SUPERVISORS
Precinct workers for the general election in Plymouth County next month will get a pay raise. The Board of Supervisors this morning approved esolution which establishes an increase in the hourly pay rate from 10 dollars to $11.50 for election workers. Auditor Stacey Feldman set the higher rate, and has the authority to do so, Feldman says surrounding counties pay a flat rate to precinct workers. Plymouth County pays by the hour. In addition, Feldman says in the 2020 election, precinct chairs and co-chairs were paid an extra 20 dollars flat fee, and all Precinct Election Officials were compensated at the federal mileage rate. That will continue in the upcoming elections. There will be approximately 100 precinct employees working the 11 Plymouth precincts next month.
The Board of Supervisors also approved contracts with the libraries of Plymouth County. The Supervisors increased that line item in the county budget by 10-thousand dollars, to 120-thousand, in this budget year. Under their formula, each of the county’s five libraries receive a base distribution of 12-thousand dollars. That covers half the county’s support. The other half is divided up by library circulation, ranging from 13-thousand dollars to the Merrill Public Library, to 38-thousand dollars to the Le Mars Public Library. The county’s support to the library represents over 6% of LE Mars’ Public Library budget, to up to 32% of the Remsen Public Library budget.
Plymouth County officials will take action to close a portion of Talbot Road, a dirt road which runs along the north boundary of Stone State Park, on the Plymouth/Woodbury County Line. Nearby residents, led by Zac and Chris Chwirka, said the half-mile stretch of Talbot is used as a shortcut for people wanting to use Iowa Highway 12 to the west. They said there’s too much traffic there, and its dangerous. They presented a petition to the board asking for closing the street. County Engineer Tom Rohe says it will take several weeks to obtain state permission to close that portion of Talbot Road, and block the street at the west and east end. Rohe says the state would like to keep the road open to pedestrians. The board approved taking steps to close the road.
POLL WORKERS
With the general election just four weeks away — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says efforts to recruit more poll workers for elections during the pandemic are appearing to pay off. He says some counties say they have enough workers. Pate says they sought to be sure that older workers had some support so they didn’t have to cover every election, and they have done that for many areas. He says some counties still face issues when it comes to having a balance of Democrat and Republican poll workers. Pate says a diehard Republican or diehard Democrat county may have a hard time finding members of the other party to work so they have equal representation.
EARLY VOTING
Early voting begins next Wednesday, October 19th in Iowa for the upcoming general election. It’s the first general election since redistricting took place. If you have requested an absentee ballot, they will be mailed out on October 19th. Monday, October 24 is the last day to request an absentee ballot. An absentee ballot request form can be found on the Plymouth County Auditor’s website. Early voting at the Auditor’s office will continue through Monday, November 7. All absentee ballots must be received by the Auditor’s Office by 8 pm on election day in order to be counted.
CHENEY BLASTED
Comments from key Iowa Republicans make it clear a prominent G-O-P critic of former President Donald Trump faces a tough campaign in Iowa’s 2024 Caucuses if she runs for president as a Republican. Harriet Hageman, the Republican who defeated Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney in an August Primary, was the keynote speaker at a Polk County G-O-P fundraiser Monday night. Iowa G-O-P chairman Jeff Kaufmann, the evening’s emcee, called Hageman a queen of the party’s grassroots and called Cheney a poor loser. And Kaufmann ridiculed those who’ve praised Cheney for her role on the committee investigating Trump’s actions as the U.S. Capitol was being attacked. Former Governor Terry Branstad, appointed by Trump to be U.S. Ambassador to China, suggested siding with Trump has been a winning formula for Iowa Republicans in 2016 and 2020.
ATTORNEY GENERAL DEBATE
The two candidates running to be Iowa’s attorney general for the next four years agree that drugs are bringing misfortune to many Iowans, but they offer different views on how to address the problem. Republican candidate Brenna Bird says President Biden should secure the southern border to stop the flow of illegal drugs like meth and fentanyl.
Democrat Tom Miller says one reason he’s seeking an 11th term as attorney general is to finish work on the national settlement with opioid makers.
President Biden has announced he intends to pardon people convicted in federal court of marijuana possession and Biden urged governors to consider doing the same for marijuana possession convictions at the state level. Miller says maybe Governor Reynolds should consider pardons in a select number of marijuana possession cases.
Bird isn’t offering advice on whether there should be pardons for some marijuana possession convictions.
The candidates made their comments during a debate on K-C-C-I Television in Des Moines.
