John Carson (District 1)
Carson has been a farmer in Jackson Township all his life and has recently decided to run for Supervisor. His biggest concern is the rural roads.
“I get tired of seeing water run down the middle of the roads or dirt in the middle of them,” said Carson.
He is passionate about discussing matters thoroughly as a group and before a vote should be made.
“I’ve been a Township Trustee for about 25 years and on the Farm Bureau board about that long,” said Carson.
He wants to listen to citizen complaints and see what he can do to fix them. He wants to make people happier as Supervisor.
Carson can be reached 641-414-1606.
James Hume (District 2)
Jim (Doc) Hume running for Supervisor with the main goals of fiscal responsibility, transparency and openness.
“When elected I would have at least one open meeting a week in the evening,” said Hume, “which would make it more available to the residents.”
Hume is running because he believes that it’s important to give back to the community and to try and make life better for others. He has lived in Iowa since 2013 and serves on several county boards.
“My door will always be open to each and every one as supervisor so that together we can improve what is good and change what needs changing in Clarke County,” said Hume.
Hume can be reached at 708-774-1347 or dochume.forsupervisor@gmail.com.
Kathleen Johnson (District 1)
“My best asset for the Supervisor position would be my success as a business owner since 1981,” said Johnson.
In running her own business and marrying into a farm family she has leadership qualities and practices them daily. She has also run a charity organization has given her the know how to evaluate spending, delegate duties, oversee the functions of the departments and to have a business plan for the County’s future.
“he Supervisor is a Guardian of the tax payer’s money and listen to the citizens requests, comments, and complaints. All calls should be answered, said Johnson. “The Supervisor’s should have a email site to get comments and to update upcoming topics. Citizen’s would be encouraged to respond. Citizen’s can be a part of the decision making.”
Johnson believes a Supervisor should get out and check problem area’s for their own knowledge and to proceed accordingly.
Johnson can be reached at641-447-2424 or krj@grm.net.
Larry Keller- Incumbent (District 2)
“We’ve made great strides in our county since I’ve been here and I’d like to continue with that,” said Keller. “Some of the things we’ve been working on and have got coming up we’re going to need someone in here that fully understands the situation.”
Keller is proud of all the work that has gone on in the county, especially at East Lake, as he is on the board that deals with that. He sees the importance of being dedicated and present to the various boards he serves on.
“We’ve put 14 new bridges in since I’ve been here,” said Keller. “There’s no other county around that can make those improvements and lower the levy like we have.”
He is adamant about being fiscally responsible and improving the county through solid leadership and working constructively with other departments.
Keller can be reached at 641-340-0045.
Marvin McCann- Incumbent (District 3)
“I have thoroughly enjoyed working to serve Clarke County residents, and I believe that my background combined with the tremendous amount of experience, knowledge, and understanding of County procedures acquired thus far makes me the best-qualified candidate for the position,” said McCann.
McCann is proud of the results from collaborating with his current Supervisors and other County departments such as the lowest tax levy in seven years and the lowest dollar request in four years.
“All of the County parks are once again maintained, most noticeably the Murray Roadside Park and East Lake Park,” said McCann.
His vision for the future of the county is all about cooperative collaboration with departments and remaining flexible enough to adapt to the changes life presents.
McCann can be reached at 641-342-3302 or mkmccann4@gmail.com.
Dean Robins- Incumbent (District 1)
“I feel like we have made great strides with out conservation, our court house, our secondary roads,” said Robins.
Robins is running again for Supervisor because he believes everyone has a responsibility to work together to ensure that this county is safe and enables its citizens, businesses, schools and farmers to thrive. He’s proud that the work the county has done has been in house and that the Supervisors and the various department heads collaborate well together.
“There are things that we’ve been doing but we are still able to maintain those budget dollars for rural Clarke County,” said Robins.
Robins continued goals for Clarke County are improvement of infrastructure such as secondary roads and bridges, continued fiscal responsibility with taxpayer dollars, and ensuring the county is economically viable by promoting business development.
Robins can be reached at 515-975-9904 or drobins2035@outlook.com.
Ralph Stevens (District 1)
Stevens is the assistant meat department manager at the Osceola Hy-Vee and is planning to retire in order to be a full time County Supervisor, which he believes is the only way have enough time to do the job right.
“We’re all established here and this is the place I want to live,” said Stevens.
Stevens is concerned about the rural roads and has goals to be more fiscally responsible.
“We need a plan, get things set and don’t break off of it.” said Stevens “Murray, Woodburn, Osceola, we’re all a big community and we have to get on the same page to get these little problems fixed.”
Stevens wants to see more public meetings after hours in order to accommodate more citizens and listen to opinions and complaints with community meetings.
“I’m willing to go anywhere to meet with anybody to discuss a problem,” said Stevens.
Stevens can be reached at 641-340-0623.
Austin Taylor (District 3)
Taylor is the youngest candidate to enter race, graduating from Clarke Community High School in 2013. He has served on the Osceola Volunteer Fire Department for six years and believes law enforcement and emergency management to be a very important aspect of the county.
“I’m self driven to help others,” said Taylor. “I saw that people were saying we need to make changes so I decided to step up and see if I can help make those changes.”
Taylor is realistic about not being able to please every person in the county and how difficult it can be to maintain all the county roads but he believes that doing the best possible job means looking into federal grants to help with some issues. He want to look closely at county funds and come up with new ideas to mitigate costs while still benefiting the county.
“I think that I can bring in some fresh ideas especially on the public safety side of things because that’s my big thing,” said Taylor.
Taylor can be reached through his Facebook page, 515-414-0095 or ataylorbn@gmail.com.