Dear Fellow Iowa Countyans —
I apologize for intruding on your holidays, but we face a problem that requires your immediate attention. I have learned that a significant number of positions on the County Board are about to become vacant, as incumbents retire from the Board with no one stepping up to replace them. If no steps up to run for those seats, it falls to John Meyers, the County Board Chair, to name people to fill the vacancies. To say that such a method of populating the County Board does not adequately provide democratic representation on the Board would be an understatement, to say the least! The positions that are becoming vacant are listed below. I have not personally verified this list, so if there are mistakes or additions, please let me know!
There is nothing glamorous about serving on the County Board, as veterans of those positions have told me. It is service to our communities in the best sense of the word, service which becomes all the more significant as Iowa County confronts the effects of the awful spending cuts and chaos that has followed in the wake of Trump’s presidency. We talk all the time about “defending democracy” — this is one opportunity to make those words mean something.
It is vital that anyone who thinks of running for County Board get going immediately. Nomination papers must be submitted to the County Clerk’s office in Dodgeville at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 6th. Fortunately, the bar for being nominated is not at all high — you only need a minimum of 20 valid signatures from residents of the district in which you plan to run. For more complete information, consult the form I have attached to this message.
Thanks for giving this matter your serious consideration. If you know someone who lives in one of the districts listed below who would be a good member of the Board, please reach out to them as soon as possible.
Tom
List of County Board Vacancies:
District 3 — Highland Town Ward 3, Pulaski Town, Avoca Village & Muscoda Village Ward 3
District 4 — Arena Town Ward 3, Clyde Town, Dodgeville Town Ward 2, Highland Town Ward 4, Wyoming Town Ward 1
District 5 — Highland Town Ward 1 & Highland Village
District 6 — Dodgeville Town Ward 1, Mineral Point Town Ward 2 & Dodgeville City Ward 10
District 12 — Barneveld Village Ward 1
District 18 — Mineral Point City Wards 2 & 6
How to Become a County Board Supervisor readme below with a link to the required forms.
