Five state senate hopefuls in two districts, including two Democrat incumbents, will be on the Story County ballot Nov. 7.

In the 62nd district, Republican Barbara Finch is running against Democratic incumbent Dennis Parmenter from Cambridge, and Eric Cooper, ISU associate professor of psychology.

“I feel I can make a difference,” said Finch, who lives on a farm south of Ames. “I am an involved, active person, and I see this as an extension of my volunteerism, only I can get more things done.”

Finch served two terms on the Ballard school board in the 1990s, and she said two elementary schools and technology labs were installed under her terms.

In light of last spring’s legislative budget cuts for higher education, Finch said students need to be made aware of how money is spent on Iowa’s universities.

“There has got to be an explanation for what happens, and you have to know about it,” she said. “Sometimes things sound nice, but I want to know how they are going to affect everything else. I want to know the cause and effect.”

Finch said she welcomes questions and comments from the public.

“Your representative should be somebody that you always feel comfortable to call,” she said. “I want to make sure I’m accessible and available.”

For more information about Finch, visit her Web site at www.tebra.net/~finch.

Rep. Parmenter has served on the agriculture, appropriations, ethics, judiciary and labor and industrial relations committees for the state House.

During his term in the House, he sponsored a bill to reduce class sizes in kindergarten through third grade, as well as a bill to provide funding for the enforcement, prevention, education and treatment for substance abuse and sexual abuse. Parmenter could not be reached for comment.

For more information about Parmenter, visit the House Web site at www.legis.state.ia.us.

In the 61st district, Republican Steve Halloran is running against Democratic incumbent Jane Greimann.

“My goal is to represent the district, which to this point hasn’t been the primary purpose of my opponent,” said Halloran, an Ames resident.

Halloran said his top priorities would be education and human services, which make up 50 percent of the state’s budget.

Education and human services are essentials, he said, and they need to have money allocated to them first.

He also is concerned with keeping college graduates in the state, he said.

“There is no reason Silicon Valley has to be in California,” Halloran said. “We can do the same here. It’s quality of jobs, not quantity.” For more information about Halloran, visit his Web site at www.halloran.voteforme.org.

Rep. Greimann, D-Ames, was elected to the House in November 1999 in a special election to fill a vacancy, and she said “I found out that they really need a voice like mine in the Legislature.”

Greimann, an ISU alumnus, said she is pro-choice and concerned with environmental issues, as well as the preservation of the state’s regent institutions.

“I think we all need to become public-relations advocates for Iowa State and make sure that legislators across the state understand the importance of a land-grant institution so we can keep tuition affordable for families who cannot send their children to private institutions,” she said.

For more information about Greimann, visit the state legislature Web site, www.legis.state.ia.us.