SIOUX CITY — The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors will continue to be held by Republicans, with two new individuals joining the board.
Woodbury County had three contested races for supervisors seats. Republicans Mark Nelson, David Dietrich and Kent Carper were elected Tuesday and will join Matthew Ung and Dan Bittinger on the board in January.
Supervisors are elected at-large, though candidates must live within their district. Republicans gained full control of the board of supervisors in 2020, when Democrat Marty Pottebaum was unseated by Jeremy Taylor.
"Almost everyone votes party-line, so it's no surprise all three Republican supervisor candidates achieved virtually identical percentages despite being very different people," Ung, who serves as the board chair, said. "Republican supervisor candidates in Woodbury County are pretty much auto-win races now."
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All three Republican candidates shared said they were focused on being fiscally conservative, repairing and maintaining the county roads and recuperating money lost in the delays to the new Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center.
Republican Mark Nelson, who was appointed to fill a vacant seat in District 3, received 62 percent of the vote, defeating Willard Brian McNaughton, 24,944 to 14,959. After losing to Nelson 69% to 30% percent in the GOP primary, McNaughton switched parties, accepting the Democratic nomination in a special convention.
Nelson, a farmer living in Correctionville, was selected in January 2023 to serve the remaining two years of Rocky De Witt's term who resigned after being elected to the Iowa Senate in 2022.
Nelson ran on providing Woodbury county with a representative of rural citizens.
"I have been dedicated to the citizens of Woodbury County and have not sold them short on my efforts to get the job done and will continue to do so," Nelson said.
Nelson has been serving as the board of supervisors appointee on the Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center Authority, the joint city-county board overseeing the new jail. During the campaign trail, Nelson stressed his focus on holding the parties responsible for the delays and damages to the jail project accountable.
"I would love nothing more than to see the parties who have belligerently harmed Woodbury County taxpayers have their day in court and make financial reparations to the county," he said.
Dietrich received 62 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Lincoln Ryan 24,620 to 14,753 in the District 5 race to win his first term in office.
Dietrich, a Hornick native, will replace Taylor, who opted not to run for reelection. Taylor's wife, Kim, was found guilty of 52 counts of voter fraud in federal court in November 2023. Dietrich served for 32 years at the 185th Air Refueling Wing as a mechanic.
Dietrich ran on being fiscally conservative with the budget, ensuring law enforcement and emergency services are equipped and maintaining county roads.
Carper garnered 60 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat John Herrig 23,843 to 15,734 in the District 1 race. The seat is currently held by Republican Keith Radig, who unsuccessfully ran for county auditor, rather than seek reelection. Carper served in the Army National Guard for 16 years. He has been a nurse for 32 years and a pastor for 14 years.
Carper ran on helping farmers, veterans and balancing the budget. He also said he has ideas for alternative energy sources for Woodbury County.
Ung said he believes local offices should be nonpartisan, but said Republican supervisors have delivered on improving the gravel roads in the county and building a jail for future generations.
"Democrats chose to make the bad news about the jail project their main campaign issue. That was a mistake, because sometimes bad news is just bad news, and voters saw who was actually trying to address the issues," he said.
