Chairman Curt Hilmer.

NEWS-CHRONICLE Tama County voters overwhelmingly passed a public measure during Tuesday night’s midterm election to return the county to a form of government not experienced since 1934 – five county supervisors.

Public Measure TX – “The number of Tama County Supervisors shall be increased from three members to five members.” – was approved by a majority with 3,868 votes cast in support of the measure and 2,285 votes cast against the measure.

Back in July, members of the local coalition Tama County Against Turbines began a petition drive to place the measure on the Nov. 8 ballot, eventually collecting 1,154 signatures which exceeded the required 908 signatures.

Tama County made the initial switch from five to three supervisors following a ballot proposition presented to voters exactly 90 years ago Tuesday – on Tuesday, November 8, 1932.

The move from five to three supervisors took place during the next general election held on November 6, 1934. The five supervisors’ terms ended and three supervisors at-large were elected in their place to serve a two, three, and four-year term, respectively.

Amanda Kriegel

Back to the future –the next General Election in Iowa is set to take place on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Prior to that election, the three current county supervisor districts will need to be redrawn into five.

The terms of the sitting supervisors – including District 2 Supervisor Bill Faircloth, District 3 Supervisor Dan Anderson, and District 1 Supervisor-elect Curt Hilmer who was elected Tuesday evening to replace retiring Supervisor Larry Vest – will end and five supervisors will be elected in their place to serve staggered terms beginning in January 2025.

GOP dominates local races

Republicans carried the night across Tama County during the midterm election on Tuesday, earning more votes than their Democratic counterparts in virtually all of the races on the ballot here.

Locally, Republican County Treasurer Amanda Kriegel easily won another term over challenger Kathy Holtz, with Kriegel receiving 3,942 votes (61 percent) to Holtz’s 2,490 (39 percent). In the other local race of interest, Republican Curt Hilmer of Dysart defeated his coworker in the secondary roads department, Democrat Randie Brodigan (also of Dysart) to earn the District 1 seat on the Board of Supervisors after receiving 1,789 votes to Brodigan’s 765. County Attorney Brent Heeren and County Recorder Amelia Kemper both won uncontested races for re-election.

Republicans dominated the state legislative races as well, with incumbent Rep. Dean Fisher (R-Montour) cruising to an easy victory over challenger Sarah Smith and receiving 2,908 of the 4,726 votes cast in the county (61.5 percent). Sen. Annette Sweeney (R-Buckeye) carried Tama County by a similar margin in her race against challenger Sam Cox and will now represent the county come January due to redistricting.