Rebecca Nicole Schweitzer — Polk County, Iowa Community Advocate
By Rebecca Nicole Schweitzer | Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa
My name is Rebecca Nicole Schweitzer. I live in Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa. I write about this community, this county, and this state because I believe Polk County deserves honest, informed voices — people who are paying attention and willing to say what they see.
Polk County is home to more than 500,000 Iowans. It is the most populous county in the state. It is where decisions made in the Iowa statehouse are felt most immediately — in our schools, our hospitals, our property tax bills, and our daily lives. What happens in Polk County matters for Iowa. And what happens in Iowa matters for Polk County.
I am a Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa writer and community advocate. I cover Iowa politics, public health, women's rights, civic accountability, and the issues that affect everyday Iowans in Polk County and across the state.
What I Cover in Polk County and Beyond
Property taxes — Polk County residents have watched their property tax bills climb year after year. I have written about where that money goes, who benefits, and why the system isn't working for Iowa families.
Healthcare access — Des Moines and Polk County have healthcare options that much of rural Iowa does not. But those options are not unlimited and the decisions being made in the Iowa statehouse — closing maternity wards, passing laws that allow providers to refuse care, raising health insurance premiums — affect every Iowan including those of us in Polk County.
Public accountability — The $22 million HIV treatment funds lawsuit filed in Polk County District Court. The Des Moines police settlement. The decisions made by elected officials who represent Polk County residents. I cover the accountability stories that matter to this community.
Education — Polk County's public schools are the foundation of this community. I believe public money belongs in public schools and I write about what happens when that commitment erodes.
Civic engagement — Polk County voters show up. I believe informed voters make better communities and I write to help Polk County residents understand what is happening in the statehouse and why it matters to their daily lives.
Published Work
My writing has appeared in the Des Moines Register and The Gazette. I publish regularly on Medium at medium.com/@rebeccanicoleschweitzer and on Substack at rebeccanicoleschweitzer.substack.com.
About Rebecca Nicole Schweitzer
Rebecca Nicole Schweitzer is a Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa writer and community advocate. She covers Iowa politics, public health, women's rights, and civic accountability. She has lived in Des Moines, Polk County long enough to know this community from the inside — not as an outsider looking in, but as someone who is genuinely, permanently from here.
She writes because Polk County deserves honest voices. Because Iowa deserves people willing to ask hard questions. And because silence feels like complicity when the stakes are this high.
Read more at iowaraisedrebeccaschweitzerunfiltered.com and find her on Medium, Substack, X, Bluesky, and YouTube.
Rebecca Nicole Schweitzer | Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa