Supervisor candidates have until March 3

LEE COUNTY – Candidates who are wishing to apply for the vacant District 2 Supervisor seat have just a week to submit their application.
Applications for the seat that was vacated with the resignation of Chairman Tom Schulz on Thursday have until 4:30 p.m. on March 3 to get their application in to County Auditor Sherri Yasenchok.
Yasenchok said the appointed person will hold the office until the November 2026 election is certified.
There is an election in 2025 but it is a city/school election therefore not a “pending” county election. The Secretary of State’s office confirmed to Yasenchok that the appointed person would serve at least until the November 2026 election is certified.
The winner would then take the seat after its certified and not wait until the new year.
“It is on the Lee County Auditor Facebook page and, if you click on the link, it goes straight to the www.leecounty.gov website and everything is there that a candidate would need,” she said.
Iowa Code Chapter 69.14A states a committee composed of the County Auditor, County Recorder, and County Treasurer shall decide if the vacancy will be filled by appointment or by special election. Currently, it is the intention of that committee to fill the vacancy by appointment, according to a press release issued by Yasenchok Monday.
The other option would be a special election called by petition of voters in the county, and they would need to collect enough signatures to represent 10% of the county votes cast for president in November of 2024 divided by the five supervisor districts.
According to that formula, there were 16,198  votes cast in the county for president. Ten percent of that would be 1,620 divided by five would be 324 signatures.
That petition would need to be submitted within 14 days of Feb. 24, which is March 10, or 14 days after the appointment, whichever is later.
According to the Iowa Code 69.14A, the county has 40 days, or until March 31, to appoint someone to fill the District 2 seat. If a valid petition were filed after the appointment, the appointment becomes temporary until the special election was certified.
The appointment will be filled by a selection committee consisting of Lee County Auditor Sherri Yasenchok, Recorder Nancy Booten, and Treasurer Becky Gaylord, all Republican.
Interested parties should prepare a letter of interest with a brief bio and a county application. Applications can be printed on the county website at www.leecountyiowa.gov and submit to the Auditor at 933 Avenue H, Fort Madison or emailed to syasenchok@leecounyiowa.gov, bgaylord@leecountyiowa.gov, and nbooten@leecountyiowa.gov.