Linn County supervisor Langston stepping down earlier than originally planned

CEDAR RAPIDS - With nine months left on her final term as Linn County supervisor, Linda Langston has announced she will be resigning early.

Langston, 62, said Thursday she is resigning from the five-member county board. Her final day will be April 15.

Three days later on April 18, Langston begins her new job as director of strategic relations with the National Association of Counties in Washington, D.C., an organization she has been involved with for several years. She served as NACo president in 2013-2014.

'It's a great opportunity for me and I'm excited,” Langston said. 'I feel bad about stepping down, but I'm excited about my new adventure.”

Langston, the only woman on the board, is the District 2 Supervisor. She had announced in February that she did not intend to seek re-election.

Cedar Rapids Democrats Stacey Walker - whom Langston has already endorsed - and Dick Hogan have announced candidacy for the District 2 seat for the upcoming June primary.

With her resignation, a county committee - consisting of the county auditor, treasurer and recorder - will convene to decide if they will appoint a new supervisor to fill Langston's seat, or host a special election.

Auditor Joel Miller, who received a formal resignation from Langston Thursday, questioned Langston's timing - her resignation was formally announced the day after the filing deadline for county candidates in the upcoming primary.

Miller said announcing after that deadline discourages prospective candidates from filing.

'Had she announced her resignation while the filing period was still open, I think more people would have decided to run,” Miller said Thursday. 'That's speculation, but I do think there was a reason she didn't announce until today.”

Langston denied any strategy to her resignation announcement, adding that her timing was based on convenience.

'This is actually suiting my schedule, not anyone else's ... I'm stepping down just before I start another job,” Langston said. 'If I wanted to architect this, I would have waited until May 1.”

Miller said he scheduled a meeting with County Recorder Joan McCalmant and County Treasurer Sharon Gonzalez for 10 a.m. Monday in the Jean Oxley Public Service Center, 935 Second St. S.W. If a special election is the chosen route, that decision needs to be made by April 8 to provide enough time to host the public vote before the June 7 primary, Miller said.

If an appointment is made, the public could still call for a special election through a petition of signatures.

Miller said he will seek a more formal cost estimate, but said a special election - which would open a new filing period for prospective candidates - for District 2 voters could cost around $50,000.

Whether the next supervisor is appointed or elected, Langston's seat will be up for vote in this November election. Linn County Supervisors make about $106,000 a year.

With her new job, Langston will be involved in matters of NACo membership, leadership development and strategic outreach.

'We are excited that Linda will leverage her vast experience in county government to strengthen NACo's membership development and strategic outreach,” Matthew Chase, NACo's executive director said in a Thursday NACo news release. 'As a former NACo president, she brings unique perspectives on NACo's value to counties across the country and our leadership position at the national level. We look forward to continuing to work with Linda in this new capacity.”

Langston has served as NACo's Health Steering Committee chair, Healthy Counties Advisory Board chair, Finance Standing Committee chair and Arts and Culture Commission chair.