The League of Women Voters of Ames and Story County hosted a Story County candidate forum as an opportunity for voters to hear from local candidates. 

The League of Women Voters of Ames and Story County President Linda Hagedorn and moderator, Diane Patton, asked local candidates key questions from constituents.

The panelists in attendance included four County Board of Supervisors candidates — one unopposed, one County auditor candidate, one unopposed County attorney candidate and one County sheriff candidate. However, two County Board of Supervisor candidates, Steven O’Rourke and John Henry, did not fully participate in the forum. O’Rourke experienced technical difficulties and forwarded his answers to Hagedorn. Henry arrived late to the forum and did not answer all of the community questions asked of the Board of Supervisors candidates.  

Board of Supervisors

Question: “This is a question that could be answered by almost everyone. First there’s some background, there are apparently 14 Story County Boards and Commissions, and other than printed postings of openings, how do you encourage citizens to apply for these Boards and Commissions? And how are you or will you be encouraging gender balance on our Boards and Commissions?”  

Latifah Faisal (D) 

Answer: “I think other than posting, just in outreach, County outreach. Making sure that citizens are aware of the openings on the Board, I know it’s posted on our website but in all of our conversations with residents, making sure we’re talking about the openings. And as far as gender balance, I know that we are required by Iowa law to maintain gender balance and if a qualified applicant cannot be found in 90 days, the position can be filled. Again, communication is the key there.”  

John Henry (R)

Answer: “It’s all about communication, and part of my promise is going to be that I will be more accessible to the citizens. I’m planning on establishing listening times … I will also establish listening times and places with the different business groups so I want to actually have direct communication with people who are in agriculture, direct communication with people who are in finance, direct communication with manufacturing companies. I want to do that so they have access. I’m also going to do the same thing with citizens who are not a part of any of those groups, so I will have meal times and break times where I will be accessible to them to have these kinds of discussions and let them know what we need and also to hear from them what they need.”  

Lisa Heddens (D) 

Answer: “So you know it takes a lot for us to have gender balance on our Boards and Commissions and promoting that, some of the ways that we’ve done that is certainly through printed material, on our website, social media has certainly taken a large avenue in promoting when you have openings, on the radio as well. I attend various municipalities’ council meetings and so if they’re not meeting in person I have certainly Zoomed in and have articulated that if we’ve got a Board or Commission up, or openings that are available to please spread the word. We also have various other groups that we meet with, the librarians, the Story economic development group that meets, we meet with educators, we meet with agriculture folks. So it’s articulating to them as well that we have openings on our Boards and Commissions and encourage people to apply. And sometimes it just even goes out when you’re talking one on one with a person saying ‘Maybe you would be interested in?’ or ‘Do you know someone who might be interested in serving on a Board or Commission? Take a look at it and see if this is something that you might be interested in participating in because you have value and you have information that would be suitable for serving on our Boards and Commissions.’ And then once they do we certainly, when we do the interviews, the supervisors do the interviews but we do them separately, and then that recommendation is made for who would be appointed to serve on a Board or Commission. And then we have to look at, what is the makeup of that Board or Commission so that we do have that gender balance.”

Steven O’Rourke (R) 

Answer: “When we talk about gender balance, I may understand why you are asking this question since we presently have three women sitting on the Board of Supervisors, but in reality, when we are placing individuals on Boards or Commissions, my job for this County is to put the best person in that position. I personally would prefer to only know the qualifications of the person so I can be objective. Any volunteer Boards that I have been a part of, I have recruited good people that I thought would be good fits. I don’t want resume builders.”  

County auditor, unopposed  

Question: “There is much recent discussion about problems with poll watchers on Election Day. Are there any policies in place to protect voters from undo pressure from poll watchers?” 

Lucy Martin (D)

Answer: “The Code of Iowa is very clear on this topic and I’m sorry that there is so much misinformation out there. On Election Day, the two recognized parties, which are the Democrat and Republican Party, they can credential three poll watchers per polling site at any given time. And each nonparty political party or unaffiliated candidate can credential one per precinct. So poll watchers have to be credentialed, they have rules, we have a poster and a flyer posted at every precinct… No one can self-declare as a poll watcher… I’m allowed to be there to vote and then I have to leave. I’m not allowed to linger, people are not allowed to linger, congregate, solicit votes, hinder — to treat voters, which means to like, hand things out, electioneering is not allowed within 300 feet of any polling place. That would exclude private property, like if my house is next to a polling place and within 300 feet, I’m allowed to have my yard sign in there. Things that are allowed at polling stations are standard sized bumper stickers on cars, if I’m a voter and I’m going in there, I’m allowed to wear a button for my candidate, but poll workers are not allowed to do that, poll watchers are not allowed to display anything. And that’s because voters are there to vote and then to leave. So yes, Iowa law is extremely clear on this topic and if anyone has any questions, I welcome your calls or emails to me directly.”  

County sheriff, unopposed

Question: “Story County early on in the COVID pandemic released more than half of the prisoners in Story County jail so that social distancing could be practiced. Could you give an update on the COVID-19 situation and prisoner release at the jail?” 

Paul Fitzgerald (D)

Answer: “About a year ago at this time, we had an average of about 86 inmates at our Story County jail, when COVID hit back in March and we started to evaluate that and came to the decision that as rapid as COVID was developing it would be almost a disaster to have it come into our inmate population. So we looked at, what are the people that are least threat to the community… Anyone that could be a threat to the public, violent tendencies, domestic violence is an example, somebody that has an assault charge or an injury charge that they’ve done to another person or something to that effect, that is the type of person we would take in the jail and keep in the jail. Discussions with the other law enforcement agencies throughout Story County and even the state patrol, they’ve all worked with us very well. We have individuals that we have warrants out for, now that we’re riding this out, we’ve gone down to 24 inmates in the jail. Well today we’re back up to 54 inmates, because we’re bringing the people that we’d let out, we’re bringing them back in under a quarantine setting so they can serve their time and we can get them off the books. We’re also working with the courts and with the judges who have been very helpful and looking at how we’re going to apply good time so they can get out earlier, but the number one concern is to provide the public safety to all people in Story County. And we’re going to make sure that anyone who is a threat stays in jail, that’s what we’re here for. But other than that, we work very hard, we’ve had no inmates who have had COVID-19 and we have no staff that has COVID-19 at this point and we want to keep that going as best as we can.”  

County attorney, unopposed 

Question: “Many of the so-called rights of home rule have been decreased, and the question is what is your position on former matters of local control such as the right of city to set a minimum wage or the right of a union to negotiate for things such as health care, working hours that are not now allowed. So then, what is your opinion on home rule rights have been decreased? And what impact has that had?”  

Timothy Meals (D) 

Answer: “I know it’s a legislative question but at the same time, I personally think that home rule is an important concept. It does seem that the legislature has been eroding the home rule of the jurisdictions. I think it is important for local governments to be able to respond effectively to the problems that arise in their jurisdictions. I think it’s important that we try and keep the concept of home ruling.”