Marshalltown businessman Dave Thompson has announced he will again run as a Republican for the Marshall County Board of Supervisors.
Thompson said he ran as a fiscal conservative four years ago and plans on doing the same this time around.
"I haven't changed much in four years," he said.
The owner of Thompson's True Value Hardware, just across the street from the Marshall County Courthouse, Thompson said he has worked hard in his business, knows how to make payroll and live within a budget.
"The supervisors just voted an across-the-board raise and now they are in a position where they need to cut 2.5 percent from the budget," he said. "It would seem our priorities there are rather misplaced."
However, the cuts the supervisors are being forced to make this year may pale in comparison to what may need to take place in the upcoming years, he said.
"I think we are going to have some very severe budget issues in the next four years," Thompson said. "Historically the state has balanced their books on the backs of the counties. I think you are going to see issues such as mental health definitely take a hit."
Thompson said that good fiscal discipline not only means prioritizing, but also creating an environment where businesses can succeed. That means putting public policy and infrastructure in place that businesses need to succeed in a very competitive world, he said.
"I feel it is the government's responsibility to create an environment where those things can happen, because government has never created a job, ever," he said.
One thing Thompson did say was worthwhile was the continued support for the Marshall Economic Development Impact Committee.
"It's meant to get all the players in the same room to make the decisions. They've had a very difficult job. It's tough nationally, not just in Central Iowa," he said. "It's much more efficient if you have one entity being supported by the schools, the city, the county and the private sector working as one."
Thompson said he would also want to continue to look for ways that the county and municipalities in the area can combine services in order to save the taxpayer's money. Some things have already been done, such as consolidating the county assessor and city assessor. In addition, the county offers patrol services to many of the smaller towns for a contracted price.
The county and city of Marshalltown are also looking at an agreement for prosecuting various city ordinances.
"I truly believe we have more government than we need and more government than we can afford," Thompson said.
Thompson joins Deane Adams as the only other Republican candidate in the field for supervisors. Democrats Bill Martin, Bettie Bolar and Pat Brooks are also running.
Two individuals from each party will move forward from the primaries in June to the upcoming general election in November to fill two seats. One of those seats will not have an incumbent running as Republican Ron Goecke has announced his retirement.
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Contact Ken Black at 641-753-6611 or kblack@timesrepublican.com
