Johnson County supervisor candidate withdraws

Mike Dooley has withdrawn his candidacy for the Nov. 2 Johnson County Board of Supervisors election.

Dooley, an independent, stepped out of the race with a handwritten note submitted to the Auditor's Office Thursday night, Auditor Tom Slockett said.

Dooley, who lives in rural Solon, filed his nomination petition earlier this week and it was accepted by the Auditor's Office. But Slockett said several signatures should have been rejected, which would have put Dooley below the number of signatures required by law.

Slockett said the Auditor's Office could take no immediate action because it had accepted the petition, but any Johnson County resident eligible to vote in the Nov. 2 election could have challenged the petition and it is unlikely Dooley's candidacy would have been upheld.

Only Democrats have served on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors since 1962, so Dooley was a long shot at best.

Democrats Sally Stutsman and Janelle Rettig, both incumbents, are now the only candidates for the two open seats on the board.