Hamm announces run for Floyd County auditor

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The first candidate for Floyd County office in the upcoming November election has announced her intention to seek the county auditor position.

Nomination filings for county offices opened this week.

Liz Hamm is currently a judicial clerk III and the jury manager in the Clerk of Court Office in Floyd County, which is a division of the state of Iowa Judicial Branch. She said Thursday that she has filed to be included in the June Democratic primary election to be selected as her party’s candidate for the county auditor position.

The current county auditor, Gloria Carr, had previously announced that she will retire at the end of her term this year. Carr, who has always run as a “no party” candidate, was first elected in 2004 and was reelected four more times after that.

Hamm has been employed in the Clerk of Court Office for more than 11 years in a position that, in addition to being jury manager, includes administrative work handling auditing and financial matters for Floyd, Butler, Bremer and Franklin county clerks of court offices, she said.

Hamm said her decision to run for the position stems from her “belief in the importance of effective stewardship in local government and the greater good of the community.”

Hamm said she is dedicated to serving the residents of Floyd County and “looks forward to this opportunity to contribute to the prosperity and well-being of the county residents” and “to bring integrity and efficiency to the administration of the auditor’s office.”

Before her employment with the Clerk of Court Office, Hamm was a paralegal for the Prichard Law Office in Charles City and the Beecher Law Firm in Waterloo. She has a bachelor’s degree in public administration and criminal justice.

She said she “intends to promote transparency by making financial information readily available to the public; collaborate with other county departments to optimize budget allocation and resource utilization; and work closely with community organizations, political parties, and advocacy groups to solicit feedback, address concerns, and promote voter engagement.”

“Building strong partnerships with stakeholders can help strengthen trust in the electoral system,” she said.

Hamm lives in Charles City with her husband, Terry, and they have four children, Dalton, Cally, Kaylee and Kaleb. She grew up in Floyd County and attended the Charles City Community Schools.

Monday was the first day to file for partisan county and township offices. The deadline to file nomination papers is Wednesday, Aug. 28, at 5 p.m. at the county auditor’s office.

County offices up for election this year are the auditor, supervisor district 1, supervisor district 3 to fill an unexpired term, county attorney to fill an unexpired term, and sheriff. The supervisor district 2 election and county attorney election are to fill the remaining two years of four-year terms. The supervisor District 1 and sheriff are four-year terms.

Nomination papers and affidavits of candidacy are available in the county auditor’s office or online at the office of the secretary of state, sos.iowa.gov/elections/electioninfo/general/.