Kirsten Running-Marquardt tapped as chair of Linn County supervisors

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Linn County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday appointed Supervisor Kirsten Running-Marquardt as chair of the three-member board for 2024. She succeeds Republican Louie Zumbach, who was chairman of the board in 2023.

Running-Marquardt, a Democrat, represents District 1 that encompasses west Cedar Rapids, Fairfax, Walford and Ely, as well as unincorporated Linn County west of the Cedar River. She was elected in 2022 four a four-year term through 2026.

Running-Marquardt graduated from LaSalle High School, attended Kirkwood Community College and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and her master’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa. She lives on the west side of Cedar Rapids.

Supervisor Ben Rogers, also a Democrat, was appointed vice chair of the board. Rogers first was elected in 2008, when the board expanded from three members to five, then in 2012 and 2016, and in 2018 when all supervisor seats were on the ballot amid the board’s reduction from five to three members. He was most recently elected in 2022.

Rogers, from Cedar Rapids, received a bachelor’s from the UI and earned a master’s from Mount Mercy University in strategic leadership. He represents District 2 that includes the east side of Cedar Rapids and Hiawatha.

Supervisor Louie Zumbach, a Republican, served as board chair in 2023.

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