Marcus J. Fedler

Marcus J. Fedler

Residence: Ainsworth

Party on Ballot: Republican

Family: Married for 26 years, two sons three rescue dogs.

Occupation: I own and manage Custom Impressions in Washington for 18 years in March.

' What experience/traits do you have that you believe makes you the best candidate?

I have successfully managed a small business for 18 years. I'm a 1994 graduate of Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science in construction engineering.

I've put in place over $250 million dollars of construction projects in my nine year career as a project manager.

Politically, I was the county chair in 2008 for Ron Paul and Eastern Iowa District Chair in 2012. I was involved with the Republican platform committee in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. I sat on the Republican State Central Committee.

I've worked directly with all four supervisors and look forward to working with them to continue their efforts to manage tax dollars efficiently and effectively.

' Why are you running for office?

We need someone for this position that has the experience and willingness to push for smaller government in all areas in order to entice new people to move to Washington County.

' What are your priorities if elected?

My priority will be to provide a voice for the people of Washington County and to facilitate the management of tax revenues in such a way that further reduces the size and scope of government.

' What do you see as the top issues facing the county, both in the short term and long term?

Currently our county is being confronted with folks wanting to develop wind energy in the county. The county supervisors will be presented with determining how to properly manage these requests.

Farmers should be able to use their land in any way they see fit.

While I think there is a role for county government in this process, that role should focus on protecting property rights not restricting them in any way.

Washington County has historically been a bedroom community for both Iowa City and Mt Pleasant.

For at least the last 80 years, the population of Washington County has changed very little.

I believe the only way for this to change is for government imposed restrictions to development be minimized.

Having more folks living here will help existing businesses hire qualified people. Having more business could help keep folks in Washington County that currently leave the area for work.

While more business has come to the area, we've also had several large businesses leave. Much of this has to do with qualified work force.

When these larger businesses needed to scale up with new employees, there were none to hire. As a business owner, I know how difficult it is to find qualified employees.

We have historically had an extremely low unemployment rate. For the most part, anyone in Washington County that wants to work has a job.

We need more folks living here in order for this to change. The county supervisors have a role in this, and I would help facilitate bringing more folks into Washington County in an effective way.