GRUNDY CENTER – The final day to file in Iowa for county office for the upcoming June 4, 2024, primary election came and went on March 22. In Grundy County, the offices of county auditor and county sheriff, as well as three seats on the county board of supervisors are all up for election this year.

County Auditor

Only one candidate filed nomination papers to run for the office of Grundy County Auditor – the county’s current auditor Alan T. Tscherter of Reinbeck. Tscherter, a Republican, was appointed to the office earlier this year by the Grundy County Board of Supervisors following the retirement of Rhonda Deters.

The office of county auditor is a four-year term in Iowa.

Sheriff

Only one candidate filed the necessary paperwork to run for the office of Grundy County Sheriff – incumbent Kirk Dolleslager, a Republican from Wellsburg who will be seeking his second term in office.

The office of county sheriff is a four-year term in Iowa.

Board of Supervisors

Three of the five seats on the Grundy County Board of Supervisors are up for election this year including District 1, District 3, and District 5.

District 1

District 1 covers the southwestern corner of Grundy County and includes the townships of Clay, Felix, Melrose, and Palermo. The mostly rural district includes the communities of Beaman and Conrad.

Two candidates filed to run for the Republican nomination – LJ Kopsa of Beaman and Shane Jacobson of Conrad.

Kopsa, a 1988 BCLUW graduate who previously served as a city councilor and mayor in his native Beaman as well as a member of the BCLUW school board, mounted an unsuccessful write-in campaign in 2020 for the District 1 seat as an independent. His mother Helen served as a Grundy County supervisor in the 1980s. Kopsa is also a farmer who recently retired from the construction field after running his own company for over 20 years.

Jacobson, a manufacturing engineer with Ritchie Industries in Conrad, has lived in Grundy County for nearly a quarter century, according to his campaign Facebook page. A former youth sports coach, he currently serves on the Conrad Library Board of Trustees as well as a trustee for the Conrad United Methodist Church.

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary race.

The office is currently held by Republican Lucas Halverson, who is in his first term and does not plan to seek re-election. Halverson, a 2019 BCLUW graduate, was fresh out of high school and serving in the Iowa National Guard when he successfully unseated incumbent Jim Ross for the Republican nomination in the June 2020 primary.

“I never intended for this to be a ‘career’ position for myself,” Halverson said in an email. “I was successful on some points and I was unsuccessful on others. I am most proud of the fact that I helped shine a light on the position. I helped connect people who otherwise didn’t know what a county supervisor was. Unlike most politicians in today’s world, I am perfectly fine handing over the reins to someone with new ideas and ambitions.”

Halverson said his decision was “easy” to make upon learning Shane Jacobson had thrown his hat into the ring.

“[Jacobson is] someone who shares my values and vision for the county,” he said.

Halverson concluded his comments to the newspaper by saying he looks “forward to finishing out the year and helping the next [supervisor] with whatever (information) I can.”

OpEds from both Jacobson and Kopsa are included in today’s T-R. The office of Grundy County Supervisors District 1 is a four-year term.

District 3

District 3 includes the northeast corner of Grundy County and covers all of Fairfield Township, slivers of both eastern Beaver Township and northeastern Lincoln Township, and the northern half of Grant Township. The community of Dike is part of the district.

The only candidate to file was incumbent Vic H. Vandehaar, a Republican from Dike.

The office of Grundy County Supervisors District 3 is a four-year term.

District 5

District 5 is a mostly urban seat comprising the city of Grundy Center.

Two candidates filed to run for the Republican nomination including Rick Smith, a current Grundy Center city councilor, and Jeff Pabst, who is employed by the Grundy County Secondary Roads department.

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary race.

The office is currently held by longtime incumbent Republican Barb Smith who has chosen to retire. Supervisor Smith will mark her 20th year in office as a supervisor this year. Rick Smith is her son.

The office of Grundy County Supervisors District 5 is a four-year term.

June 4 primary election

Iowa’s 2024 Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, June 4. Polls will be open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

Voters in Iowa’s primary elections must be registered with the political party whose primary they wish to participate in. Voters may change party affiliation at the polls, but may only participate in one party’s primary election.

Other important dates:

-Wednesday, May 15, 2024, is the first day voters may vote absentee in their county auditor’s office.

-The last day to request an absentee ballot be mailed is Monday, May 20.

-In addition to regular office hours, all county auditors’ offices in Iowa will be open for absentee voting on Saturday, June 1, 2024, for at least eight hours.

-Monday, June 3, 2024, is the last day to cast an absentee ballot in person at the county auditor’s office.