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More city candidates file

Five candidates for Marshalltown City Council have submitted nomination papers to City Clerk Shari Coughenour as of late Friday afternoon, according to the city’s website. Residents will go to the polls Nov. 7 to elect a mayor, and two at-large councilors. Voters in the first and third wards will also elect councilors.

The Candidates

Third Ward Councilor Mike Gowdy and At-Large Councilor Bill Martin submitted papers this week, joining Joel Greer, Dan Kester and Brittany O’Shea.

Gowdy and Martin followed through on public statements they would stand for re-election.

Gowdy is completing his first term and is a retired optician/maintenance technician for a Newton company, while Martin is also completing his first term and is a retired educator from Iowa Valley Community College District.

With a filing deadline of Sept. 21, Gowdy is the only candidate who has turned in papers for third ward, while Martin joins Brittany O’Shea as officially on the ballot for the two at-large seats.

O’Shea unsuccessfully competed for an appointed seat on the Marshalltown school district board last year when Ben Stansberry resigned.

She served as president of the Fisher Elementary School Parent Teachers Organization.

Second Ward Councilor Greer is the only official candidate for mayor, while incumbent Kester is the only official candidate for the first ward.

However, businessman Gary Thompson, an associate manager at the local Earl May store, told the Times-Republican in a recent email he had downloaded nomination papers.

Thompson is a former owner of the UPS Store on Merle Hibbs Blvd.

At-Large Councilor Bethany Wirin announced publicly her intent to run for her fourth term earlier this year, but has yet to file.

She is the only woman on the council and is completing her third four-year term.

She is mayor pro-tem, meaning she assumes mayoral duties when Mayor Jim Lowrance is not available.

The Process

It is unclear how many residents have taken out nomination papers since one can download or pick up the required paperwork from numerous sources.

Nomination papers may be downloaded from the city clerk’s link on the city website or picked up at the city clerk’s office in city hall, or the Marshall County Auditor at the courthouse, or downloaded from the secretary of state’s website, sos.iowa.gov/elections/candidates/index.html.

Nominees must obtain 25 eligible signatures of voters. Individuals signing nomination petitions must be a resident of the appropriate ward and eligible to vote for the candidate and not necessarily a registered voter.

Nomination papers are available for public inspection.

Objections to the qualifications of candidates and the legal sufficiency of nomination papers may be filed until Sept. 26.

Candidates elected will take office Jan. 1, 2018, and serve four-year terms.

The mayor is paid $7,000, and councilors $3,000 annually.

For more information, contact 641-754-5799, or visit ci.marshalltown.ia.us.

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Contact Mike Donahey at 641-753-6611 or mdonahey@timesrepublican.com

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