Washington Evening Journal
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Candidates file for city, school elections
By Winona Whitaker, Hometown Current
Sep. 28, 2025 9:43 am
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
The filing deadline has passed for the Nov. 4 city and school election. Candidates and measures to appear on the ballots in Benton, Iowa and Poweshiek Counties are listed below.
Williamsburg candidates were left off the ballot because the city failed to file their papers with the Iowa County Auditor by the Sept. 19 deadline. Mayor Adam Grier and Councilmen Jeff Steinkamp and Jacob Tornholm filed nomination papers with city hall, but voters will have to write in their names on the ballot to vote for them.
In Benton County
Atkins
Mayor: Brian Cruise.
City Council: Jeremy M. Rolando, Kevin DeMeulenaere, Bob Stolen.
Belle Plaine
Council at large: Mitch Malcolm.
Council, District 1: no candidate.
Council, District 3: Judy Schlesselman.
Park Commissioner: Michael Stuff.
Mayor, to fill a vacancy: Garret Landuyt.
Public measure to allow the total number of Belle Plaine Community Library Board members to be seven, with no more than three being non-residents.
Blairstown
Mayor: no candidate.
City Council: Brian Hagen.
City Council to fill a vacancy: no candidate.
Garrison
Mayor: Garrett D. Flickinger.
City Couincil: Allan Lindsey, Tina Rommann, Robert Deecker.
Keystone
Mayor: Kevin Rohrer.
City Council: Kathy Janss, Dave Monson, Jeffrey Bruns, Mary K. Hennings.
Public measure to require that five members of the Schroeder Public Library board be bona fide citizens and residents of the city. Two of the members may be residents of unincorporated Benton County. All board members shall be over the age of 18 years.
Luzerne
Mayor: Joel Buttikofer.
City Council: Barbara Shields, Hannah Daniels, Shane Daniels, Kelly W. Kendall, Kyla Buttikofer.
Mt. Auburn
Mayor: Austin Brase.
Mt. Auburn City Council: Tiffanie Butler, Cody Lundry, David McGarvey.
Newhall
Mayor: Doug Boddicker, Mark Lnenicka
City Council: Douglas Rinderknecht, Kurt Slouha, Ben Seeck, Bruce Cross, Rachelle Messner, Deborah Vaughan, Mart Campbell.
Norway
Mayor: no candidate.
City Council: no candidate,
Shellsburg
Mayor: Shadoe Vogt, Phillip Travis.
City Council: Sharon Harvey, Nicole Crawford, Cody Risdal, Rockford Lee Lubbock, Jamie Howard.
Urbana
Mayor: James Warnke, Bob Irelan.
City Council: Randy Johnson, Carman Irelan, Corey Schroeder, Shane Light.
Van Horne
Mayor: Pat Gorkow
City Council: Jim Parmenter, Amy L. Knaack, Kimberly Fisher.
Vinton
Mayor: Bud Maynard.
City Council at large: Dakoda Sellers.
City Council, District 1: Ron Hessenius.
City Council, District 3: Zach Parmater.
City Council, District 4, to fill a vacancy: Wesley Recker.
Walford
Mayor: Russell Hebert, Randy Bauer.
City Council: Amy Ellis, Sarah Hebert, Jesse Bergmeier.
Belle Plaine School District
Director at large: Valerie Coffman, Scott E. Frank.
Director at large, to fill a vacancy: Andrew Neuhaus.
Public measure to the Belle Plaine Community School District to issue General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $7,950,000 to construct, furnish and equip additions to the elementary building and to the secondary building.
Benton Community School District
Director, District 4: Scott W. Shaw.
Director, District 5: Aric Becker.
Director, District 6: Nate Klein.
Vinton-Shellsburg School District
Director at large: Jennifer Ann Birker, Rachel Wayson.
Director, District 1: Kimberly Schirm.
In Iowa County
Ladora
Mayor: Kyle Shaull, Kevin R. York.
City Council: Rhonda Ward, Melissa Huber.
City Council to fill a vacancy: Andreas Dahlstrom, Holly Dahlstrom.
Marengo
Mayor: Mark Bickal, Travis Schlabach.
City Council: Shawn Huedepohl, John Hinshaw, William Geoghagan.
Millersburg
Mayor, to fill a vacancy: Travis Gensley.
City Council: no candidate.
City Council, to fill a vacancy: Jeffrey Kruse, Renee Moravec.
North English
Mayor: Daniel Strohman.
City Council: Beth Carter, Andrew Custer.
Parnell
Mayor: Rick Rodgers
City Council: Ryan Murphy, Jared Dhondt, Larry Schropp, Brad Strausser.
Victor
Mayor: Eric Refer
City Council: Donald Craig, Cindy Trout Smith, Marla Faga, Shawn Sternhagen.
Williamsburg
Mayor: no candidate.
City Council: no candidate.
Clear Creek/Amana School District
Director at large: Casey Jay Cooney, Rick Allan Hergert.
Director, District 2: no candidate filed.
Director, District 3 to fill a vacancy: Nicholas Pfeiffer.
Director, District 4: no candidate.
English Valleys School District
Director at large: Trent Forrest, Steven D. Axmear, Ashley Dickey.
HLV School District
Paul Sauter, Ryan Kupka.
Iowa Valley School District
Director at large: Tiffany Kriegel, Bobbi Miller, Garet Sims, Dan Slaymaker.
Mid-Prairie School District
Director at large: Michael Burns, Kirah Johnson, Jim Miller, Jacob W. Snider, Jed Seward.
Director at Large: Ben Molyneux, Derek Hall.
Williamsburg School District
Director at large: Laura Sauser, Brooke Drahos, Jonathan Wuebker.
Public measure authorizing Williamsburg Community School District to issue General Obligation Bonds not to exceed $7,945,000 to construct, furnish and equip additions to the Junior/Senior High School building.
Kirkwood Community College
Director, District 6
Joel G. Thys.
Indian Hills Community College
Director, District 1
Beth Danowsky
Tri-County School District
Public measure to adopt a revenue purpose statement specifying the use of revenues the Tri-County Community School District will receive from the State of Iowa Secure an Advanced Vision of Education Fund.
In Poweshiek County
Brooklyn
Mayor: Les Taylor, Matthew VanTomme.
City Council: Willy Wonick, Michael Sheen, Leah Keller.
Deep River
Mayor: Derec Koch.
City Council: Josh Gregson.
City council to fill a vacancy: Chad Hanchett.
Grinnell
Mayor: Russ Crawford, Sam Cox.
City Council at large: Sarah Smith.
City Council Ward 1: Lee David Staroska, John D. Cox.
City Council Ward 3: Rachel Bly.
City Council Ward 4 to fill a vacancy: Shane Hart.
Guernsey
Mayor: no candidates.
City council: no candidates
Hartwick
Mayor: Carma Craig.
City Council: Kyle Gray, Brett Waterbeck, Sarah Lahndorf, Mitchell Thys, Scott Riedel.
Treasurer: Teri Neuhaus.
Malcom
Mayor: Dawn Hamilton.
City Council: Brad Hamilton, Nathan Johnson.
Montezuma
City Council: Kian McKeag, Tanner Meldrem, Matt Simpson, Scott Jack.
Searsboro
Mayor: Venisa Anderson.
City council to fill a vacancy: Diane Angove.
City Council: Garlan Ealy, Chelsea Newman.
Grinnell-Newburg School District
School board at large: Ben Cooprider, Rebecca Sallee Hanson.
School board Ward 1: Chris Starrett.
School board Ward 2: Tyler Harter.
Montezuma School District
School board: Jason Meyer, Matt Mann.
BGM School District
School board: Kayleen Tometich, Michael Garman, Stacia Brown, Amber Wells.
Barnes City
Mayor to fill a vacancy: Jennifer McGuire.
City Council: Jeffrey A. Tompkins, Jolee Stoddard.
Victor
Mayor: Eric Refer.
City Council: Donald Craig, Cindy Trout Smith, Marla Faga, Shawn Strnhagen.
East Marshall School District
Director District 4: Andrew Cole.
Lynnville-Sully School District
Board director: John D. Schultz, Jeremy Schnell, Jonatha Manatt, Jason Fisk.
North Mahaska School District
Director, District 5: Nicole Spruell, Heather Shaw.
South Tama School District
Director, District 1: Elizabeth Dolezal, Angela M. Bair.
Director, District 2 to fill a vacancy: Joe Hanus.
Iowa Valley Community College
Director, District 4: Jacqueline Pippin.
Director, District 6: Joanna Hofer.
Des Moines Area Community College
Director, District 5: Chaz Allen.