Special Election Will Fill Supervisor Seat

A special committee was called to determine how to fill the upcoming vacancy on the Mahaska Board of Supervisors. Diane Upton Crookham (left), Sue Brown (center), and Sone Scott (right) chose to have a special election.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – A three person committee comprised of Mahaska County Recorder Diane Upton Crookham, Mahaska County Treasurer Sone Scott and Mahaska County Auditor-elect Sue Brown selected to call a special election to fill the upcoming vacancy by Ken Rozenboom. Current Mahaska County Auditor was not part of the decision because her term will end before Rozenboom’s resignation takes effect.

Rozenboom recently won a seat in the Iowa Senate representing District 40. Rozenboom will take his oath of office shortly after his January 11th resignation date.

Not since 1999 has a Mahaska County Supervisor seat been filled after a resignation. In that year, Jim Van Engelhoven took office as a member of the Iowa House, very similar to outgoing Mahaska County Supervisor Ken Rozenboom.

Daryl Cox was appointed by committee to fill the vacancy left by Van Engelhoven, who had 2 years remaining in his term.

Local political parties will now convene special conventions in order to nominate their candidates for the office that will have 2 years remaining on the term of office.

The vacant seat must be filled withing 40 days of Rozenboom’s resignation and will cost approximately $8,000.

Mahaska County will have a fully functioning board that will be capable of making decisions during this process. The board will consist of Greg Gordy, who has 2 years remaining of his term in office, Supervisor-elect Mike Vander Molen, who is set to take office January 1, 2013, and they will join outgoing Supervisor Ken Rozenboom for those first 11 days.