Mahaska Supervisors Approve Airport Board Appointee
Mahaska County Supervisor 'Willie' VanWeelden listens during discussion at Monday mornings board meeting
Oskaloosa, Iowa – During a near marathon session, the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors approved Joe Warrick to a 4 year term to the newly created airport board that will oversee the development of the regional airport venture between Oskaloosa, Pella and Mahaska County.
Supervisor Greg Gordy once again made the motion to appoint Margret Radcliff to the new Regional Airport Board. “I will remake my motion from the last meeting that we appoint Margret Radcliff to the airport regional airport board for a term of four years.” Gordy had made the motion at the previous meeting May 7th as well.
During that meeting, both Rozenboom and VanWeelden said they had not had a chance to review the applicants and would not vote on a appointment. At that time, they also questioned Gordy about his decision to appoint Radcliff because of the states gender balancing law and his stating that it is the responsibility of Mahaska County to balance the board since Pella had appointed 2 men and 1 woman and Oskaloosa appointed 1 man and 1 woman. It was Gordy’s position, upon legal advice he had obtained, that the job then fell upon Mahaska County to balance the board with their selection to the board.
Iowa’s Gender Balance Law (69.16A) reads as follows, “1. All appointive boards, commissions, committees, and councils of the state established by the Code, if not otherwise provided by law, shall be gender balanced. No person shall be appointed or reappointed to any board, commission, committee, or council established by the Code if that appointment or reappointment would cause the number of members of the board, commission, committee, or council of one gender to be greater than one-half the membership of the board, commission, committee, or council plus one if the board, commission, committee, or council is composed of an odd number of members. If the board, commission, committee, or council is composed of an even number of members, not more than one-half of the membership shall be of one gender. If there are multiple appointing authorities for a board, commission, committee, or council, they shall consult each other to avoid a violation of this section.”
Neither Rozenboom nor VanWeelden would support Gordy’s motion to appoint Radcliff, with VanWeelden saying, “I’m not going to support that, but Ken may.”
Rozenboom added to the rejection by saying, “One of the reasons given for her [Radcliff] was the gender balance requirement. At the advice of our county attorney that does not apply in this case. We’re part of a lot of 28E agreements and it’s her judgement that the gender balancing requirement to a board of this nature.”
Gordy responded to Rozenboom, “When I went up and talked to her, she was busy and I talked with Tyler [Eason – Assistant County Attorney], and Tyler said the opposite.”
Rozenboom further explained to Gordy his discovery, “Well I talked to her [County Attorney Rose Anne Mefford] and Tyler was there at the same time, and they concurred.”
Gordy then told Rozenboom that the attorney that drew up the 28E agreement stated that the board needed to be gender balanced.
“I don’t understand why we, with one representative, have to be the one to balance it out.” VanWeelden said. “That doesn’t make sense to me. I think we need to appoint who would represent us the best on there and not just because they are a man or a woman.”
With that, Rozenboom informed Gordy that he would be unable to support the motion put forth by Gordy. “The other candidate has a pilots license and experience representing the county, so I guess I’m just more comfortable with that choice. And nothing certainly against Margaret [Radcliff], she’s a very capable woman.”
Rozenboom then made the motion to appoint Joe Warrick to the board and VanWeelden supported the motion. Gordy then requested a roll call vote with Rozenboom and VanWeelden voting in favor of Warrick and Gordy voting against the appointment.
