Iowa Gubernatorial candidate Fred Hubbell made stops in Panora and Greenfield Friday, hosting meet and greets with Guthrie and Adair County residents. In Panora, Hubbell greeted about 20 residents in Crafty’s Coffee Shop. The Des Moines resident and former businessman touched on several topics, including: water quality, mental health, public education, tax reform, and the state’s budget deficit.

Specifically, Hubbell talked about opening up the conversation on gun safety in the wake of the Kentucky school shooting. “I think it’s time in our state to start having a serious conversation about what I call ‘gun safety.’ I want to encourage conversation about gun safety and what Iowans really feel and think about where we are about gun safety in our state. We need to discuss the right balance there and make sure that we as Iowans are willing to talk about that subject, rather than trying to ignore it.”

He also discussed a plan to help young adults combat their college debt, while improving the rural workforce. “My program would be to have a subsidy for those people who graduate from our four-year schools or community college. If they commit to go to work, not in Des Moines or Cedar Rapids but in our rural communities, and they commit for five years to where there are jobs available, then the local community and the state should go together to pay off all of their student debt. ”

Hubbell is one of seven candidates vying for the Democratic Party nomination to unseat current Republican Governor Kim Reynolds.