The Carroll County Board of Supervisors District 5 seat was one of three contested elections featured in last night’s (Tuesday) candidate forum from the Carroll Chamber of Commerce and Carroll County Growth Partnership (CCGP). The race features Republican Mark McCrea of Carroll and Democrat Cindy Johnson of Carroll. One of the first questions to the candidates from Rick Hunsaker, the forum’s moderator, concerned their qualifications for office, and Johnson answered first.
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McCrea cites his career at Pella where one of his responsibilities was to find ways to eliminate waste in the production line.
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Both candidates agreed with the supervisors’ recent decision not to reinstate the county’s compensation board, which resulted from a law passed last year by the Iowa Legislature. They indicated they would be willing to consider bringing it back if necessary. One of the most pressing issues facing the county supervisors currently is the longstanding agreement between the City of Carroll and Carroll County concerning zoning control in a two-mile radius of city limits. McCrea says he supports zoning, permitting, and inspection changes.
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The supervisors have proposed two options to the city council. The county could withdraw entirely from the agreement, which would have zoning control default to the state minimum quarter mile, or they could cut the zone from two miles to one with the addition of a joint appeals board. Johnson says she prefers amending the agreement over nixing it altogether.
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Johnson and McCrea were also questioned about their priorities for the county if elected. Johnson says she wants to keep taxes as low as possible while maintaining a flexible budget.
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McCrea says he will focus on familiarizing himself with county operations and identifying areas where they can stretch taxpayers’ money.
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Tuesday’s forum featured eight other local candidates, and Carroll Broadcasting will bring you more from the other contested races in upcoming newscasts. Video from the forum is included below.
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