No challengers for county offices, but Prichard faces opposition

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

It may be an election with few fireworks for Floyd County offices in November.

As of the filing deadline at 5 p.m. Wednesday, the incumbents for county supervisor, county sheriff and county auditor had each filed for re-election, and no challengers had filed to oppose them.

Also, seven candidates have filed for the seven available seats on the new Floyd County Hospital Board of Trustees, including two newcomers.

At the state level, however, Rep. Todd Prichard, D-Charles City, will have competition, after the Republicans decide who they want to challenge him.

Linda Tjaden, of rural Charles City, who is serving her first four-year term as a county supervisor, filed as a Republican to seek another term. She was elected in 2016, defeating then-incumbent Roy Schwickerath. Two years later, Schwickerath won back his place on the board by capturing one of the other three seats.

Sheriff Jeff Crooks, rural Charles City, serving his first term, also filed for re-election. Crooks is running as “no party,” and the deadline for filing in that category was actually last Friday. Crooks was elected in 2016, taking over from retiring Sheriff Rick Lynch.

Crooks has been a member of the Sheriff’s Office since 2004, and was chief deputy before being elected sheriff.

Gloria Carr, of Charles City, the long-time county auditor, is also seeking another four-year term, unopposed. Carr also filed as “no party,” as she has every election. She has been in office since 2004.

Seven people applied for the seven available seats on the Floyd County Hospital Board of Trustees. This will be the first time the members of the board are elected, after voters approved changing the Floyd County Medical Center’s state organizational category in last November’s election.

In addition to giving the board the ability to levy property taxes to support the medical center, the change in category also changed the board from appointed members to elected members.

As the change in category began at the beginning of this year, the first members of the board of trustees were still appointed by the Board of Supervisors, but beginning in November, part of the board will be elected every two years.

After the seven non-partisan trustees are elected this year it will be decided by chance which of them will serve for two years and which of them will get full four-year terms.

Three of the candidates had been members of the previous hospital board of directors. They are Ron James and Amanda McCarty of Charles City and Mary Jo Lacour of rural Charles City.

Two of the candidates are current members of the board of trustees who were first appointed this year when the Floyd County Board of Supervisors decided to expand the number of board members from five to seven.

Those two candidates are Randy Heitz of rural Charles City and Cheryl Erb of Charles City.

The other two candidate have not been on the board before. They are Viva Boerschel of Charles City and Sharon Enabnit of Rockford, but neither is a stranger to the health care profession.

Boerschel is retiring this month as the hospital’s chief nursing officer, having been employed at the hospital for 42 years.

Enabnit is an advanced registered nurse practitioner in Mason City.

Two current appointed board members, Myrna Jacoubek and Craig Anderson, are not seeking election to the board.

At the state level, Todd Prichard filed for re-election to represent Iowa House District 52, which covers Floyd and Chickasaw counties and part of Cerro Gordo County.

Two Republicans have filed to challenge Prichard — Charley Thomson of Charles City and Craig Clark of Rockford. The primary election to pick the Republican candidate is scheduled to be held June 2.

Two years ago Prichard ran for re-election unopposed.

The area’s other state legislator, Sen. Waylon Brown, R-St. Ansgar, has filed for re-election, but no Democrats have filed to run against him.

Brown represents Iowa Senate District 26, which includes Floyd, Chickasaw, Howard, Mitchell and Worth counties and part of Cerro Gordo and Winneshiek counties.

The general election this year will be Tuesday, Nov. 3.