Rettig wins Johnson County special election

IOWA CITY - For the second time in three months, Democrat Janelle Rettig has won a seat on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors - and she may have two more election contests this year.

Amid low voter turnout, Rettig on Tuesday outpaced Republican Lori Cardella and independent Jim Knapp in a special election to replace Larry Meyers, who died in September.

Rettig took 58 percent of the vote, compared with Cardella's 39 percent and Knapp's 3 percent, according to final preliminary results from the Johnson County Auditor's Office.

A total of 9,708 people voted for a turnout rate of 10.99 percent, according to the Auditor's Office.

The results are unofficial until the canvass of votes Tuesday.

Rettig was appointed to the seat in late October and has been serving on the five-member board since then. Cardella helped lead a petition drive to require the special election.

The seat is up for its regular election in November, along with the one held by board Chairwoman Sally Stutsman, and all three special election candidates have said they plan to run again. Primary elections are in June.

If Tuesday was any indication, Cardella and Knapp have a challenge ahead of them.

“I think they call it the Democratic machine,” said Cardella, of rural Solon, who collected 3,756 votes.

A Republican has not served as a Johnson County supervisor since 1962, but Cardella said it was not impossible for a Republican to win elected office here.

“Our party has certainly strengthened bonds, and we feel very good about the cohesiveness of the group moving forward,” she said.

Rettig's appointment rubbed some people the wrong way, and Rettig said she was glad to have the backing of the voters.

“I think it's always a good thing to gather the voters and ask for their support,” said Rettig, of Iowa City.

She received 5,589 votes. To carry this momentum over to the June primary, Rettig said she'd need to “do a good job and listen to people and get out there and meet people and hear what's on their minds.”

Knapp, of Iowa City, collected 331 votes.

Auditor Tom Slockett estimated the election would cost $75,000, although the actual amount won't be known for a few weeks.