Louie Zumbach not seeking re-election to Linn County Board of Supervisors this November

CEDAR RAPIDS — Louie Zumbach, a Republican from Coggon, announced Saturday he will not seek re-election this November to the seat representing District 3 on the Linn County Board of Supervisors “due to some soul searching and health issues.”

Instead, his daughter, Brandy Zumbach Meisheid, also a Republican from Coggon, will run for the seat and seek to represent Linn County.

It’s a shake-up in the race for the District 3 seat that represents Marion, Robins, Lisbon, Mount Vernon, Springville, Bertram, Prairieburg, Coggon, Central City, Alburnett, Center Point and Walker, as well as most unincorporated rural areas of Linn County. Supervisors earn a salary of about $130,091 and serve four-year terms.

Zumbach said he considered these health issues the “second shot across the bow.” If he were re-elected, he’d serve another five years in office to finish out a second term through 2027. A former state lawmaker, farmer and small-business owner, he was elected to the supervisors in 2020 after he represented District 95 in the Iowa House since 2016.

“My wife and I just thought about it and decided there’s things we'd like to do and we'd like to do them while we’re able to,” Zumbach said. “By the time I’m in my mid 60s, maybe some of the people we want to see and visit might not be around. Deb and I re-evaluated our lives and we have the opportunity to elect a much different generation of Republican supervisors … I hope that people in District 3 support her.”

Although there first will be a party primary in June for the partisan roles, so far the only known opponent is state Sen. Molly Donahue, D-Cedar Rapids. Donahue launched her bid for the seat in November.

Zumbach Meisheid, who lives on the family farm in Coggon, said she was inspired to run and continue her father’s legacy after helping him run his last three campaigns and watching him serve in office. She said it wasn’t a hard decision, but it was one that “we definitely had to think on as a family.”

“It's really instilled a value of service in me and wanting to carry that legacy on — both because I think my dad has done a great job, but also I think that I have something to offer as a younger generation candidate,” Zumbach Meisheid said. “I'm a mother of two, so I want to be able to keep the values that I feel are important around for my children.”

For instance, Zumbach said he doesn’t have child care issues, but his own children do, so Zumbach Meisheid could bring a different perspective to office as a younger candidate.

Zumbach Meisheid said representing Linn County’s small towns and rural areas is important to her, as well as improving roads and support for mental health.

If elected, she’d serve as the lone Republican on a majority-Democrat board with Supervisors Ben Rogers and Kirsten Running-Marquardt.

Asked how she’d work with her Democratic colleagues to implement her priorities, Zumbach Meisheid said, “It's important that regardless of who sits on the Board of Supervisors that we are … listening to our constituents. I hope when elected, we’re able to continue to collaborate and do what’s best for Linn County. I do hope to bring a conservative approach to the board.”

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