Although there is much interest in the upcoming presidential election, local positions sometimes get lost in the bustle.

This year, the Story County auditor and sheriff are running in unopposed elections.

Both incumbents for the positions thought it unusual to run without opposition in this year’s election.

Paul H. Fitzgerald, Story County sheriff, said the sheriff’s office is normally the most strongly contested office and admits there are benefits of running opposed.

“They say it’s healthy for a government to have opposition,” Fitzgerald said.

Story County Auditor Mary Mosiman also thought it was strange in what she called a “politically-charged county.” Mosiman said it is also odd to be unopposed for a seat like the county auditor because it is so important.

“It has been termed by the Iowa State Association of Counties as the ‘hub’ of county government,” she said. “And who doesn’t want to be in charge of the hub?”

James Strohman, lecturer of political science and Story County supervisor, said running against an incumbent is often difficult to do.

Strohman said it has a lot to do with timing, and unless there are hot-button issues that would work against the incumbent, it could be difficult to defeat them.

“No one wants to take the challenge,” Strohman said.

He said challengers might want to wait for an opportunity like a vacancy of the position or a scandal associated with the candidate.

In a campaign, it can be expensive to promote a candidate’s name, Strohman said, which is money that local candidates may not have, especially in a position against candidates whose names the public is familiar with.

Because both incumbents, for county auditor and sheriff, are highly educated and experienced, Strohman said he believed challenging them may have seemed intimidating.

Mosiman is a certified public accountant, which initially brought her to the position because she wanted to deal with finances.

Fitzgerald said he has a master’s degree in criminal justice from St. Ambrose University.

“What is necessary for the job and what I certainly have: one is education, two is experience,” Fitzgerald said.

He said he believes forward thinking, toward providing cutting-edge innovations to improve systems, is important for a candidate.

So far, Fitzgerald has aided in introducing such innovations as mental illness screening in jails, to make sure inmates are getting the right treatment, and telepsychiatry, a method of psychiatry that allows a doctors to diagnos inmates without having to meet face-to-face.

Mosiman has won several awards for her services, including two Innovation Awards from ISAC.

Both she and Fitzgerald said their achievements reflect their ability to be successful in their positions.

“One of my strengths is that I value the role of public service,” Mosiman said.

Fitzgerald and Moisman both said they have helped Story County become a model to other counties by introducing new technologies and methods into the governmental system.