Schendel

Bill Schendel has spent the last decade as a Timber Creek Township trustee and the last five years as the township clerk, and he hopes to utilize that experience as he launches a run for Marshall County Supervisor, officially submitting his nomination petition with the necessary signatures earlier this week.

“I’d seen it on that side of the township side, how it works, and just want to be a part of it on the other side now, at a broader level, at the county level and see what I can be involved in and do my part,” he said.

Schendel, the second-generation owner/operator of Schendel Pest Control who resides just outside of Marshalltown, has spent his entire life in Marshall County, graduating from the now-defunct Central Iowa Christian Academy in 1988, earning an AA degree at Marshalltown Community College and a bachelor’s degree through the local Buena Vista University campus before taking over his family business. Today, three of his five children are involved in the company themselves, and Bill has been on the board of the Iowa Pest Management Association for the last six years, even serving as president at one time.

Since current Supervisor Steve Salasek’s announcement that he would not be seeking re-election in 2024 after serving two terms, Schendel is the second GOP candidate to file the necessary paperwork to run for the seat ahead of Friday’s deadline — former GMG school board member Ruth Lycke of Green Mountain was the first.

As he dove into his platform and ideas if he were to be elected, Schendel said he felt things were headed in the right direction, and his biggest goal was to keep the county in a financial position of having little to no debt. He’d also like to prioritize growth.

“I am blessed in the fact that my kids did come back to Marshalltown and Marshall County and live here with their families, but we’re always sending people away it seems — not sending away, but they’re drawn away. If there’s any way we could be a part of turning that around, I’d love to be a part of that,” Schendel said. “I don’t know if that can be turned around, but if I can be a part of it, that’d be great.”

Otherwise, he said, he wouldn’t be walking into the office with an ironclad agenda on day one, but he would like to talk to county staff about what could be done, what needs to be done and what needs to be taken care of going forward. And although Schendel’s name may be well known through his business, he’s still going to put in the effort to meet people who aren’t familiar with him yet.

“Through the township, I’ve met a lot of people in the township, but there are others. I need to meet those too,” he said.

As a township trustee and clerk for Timber Creek, which runs from near the intersection of Highway 330 and Marshalltown Boulevard/Lincoln Way in the northwest boundary to just a few miles outside of Ferguson in the southeast to just outside of Haverhill in the southwest corner and up to the intersection of South 18th Avenue and Rex Ryden Road in Marshalltown at the northeast corner, Schendel said his primary duties are overseeing the budgets for the fire department they work with (Haverhill) and some cemeteries along with serving as a go between if an issue warrants the attention of the county government.

One reality the township duties have brought to his attention is the need for more first responders, especially in smaller volunteer departments, and he worries about the time it could take for the UnityPoint Ambulance to reach the northeast or northwest corner of the county. Primarily, Schendel hopes to make Marshall County a place people are proud of growing up and proud to return to as they find careers and raise their families.

The deadline to file for county offices is Friday at 5 p.m., and along with the vacant supervisor seat, Sheriff Joel Phillips and Auditor/Recorder Nan Benson, both Republicans, will also be up for re-election.

——

Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.