OTTUMWA —
A quorum of board members from the Wapello County Soil and Water Conservation District are up for election.
The terms of three members of the Wapello County Soil & Water Conservation District Commissioners will expire at noon Jan. 2, 2013, and the successors will be elected at the general election on Nov. 6, 2012.
The three facing election are Don Swanson of Ottumwa and Center Township, the district board chairman; Verl Jackson Jr. of Hedrick and Competine Township; and Emery Rouw of Ottumwa and Richland Township.
Swanson said he plans to run again.
“I’ve served on various boards, and this one is obviously worthwhile,” he said Wednesday. “I’m a sixth-generation farmer. My grandfather practiced conservation measures, and I’ve continued it since the 1960s.”
Verl Jackson Jr. said he has served 28 years on the soil and water conservation district’s board and will run again. But if elected, he might switch to being an assistant commissioner.
“I’ve done a lot of projects in the Buckeye Creek Watershed since 1984,” he said.
Rouw said he plans to run again.
“I’m interested in having our soils preserved for future generations,” he said. “I think people in the future will need to eat.”
The incumbent commissioners are Dean Black of Ottumwa and Green Township and Tim Sandeen of Blakesburg and Adams Township.
Residents of these townships aren’t eligible for office at this time, according to Jennifer Heald, a Farm Bill employee who assists the Soil & Water Conservation District with clerical tasks and public information outreach.
“Any qualified elector residing in the soil and water conservation district — which is all of Wapello County, including cities and towns — is eligible for the office of commissioner, except that no more than one commissioner may be a resident of any one township,” Heald said Wednesday.
Prospective candidates for the office of soil and water conservation district commissioner must file nomination petitions in the same manner as other elective positions at the general election, except no political party is designated.
Heald also noted nomination petitions can be obtained from the Wapello County Auditor’s office in the county courthouse. The petitions must be signed by 25 eligible electors and must be filed with the auditor no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29.
Individuals elected in November 2012 will serve a term of four years, which starts on Jan. 2, 2013. Soil and water conservation district commissioners serve without salary and guide the overall soil and water conservation program in the county.
For information pertaining to the responsibilities of a commissioner, contact the Wapello County Soil & Water Conservation District Office, 2938 Oak Meadow Drive, Suite 2, Ottumwa, 641-682-0752, ext. 3.
Wapello County
August 9, 2012
Spots on Soil and Water Conservation District on ballot
Terms for three members expire Jan. 2, 2013
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