Voters approve councils, school boards across Jones County

By Nick Joos

Express Editor

Monticello’s municipal leadership will see minimal turnover following the Nov. 4 school/city election. 

In the lone contested race in Monticello, all three Council members seeking reelection were retained by voters. Josh Brenneman, Candy Langerman and Dave Goedken retained their at-large seats on the council after garnering 271, 227 and 219 votes, respectively. Other candidates running for the seats were Ben Duehr, who received 206 votes, and Brenda Hanken, who earned 115.

All vote totals are unofficial until canvasses conducted by the Jones County Supervisors take place Nov. 12 and Nov. 18.
Come January, Monticello will have a new mayor after current mayor Wayne Peach opted to not seek reelection. The lone name on the ballot to replace Peach was current council member Jake Ellwood.

Ellwood, who has sat on the council for two years, will vacate his council seat upon being sworn in as mayor. 

Ellwood said he appreciates the support he received during the election, in which he earned 338 votes. Seven write-in votes for mayor were also tallied.

“I appreciate the fact that everyone thinks highly enough of me to elect me,” Ellwood told the Express.

The mayor-elect said he wants to push the development of affordable housing in Monticello and considers it a “big” issue. 

He said the current development of future housing ground along South Main Street on the Stephens property is a step in the right direction. 

“We worked with Northridge and helped them get 12 lots opened up out there, and we’re moving forward on Stephens,” Ellwood said. “Getting those two projects off the ground is big.”

He said he also hopes to see the development of minimum maintenance codes for Monticello’s downtown district. 

“We need some standards on what our downtown needs to be,” Ellwood said. 

He referenced the building at 123 E. First Street, which an engineer this summer deemed “critically unstable. The building’s owner, Joel Robinson, said in July that he intends to repair the structure and is seeking the funds to do so.

“I’m talking about standard codes on building maintenance so we don’t fall into things like (123 S. First St.), which is currently falling down,” Ellwood said.

Ellwood said one of his main goals is to keep underway projects moving, like the Stephens development and a project to overhaul the Sixth Street ditch. City officials are currently working to obtain easements to facilitate the project. 

“Let’s just keep moving,” Ellwood said. “That’s my biggest thing, is we need to put pressure on these things to get them off our plates so we can move on to other projects.”

In another Monticello race, all three candidates running for seats on the Monticello School Board were elected. Mandy Norton and Craig Stadtmueller were reelected, and J. Creighton Randolph was elected. Current board member Mark Rieken did not seek reelection. 

Midland measure passes

An extension of the Midland Community School District physical plant and equipment levy of 67 cents per $1,000 of taxable property value was approved by voters. 

The measure passed with 187 votes in favor and 115 opposed in Jones County, 23 in favor and 9 opposed in Jackson County and 58 in favor and 57 against in Clinton County. 

The measure extends the current PPEL levy for another 10 years beginning July 1, 2026. 

“We are truly grateful for our community’s continued trust and partnership. Renewing the PPEL allows us to maintain safe, modern and efficient facilities; upgrade technology; and keep our transportation fleet reliable — all without impacting classroom instruction or staff funding. This renewal ensures that Midland students continue to learn in environments that support their success,” said the district’s superintendent, Doug Koerperich, in an emailed statement. 

Other races

• Martelle: Roxanne Tapken was elected to the city council.

• Morley: Daniel VanFossen was elected mayor; Amber Peterson and Stevi Grother were elected to the council. Three other council seats remain open, and 10 write-in votes were received.

• Olin: Zach Borst was elected mayor; 72-write-in votes were received and two council seats are open. 

• Olin Consolidated School District: Joel Ahrendsen and Mikayla Miller were elected to board seats. 

• Onslow: Lennie Miller was elected mayor; Randy Lange was elected to the council. One seat remains open, and 14 write-in votes were tallied. Forty votes were also received to fill a vacancy on the council. 

• Oxford Junction: Brandy Hartwig was elected mayor. Seven candidates ran for three seats on the council. Winners were: Robert E. Hines (61 votes), Josh Nicely (50) and Jeffrey L. Carstensen (38). 

• Wyoming: Steve Agnitsch was elected mayor; Kyle Huston, Kevin Leonard and Lee Scott were elected to the council. 

• Midland School District: Kirk Dosland, James Sterling Graves, Dustin Klein and Jason Sullivan were elected to the school board. Thirty-three write-in votes were also received to fill a vacancy. 

• Keith Stamp was elected as director for Kirkwood Community College District 1. Gary McAndrew was elected as director for Northeast Iowa Community College District 6.