Wanders Appointed To Fill Doland’s Term
Steve Wanders said he was the best choice to be appointed to the county board of supervisors since he received the most votes in the primary election. Two of the three committee members agreed, and voted to appoint him to the board.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – A committee of three Mahaska County elected officials selected Steve Wanders to fill the vacancy left after the resignation of former Mahaska County Supervisor Mark Doland.
There were nine interviews in all held for the position over three days. Those candidates were; Sheila Denburger, R.D. Keep, Valinn McReynolds, Joe Warrick, Steve Wanders, Scott Van Veldhuizen, Alven Meppelink, Madonna Bowie, and Steve Parker.
Meppelink was the final interview on Thursday morning, and the three committee members of Auditor Sue Brown, Recorder Diane Upton Crookham, and Treasurer Sone Scott began the discussion about who to appoint.
Sone Scott was the first to speak, saying “The election is not over, and there are three candidates running. And with a clear conscience, I don’t know that I could support anyone that is actively running in the election that is upcoming. I think it sets a precedent of who the county feels should be the supervisor. With three known candidates out there, and potentially more, I don’t know that I can support.”
Upton Crookham asked, “You’d think we’d kind of sway the election in November, is what you’re saying?”
Scott agreed, “That’s what I’m saying. And I don’t feel comfortable doing that.”
“I have an opposite view of that,” said Sue Brown. “I feel like, just to throw out there some ideas. I’m not totally opposed to looking at something else, but I just feel that the people that did take the time to run, spent the money, are now a nominee, would make sense to me to not put somebody else in there and they have to start over again, for one thing.”
“It’s a risk to put someone in that’s not going to run, and we know is not going to be, a continuation,” said Brown.
Upton Crookham said that coming into the interview process, she had a similar view to Brown’s about the appointment. “Just because they took the time, the money, the energy to run. And that is a lot.”
Brown said she believes the candidate who received the most votes during the primary should be the one to be appointed.
Sone Scott offered up the names of Bowie, Denburger, and Van Veldhuizen for consideration.
Van Veldhuizen was commended for his thought processes during the interview. “He thought through it a lot. He came prepared. He knew a lot. He’d done research.”
“He did a very good interview,” added Upton Crookham.
Brown made the motion to nominate Wanders for the position, with a second by Upton Crookham.
The motion passed on a 2-1 vote, with Sone Scott dissenting.
