Washington County Attorney decision delayed

WASHINGTON — County Supervisors said they would hold a special meeting Saturday morning to appoint a new county attorney, moving the item back from a Tuesday morning agenda. The group now plans to convene at its office 9 a.m. Saturday to discuss and act on the matter.

The decision comes as one member of the board — Supervisor Stan Stoops — recovers from surgery, a process that has kept him from attending meetings in-person or remotely for the last several weeks.

“I don’t feel right excluding Stan,” Supervisor Jack Seward Jr. said, attending Tuesday morning’s meeting over Zoom. “I at least thought, anyway, that giving him as much time as possible since his surgery would pretty much solve things, but it is apparent now that we can’t.”

County officials who had communicated with Stoops since his procedure said remote attendance may still present challenges for him.

"He told me, on a phone meeting he only gets about half of the conversation, and that’s part of the problem,“ Board Chair Bob Yoder said. ”I don’t think he’s in good enough shape to make the drive down here.“

Supervisor Richard Young said Saturday would be the 40th day after former County Attorney John Gish left the position, making it the deadline to fill his vacancy under Iowa’s state code.

Before then, supervisors said they would experiment with different remote options to see what worked best for Stoops. Otherwise, board members said they’d be in Des Moines for the rest of the week for training at a meeting of the Iowa State Association of Counties.

Supervisors interviewed three candidates for the opening Feb. 17. Those in the running are Washington County Assistant Attorney Shane McChurch, Scott County Assistant Attorney Nathan Repp, and Iowa Attorney General’s Office Staff Member Zachary Miller.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com