Ray Zirkelbach (born October 20, 1978) is a former state legislator, prison counselor and soldier. He was raised on a farm in Scotch Grove, Iowa and graduated from Monticello High School in 1997. Zirkelbach served in the
Iowa House of Representatives, representing the 31st District, from 2005 to 2011. He was deployed in Iraq as an Iowa National Guard
sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
, in the
First Battalion of the 133rd Infantry.
[
] He holds a
BA from the
University of Wyoming in Administration of Justice.
He did not sit in the 2006 or 2007 session of the Iowa House, because he was on active duty with the
Iowa National Guard in
Iraq.
During his last term in the Iowa House, he was Chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee and a member of the Appropriations, Commerce and Agricultural committees, and was selected to serve on the Justice Systems Appropriations Committee.
[
Ray has since continued his public service as a correctional counselor at the Anamosa State Penitentiary and program director of Advancement Services of Jones County. He has focused his efforts in community restoration projects and has since purchased and actively renovates properties in the area.
On November 8, 2015, Zirkelbach announced he will be exploring a campaign for US Senate.
Zirkelbach declined pursuing the nomination, focusing on macro-level social work. At this time Zirkelbach works as consultant and documentarian for an urban farming project in Flint, Michigan.
]
Electoral history
Zirkelbach was first elected to the Iowa House in 2004 with 8,712 votes, defeating incumbent Republican opponent Gene Manternach
Gene Manternach (born December 3, 1953) is an American politician in the state of Iowa.
Manternach was born in Monticello, Iowa
Monticello is a city in Jones County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 4,040.
...
.veterans affairs
Veterans' affairs is an area of public policy concerned with relations between a government and its communities of military veterans. Some jurisdictions have a designated government agency or department, a Department of Veterans' Affairs, Minist ...
.U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
Christopher Dodd in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries. He proposed a ban on the sale of imported flags (U.S. flag
The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...
or Iowa state flag) in Iowa.[
] He lost his bid for reelection in 2010 with 5,431 votes, losing to Republican Lee Hein
Lee Hein (born March 13, 1960) is an American politician from Iowa. Hein is a former Republican member of the Iowa House of Representatives from District 96.
Early life
On March 13, 1960, Hein was born in Monticello, Iowa.
Education
Hein atte ...
.
References
External links
Ray Zirkelbach
''official Iowa General Assembly site''
Ray Zirkelbach State Representative
''official constituency site''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zirkelbach, Ray
1978 births
Living people
United States Army personnel of the Iraq War
United States Army soldiers
People from Monticello, Iowa
American prison officers
University of Wyoming alumni
People from Manchester, Iowa
Democratic Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives
Iowa National Guard personnel