John Werden has served five terms as the Carroll County Attorney, and after 20 years in office, is running for a sixth. He says as long as he gets to his office every morning feeling as good as he did 20 years ago, he will continue to work at serving the people of Carroll County. And for Werden, his election to this position has been a nearly life-long goal.
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He went to Grinnell College and Drake Law School right after graduating from Albia High School, and says he did it sequentially instead of on the current 10-year trend. Most rural counties in Iowa allow their county attorneys to also operate a private practice, which Werden does with offices in Carroll, Manning and Wall Lake. He says he used to do a lot of litigation, but now does more estate planning and tax work, which is actually a good complement to the bulk of what he does for the county. He adds that although the litigation role of county attorneys is generally the most high-profile, there are a lot of other legal matters that he deals with on a day-to-day basis.
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As he campaigns towards the Nov. 8 midterm elections, Werden wants every single voter to know one important thing about him and the way he views his duties and obligations to the courts and the constituents.
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Werden is running as the sole name on the November ballot, but this is really not what he would prefer. He says the situation is actually diametrically opposed to the very nature of his calling.
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We will take a look back at some of the changes Werden has seen in the previous 20 years and what he predicts for the future of the Carroll County Attorney’s Office and our legal system in an upcoming broadcast.