This article was modified to correct an error on Oct. 26.

A correction was added to this article Oct. 27.

Because of a reporting error, the Oct. 26 article “Auditor, sheriff hopefuls share ideas at forum” inaccurately stated that sheriff candidate Terry Stark said the environment in the Ames Police Department was hostile toward women. Stark was referring to the Story County sheriff’s office, not the Ames Police Department. The Daily regrets this error.

Candidates for three Story County positions took questions ranging from keg ordinances to county working environments at a public forum Monday night at the Ames City Hall.

Paul Fitzgerald, Democratic incumbent candidate for sheriff, and Terry Stark, the Republican challenger, answered questions from a panel and audience members.

The three-member panel was made up of representatives from The Tribune, the League of Women Voters and the Ames Chamber of Commerce.

Panel members also directed questions toward the candidates for county auditor — Republican incumbent Mary Mosiman and Democrat challenger Jim Hutter.

Wayne Clinton, the incumbent candidate for county supervisor, was also present to answer questions, though he has no competition in the race.

One question from an audience member that received attention was how the candidates felt about the current drinking age and the idea of keg registration to help manage underage drinking.

“There is tremendous pressure on kids not to tell who supplied what,” Stark said.

“If there were keg registration, we’d know right away who bought it.”

Clinton offered a different opinion on the source of the problem of underage drinking.

“The biggest problem today is not so much kegs but small containers and packages that can easily be distributed and discarded,” Clinton said.

An issue that sparked debate between the two candidates for sheriff was the treatment of women in the sheriff’s department.

Stark called the current situation a hostile environment and cited several instances in the past where unfair treatment has exposed Ames taxpayers to costly lawsuits.

“If we demonstrate by leadership that we’re not going to tolerate it, we won’t have to deal with these situations in the future,” Stark said.

Fitzgerald said Stark’s information was both incorrect and unethical.

“It’s unprofessional to relate confidential matters like that to the press,” Fitzgerald said.

Another issue that was discussed among all five candidates was improvements they would like to see made in Story County.

Stark said his two main improvements would be to improve the outdated computer technology in the jails and increase the number of officers patrolling the roads, particularly at night.

Fitzgerald said the number of police patrolling the roads was fine.

“The idea that there’s only two people on the roads is false,” Fitzgerald said.

Clinton spoke about how the quality of life for people with special needs has to be improved, saying much more could be done for those individuals.

The two candidates for auditor gave differing opinions on what changes they would like to see.

Mosiman said she wanted to see financial reports that were easier for citizens to understand, and Hutter said upgrading computer technology for the Board of Supervisors was a priority.

The election is Nov. 2.