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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Sami Scheetz appointed to Linn County Board of Supervisors
Outgoing Democratic state legislator will represent District 2 on three-person board
Apr. 1, 2025 2:06 pm, Updated: Apr. 1, 2025 4:43 pm
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CEDAR RAPIDS — Outgoing state legislator Sami Scheetz has been tapped to represent District 2 on the Linn County Board of Supervisors.
Scheetz was selected Tuesday from a panel of four finalists to fill the empty District 2 seat, which represents parts of eastern Cedar Rapids and a portion of Hiawatha. He replaces 16-year Democratic officeholder Ben Rogers.
Scheetz served most recently as a Democratic state representative for Iowa House District 78 and has a background in community organizing and labor negotiations. He resigned from his state role Tuesday, shortly after his supervisor appointment.
He said he was driven to apply for the board out of a desire to advocate for District 2 residents and push Linn County forward. He highlighted the county budget as one priority area, as well as navigating a swiftly changing political landscape to ensure the continuation of quality county services.
“The people in this community are basically like family to me,” Scheetz, a Cedar Rapids native, said after his appointment. “I’m just grateful to have the opportunity to serve them and I’m looking forward to discussions I’ll be able to have with people in the district about what they’d like to see.”
Scheetz was one of four finalists — all Democrats — selected from the pool of 17 applicants to try for Rogers’ position. Other finalists included:
- Anne Harris Carter, of Cedar Rapids, Linn County health equity program manager
- Margaret “Molly” Jessen, of Cedar Rapids, human resources analyst at Linn County
- Joan McCalmant, of Hiawatha, retired Linn County recorder
The finalists were selected by the Committee of County Officers — made up of Auditor Todd Taylor, Recorder Carolyn Siebrecht and Treasurer Brent Oleson, all Democrats — and public interviews were conducted Monday.
The committee met Tuesday to discuss the interviews and make their final recommendation. Each candidate drew praise from committee members, although it was ultimately Scheetz who received unanimous support.
During deliberations, Oleson commended the 28-year-old Scheetz for his “passion and youthful zeal” and expressed confidence that Scheetz’s experience in the state legislature would serve him well on the Board of Supervisors.
Siebrecht and Taylor echoed that sentiment and noted Scheetz’s “acute awareness” of the pressures and challenges of elected office.
“I felt Sami had a productive interview and accentuated his positives of being a state legislator with deep knowledge of a wide range of public issues,” Oleson said. “He demonstrated that he would be committed to the position on a full-time basis and has the wherewithal to sink his teeth into educating himself (on the role).”
Scheetz was sworn in Tuesday afternoon, and he will join the board Wednesday for its weekly formal session and a public hearing on the county’s budget statement. The other two board members are Democrat Kirsten Running-Marquardt and Republican Brandy Z. Meisheid.
Linn County Supervisors are paid an annual salary of $135,294.43.
Petition could still force a special election
The now-concluded appointment process took place in the shadow of a looming change to state law around how supervisor vacancies can be filled.
State legislators this year passed a law that would require Board of Supervisors vacancies in counties with more than 125,000 residents to be filled via special election if more than 70 days remain in the term.
The bill is headed to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk for approval, although she has yet to sign it into law. The bill would go into effect immediately upon her signature, but it would not apply retroactively to Scheetz’s appointment.
Without knowing if or when Reynolds might sign the bill, the Committee of County Offices was faced with carrying out an appointment process that could find itself defunct half way through. While that did not occur, Scheetz still faces one possible challenge.
His Tuesday appointment initiated a 14-day period when a petition — bearing 4,125 signatures of eligible electors — could be submitted to force a special election. In that case, Scheetz would serve on the board on an interim basis until an election can be held.
He already has indicated his intention to run in a special election for the board position, if necessary, and said he would run for re-election at the end of Rogers’ unexpired term in 2026.
Regardless, a special election will be held to fill Scheetz’s former District 78 House seat given his Tuesday resignation. Scheetz was last elected to the position in 2024, and the term runs through 2026.
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