Incumbent Jon Green and newcomer V Fixmer-Oraiz advance in close Johnson County supervisors primary

IOWA CITY — Incumbent Supervisor Jon Green and newcomer V Fixmer-Oraiz on Tuesday won the Democratic primary for seats on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors.

They will face Republican candidates Jammie Bradshaw of Lone Tree and Phil Hemingway of rural Johnson County in the Nov. 8 general election.

Green received 69 percent of the vote, and Fixmer-Oraiz received 67 percent. Seth Zimmermann, the third Democrat in the race, followed close behind with 64 percent of the vote.

Green, 39, is seeking his first full term on the five-member board. Green was elected last June in a special election to fill the seat vacated by former Supervisor Janelle Rettig, who resigned for health reasons.

Green, the former mayor of Lone Tree, said he has learned a lot in his time on the board but thinks he needs a full term to accomplish what’s important to him.

He said his priorities, if re-elected, are continuing to focus on the county’s projects funded by American Rescue Plan Act dollars and getting the funds disbursed over the coming years.

Green also wants to continue to make Johnson County government accessible and easier to understand so it’s easier for residents to get involved.

Fixmer-Oraiz, 43, has lived in Johnson County for the last decade. Fixmer-Oraiz said they have always been interested in public policy and serving the community.

They are the founder and CEO of Astig Planning, a community and environmental planning firm in Iowa City, that works with municipalities and community members.

Fixmer-Oraiz lists their five main priorities as inclusive economic development; affordable housing; racial equity and LGBTQ+ inclusion; connectivity and mobility; and COVID-19 recovery.

"As a nonbinary trans person and then also as a queer person of color, I definitely have a different perspective and different lived experiences,“ Fixmer-Oraiz previously told The Gazette. ”I do think it's important to have people in positions of leadership so that our next generation can see themselves.“

Supervisors will make $89,129 in fiscal 2023, which begins July 1.

Comments: (319) 339-3155; izabela.zaluska@thegazette.com