Local Republican Candidates Speak at Spring Preview

SIGOURNEY – The Keokuk County Republican Party held a “Spring Preview” event on April 5, where local voters could speak with and hear speeches from country, state, and federal-level Republican candidates. The event was stylized like a basketball game, with candidates introduced via an announcer listing off stats and sorted into incumbent and challenger teams. The 2024 Iowa Republican Primary will be held on June 4.

Due to the high number of candidates, the interviews and speech recaps for state and federal level candidates will be run in the April 17 issue of The News-Review.

Casey Hinnah - Keokuk County Sheriff, Incumbent

Casey Hinnah, who has served as Keokuk County’s sheriff since 2013, is seeking reelection for his fourth term. Hinnah was born and raised in Sigourney and received a criminal justice degree from Indian Hills, followed by a bachelor's degree from Ohio State. He starting working for the department as a reserve officer when he was 20, then moved up to deputy and spent four years as chief deputy before becoming sheriff. Hinnah brought up the fact that he established a canine unity. “We’re always trying to stay on top of the changing technologies in law enforcement, whether it be for the jail or deputies,” said the sheriff.

He noted that there is a nationwide trend in a lack of applicants for deputy positions and stated that he wanted to work on adding staff in Keokuk County. He stated that he is the best candidate, due to his experience working through every stage of county level law enforcement.

“I think my department’s doing a very good job with the resources and manpower we have. I would like to go ahead and fill in for my fourth consecutive term because I feel, with my experience and years at the sheriff’s office, I’m the most qualified for the job.”

Adam Clark - Keokuk County Sheriff, Challenger

Current Keokuk County Sheriff’s Deputy Adam Clark is running for sheriff. Clark grew up in Sigourney and served with the Marine Corps in Iraq after graduating. He worked as a reserve officer for the Sigourney police department, full-time officer for the Ottumwa department, assistant chief of the Sigourney department, and has spent the last ten years as a sheriff’s deputy. He noted that he ran the canine unit for several years. “As a deputy, I’m on the road, handling calls, from your dog calls to your sex assaults and everything in between,” said Clark.

Clark is also currently a member of the Sigourney City Council and Sigourney School Board. He plans to create a school resource officer position shared between Keota, Sigourney, and Tri-County. He noted that schools would receive sharing dollars from the state, making it easier to fund the position, and that it would give the county another officer on the road during the summer. “I think that our department needs a change. I feel that our office needs to better utilize our resources to provide whatever the residency in the county needs,” said Clark.

“The reason why I’m running for sheriff is because I want to provide the best resources and services to the county citizens,” said Clark. “And by doing that, I think as a sheriff, as a leader, you need to lead from the front. You need to be proactive, and you need to get out and speak to the people, find out what needs the citizens need and try to work with them to try to come to some sourt of agreement and accomplish those goals. It doesn't just take the sheriff doing that, it takes all of us in the county to sit down and try to figure out those goals.”

Bryan Coffman - Keokuk County Supervisor, Challenger

Bryan Coffman, a farmer and seed corn dealer from South English, is running for the Keokuk County Board of Supervisors. Coffman grew up in Keokuk County and thinks it will be good to have someone with a different perspective on the board. Coffman spent 27 years as a firefighter and was the chief of the North Keokuk County Fire Department for several years.

“I think the biggest problem we’re facing right now is we keep losing population, and we still have the same amount of infrastructure,” said Coffman. “So we have to still maintain our infrastructure, which puts more burden on the people that are here, by property taxes and so on and so forth...Unfortunately, there’s going to be some hard decisions made the next five years. How are we going to spend our money and feel like we’re going to still get the most bank without having to continue to raise taxes over and over again?”

“I feel like now I’m at the point in my life where I can devote the time necessary to the job and be dedicated to it and make me engaged with what’s going on in the county,” said Coffman. “The one thing I will say is, you know as Republicans, that sometimes taxes become a diary word. And I want to, hopefully, at the end of the day, when we all go in to write that property tax check and everything, that at least you feel like your money’s going to the right places and it’s getting spent in the way yu would like it to be spent, and hopefully not on things that you think are frivolous.”

Cassidy Mitchell - Keokuk County Supervisor, Challenger

Cassidy Mitchell is running for the Keokuk County Board of Supervisors. Mitchell works in the Sigourney High School Library and as the AD secretary. She also works for Tremmel Backhoe during the summer.

“I think it’s really important that we get some younger people in there to learn before the guys that have been in there for a long time are ready to retire,” said Mitchell. “I think it’s a really big job with a lot to learn and they’ve got a lot of knowledge and a lot of years built up and we need to take advantage of that while we can...I don’t want to be a new fish in the same seat with a bunch of other new fish.”

Mitchell stated that she wants to ensure the board is communicating with county residents the best they can and utilizing social media. She noted that there hasn’t been a woman on the board and years. She stated that women can have a different perspective and that she would ensure female county employees get heard.

“Every single person wanted to know why the heck I wanted to do this? Who the heck wants to listen to people complain? Let’s be real, I work in a high school, so I am used to when people complain,” said Mitchell. “But really, the short answer is, this is where I come from. This is my home. I just want to make sure that we have people in these positions that want to continue to take care of our county.”

Kevin Weber - Keokuk County Supervisor, Challenger

Kevin Weber, who has worked for the Keokuk County Highway Department for six years, is running for the Keokuk County Board of Supervisors. “I grew up in Keokuk County and have lived here my whole life,” said Weber. “I’ve always just had a passion for what I do. And my roots are here and I want to continue to better the county in a different way. I currently serve on the road department, so I’m just kind of looking for another way to serve the county for a long time.”

He stated that the biggest thing for him is getting on the board and learning how it works before deciding on any major changes. “I want to make sure that the good keeps going before there are any changes to be made,” said Weber.

“I’ve seen the importance the board provides to not only the highway department, but the sheriff’s office and all the other offices as well. They definitely make things turn and I’ve seen a lot of positives out of the highway department from the board and things they provided for us and helped us achieve,” said Weber. “I’ve learned a lot working for the highway department that I think will translate well into the board. I’m used to dealing with happy people and unhappy people and the biggest thing I’ve learned from that is just trying to keep your cool and listen...I’m not gonna beat around the bush and pretend I know the answer to something. If I don’t have the answer, I’m going to work to find out or find someone who can help you.”

Christy Bates - Keokuk County Auditor, Incumbent

Longtime Keokuk County Auditor Christy Bates is running for reelection. She has been the auditor for 24 years and stated that this will be her final term. “That’s a long time. It’s time to turn the reigns over.”

Over her years as an auditor, Bates has overseen improvements and projects at the courthouse including new windows, tuckpointing, roof repairs, sidewalk work, electrical work and an HVAC overhaul.

“I’ve loved it. I have. I’ve really enjoyed it,” said Bates. “I’ve worked with great people. Still do. It takes a team. The Auditor’s Office has a huge spectrum of duties, but there’s more responsibilities that end up in my lap just because of being the auditor. Somebody’s got to do it and I end up with it.”