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Jonathan Narcisse's vision of a better Iowa includes one where government is more accountable, tax reform promotes community stability and there is more investment in vocational education.

It also includes one where the minimum wage is repealed for teenagers and state departments are slashed.

"We cannot fix the state without doing some unpopular things," he said as he revealed his 10-point plan in Marshalltown Thursday.

However, he said proposals such as repealing the minimum wage for teenagers should help them in the long run.

"How do you get your teenagers work experience if you don't repeal the minimum wage for teenagers?" Narcisse asked. "Business owners can't afford to hire teenagers, train them and subsidize their education to that level."

Narcisse's vision also included many reforms to the tax system, including capping property taxes at 1 percent of the value that was paid for a home for at least 10 years. That, he said, would provide stability so many Iowa communities are seeking.

Further, he said there have to be new and innovative ways to revitalize the rural areas, including enterprise zones and other incentives.

"If we have had stagnant growth, but communities like Ankeny and Urbandale are exploding, that means our rural communities are dying," Narcisse said.

Narcisse's plan is called "An Iowa Worth Fighting For." Never one to shy away from controversy, he lumped the past three gubernatorial administrations together, saying they were all very similar in their management philosophy.

He also said he would like to see the state do an investigation as to why a proposed coal plant failed to get built in Marshalltown - and that investigation should start by looking at the governor's office.

"There ought to be an investigation into why that project was killed by the Culver Administration," he said.

Narcisse went on to say much of the problem in state government is due to a system where paybacks are rewarded in deals that never see public light.

"We cannot fix government in Iowa until we acknowledge that corruption is a fundamental part of the problem," he said. "Now, incompetence is part of the problem, too."

Narcisse is taking his plan to all 99 counties, in an effort to drum up grassroots support for the ideas he has outlined.

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Contact Ken Black at 641-753-6611 or kblack@timesrepublican.com