The Johnson County Board of Supervisors has long held dear its mission to provide for the health welfare, and well-being of its residents. At the very core of that is ensuring a place to live…a place to call home. We are very fortunate to have the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition and the Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County as community partners doing the work of advocacy, education, and development. Both agencies work tirelessly to increase the stock of affordable housing in our community and to help lower-income people access a place to live and thrive. 

Since being on the Board of Supervisors, we have:

Passed a resolution supporting manufactured housing park residents in their efforts to cap rent increases, stop unjustifiable evictions, and delineate maintenance responsibilities

Allocated ≥ $600,000 each fiscal year to the Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County, a revolving fund that provides interest-free loans that create new, affordable housing stock

Never once in the time that I have served on the Board of Supervisors have we permanently closed a bridge in Johnson County. That is not the case in other parts of Iowa, where the deterioration of Iowa’s infrastructure of roads and bridges causes permanent closures. 

I’ve supported the aggressive schedule of our Secondary Roads Department in carrying out the maintenance and repair of the county’s infrastructure. The Five-Year Road plan allows for a triage of sorts to prioritize road projects. 

I recognize that farming is a vital part of our community and the ability to farm is the livelihood of our farmers. With that in mind, rural bridges and roads must be kept in good repair so that farmers can access their land. Connectivity and safety are my priorities when making a decision on funding a roads project. 

I will continue to support our ambitious schedule of road repairs.

The Iowa Constitution gives local governments “home rule” authority, unless their policies conflict with State law. Otherwise known as “local control”, it is the essence of democracy itself. It’s the recognition that the will of the voters is carried out by their local elected officials. 

Despite the State’s efforts to undermine local control (21 times since 2017), I will always support the preservation of democracy by voting in the way that supports and preserves local control and the decision-making authority of locally elected officials. 

Since being elected as a Supervisor, I have served as a Johnson County representative on the Urban County Coalition (UCC), a coalition of the five largest counties in eastern Iowa, in (2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023). The coalition offers Legislative Priorities each year to the Iowa Legislature, then monitors proposed and new legislation affecting local governments. 

Our over-arching guiding principle is the preservation of local control. In fact, our 2024 Legislative Priorities quotes Thomas Jefferson on this: “The government closest to the people, serves the people best.”