Iowa, and Govind is a strategic planning analyst for the Walt Disney Company.

Yes, and I thought it was only fair that the children of those who came here on work permits also have the same opportunities as my sons when I came here with a green card. To me, education should be fair and accessible to everyone. Improved education is good for our children, for our communities, for business, for Iowa and, of course, for America.

In your first term, you've also advocated for the state to actively help stimulate the local economy, and incentivize new businesses to take root in locally.

Yes, I'm very pro-business. My husband runs a small business, with less than 50 employees, and I understand the importance of the small business' economic impact on not only District 36, but for all of Iowa. I have worked very, very hard to help pass many bills to help small businesses flourish in Iowa. Some of these included a bill called "Angel Investors," which provided a 20% tax credit to encourage bigger companies to help smaller companies with finances in a start-up situation. I have done a lot to promote local businesses, making sure that smaller businesses did not face a big burden in property taxes. For next year's session, I plan to work on helping small businesses raise the level of affordable health care benefits by participating in larger pools. This way, they'll be able to offer their employees health care benefits like the ones offered by the larger companies.

You earned your college degree in science, Chemistry and Biology, in India. So much of the election season discussion has been about the intersection of education and global competition in science and technology -- competition with Asian countries in particular. What do we need to do to make America more competitive now?

In addition to giving our children and schools the right educational tools, it's important to make our children aware of the global economy we are living in. And this is not only true in science and technology. After all, whatever they want to be in life, our sons and daughters need to know from day one that they are growing up in a global economy and they need to learn to do well in it. When I talk to students, I tell them that they are not only competing with somebody in Milwaukee, Wisconsin or Boston, Massachusetts, but are competing with a student in India or China or Japan. This has to be done.

About 18 months ago, Senator Kerry came to our house and we had a chance to sit down and talk. He asked me about the issues that I thought were important. Many were related to foreign policy: to our need to be strong and secure in America, but also respected in the world. I also asked him some very tough questions based on what I was hearing from Iowans who were hurting either because they didn't have jobs or were losing jobs.

One of the things I like about John Kerry is that he too understands this global economy, and he understands that our sons and daughters need to have a great education so that we can continue to remain the number one superpower. John has a plan for healthcare, for education, and how we in the United States will compete globally. He knew what his plan was even back then, and I was extremely impressed by him. I like that he has the courage to stand up and say, this is what I'm going to do, and this is how I'm going to do it. A person may not agree with him on every point; and of course, the only person we ever agree with 100% on anything is ourselves. But we know exactly where John Kerry is coming from, and know that he really understands the issues at home and abroad. Kerry is firm but not rigid, and to me, that's a big, big leadership asset. He is ready to do what is right -- right for education, right for jobs, right for the economy, and right for us in the world.

The influence of South Asian cultures on mainstream U.S. culture has grown exponentially in just a few years. At the same time, the post-9/11 political climate has made things hard for many in S Asian American communities, while as you observe, economic conditions has put a spotlight on India in the election season. What are some important concerns for South Asian Americans in this election?

I think our concerns are the same as everyone else's at this time. Politics changed after September 11. Whether you are Latino or African American, of German or Native descent, or from India, our needs are the same:  we need to elect leaders who understand both foreign and domestic policies equally. Senator Kerry is someone who understands the importance of both when he says, "Stronger in America, respected in the world.” We need to be stronger at home and we need to win back our position of respect in the world. Senator Kerry also truly understands that the reason America is strong is because of our diversity.

To me, this is one of the most important elections of our lifetimes -- for everyone.

As state rep, you must represent all your constituents. Yet, we also have to admit that you have forged new political paths that have been inspiring to many underrepresented groups -- as a woman of color, an immigrant, a South Asian. Perhaps it's an unfair regional stereotype, but for many, the success of a "candidate like you" in a deep Heartland state like Iowa frankly...

I always tell people that Iowa is very progressive. I was on a television talk show with an interviewer from the East Coast when I was out there with APIAs for Kerry. We were talking about my election, and the interviewer asked me how many minority voters were in the district where I was elected. I said, “Well, we have some diversity in this district -- African Americans and Latinos, people from India and Pakistan and Korea and Japan. But if you really counted us all up -- the registered voters -- it only adds up to about fifty. I know many of my constituents, but I know all of the minorities in my district, and they all know me.” And the interviewer said, "Only in Iowa, only in Iowa."

My election really says something about Iowa. Iowans are always saying we're progressive, and we mean it.

This might be a surprise to many of our Asian American cousins on the Coasts.

It is. I have a young lady from California out here in Iowa helping me now. She wanted to see how grass roots politics work, and she's really enjoying her time in Iowa. She didn't have culture shock as one might expect because she never felt as if she was treated differently. While out here in Iowa, she's currently staying with a friend of mine.

I told her that Iowans will treat you very respectfully; they will ask you what you like to eat. She learned right away, that's how Iowans are. The Asians who come here don't leave because the Iowa values are so close to Asian values. When my sons did something naughty, I used to hear about it right away because the neighbors would call; it was just like having uncles and aunts around. Iowa values and Asian values are so similar. I’m proud of my heritage.  And I'm very proud to be an Iowan.

Both Senator Kerry and President Bush are seeking the support of the South Asian community.  What would you tell someone who has not yet decided between Kerry and Bush?

I would tell them: "This is the single most important election since the Vietnam War.  We need a President who will provide wise and honest leadership, a President who will ask his advisers the hard questions before taking our country to war.  We need a President who can do two things at once:  fight for our national security, and fight for our economic security."

Senator Kerry will make a great President.  He has intelligence, integrity, and years of experience as a lawmaker.  He fought for our country in Vietnam, and he will not rest until we are safe both at home and abroad.  Senator Kerry has a proven plan to turn the tide in Iraq, and he will restore the jobs and prosperity that we all enjoyed under President Clinton.

It goes without saying that Senator Kerry has always stood by the South Asian community.  In 1999, he visited India and met then-Prime Minister Vajpayee.  He has personally recruited many South Asian Americans to play an active role in his campaign, and I am proud to serve as his Iowa State Co-Chair.  Finally, Senator Kerry was there for us in our time of need.  After Sept. 11, two South Asians were killed in hate crimes.  In response, Senator Kerry sponsored the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, to make it easier to prosecute hate crimes.  Unfortunately, President Bush and the Republicans have refused to pass it.

John Kerry’s a friend of the South Asian Community and he will stand up for us.  And I know John will be a great president of the United States.

Readings of Interest

• APAs in the Heartland 2004
  Annual section of news, opinions and features focusing on Asian-Pacific Americans' lives between the Coasts
• Election 2004 @ Asian American Village
  Ongoing updates: News, views, issues, tools, comics, polls and more
• Swati Dandekar on the Iowa State Legislature Web Site
• Swati Dandekar for State Representative Biography Page

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