Linn County Supervisor Ben Rogers announces re-election bid

CEDAR RAPIDS — Linn County Supervisor Ben Rogers announced he is running for re-election.

Rogers, a 42-year-old Democrat, was first elected in 2008, when the board expanded from three members to five.

“I am running for re-election to continue my efforts in improving quality of life for all Linn County residents, streamlining the business of government to be more efficient and effective and maintaining Linn County’s AAA bond rating,” Rogers told The Gazette on Tuesday.

He was re-elected in 2012 and 2016. Then when the board was reduced from five members to three, all supervisor seats were up for election again in 2018. He was re-elected that year, too.

Rogers, of Cedar Rapids, would see a slight change in his district if re-elected. Last month, the supervisors approved a new redistricting map, and District 2 will include the east side of Cedar Rapids as well as Hiawatha. The district currently includes Robins and Monroe Township as well.

“With the upcoming retirement of several county elected officials and department heads, one supervisor with less than two years on the job and a brand-new supervisor replacing Stacey Walker, it is important to have someone on the board who knows how Linn County government works and can draw on past experiences to continue to move Linn County forward,” Rogers said.

Rogers earned his master’s in strategic leadership from Mount Mercy University last year.

He spearheaded the creation of Linn County’s Mental Health Access Center, which opened last year.

“The Access Center has saved lives and is a safe space for people with mental health and substance use disorders to access services when they need it most,” Rogers said.

In collaboration with the city of Cedar Rapids, Rogers was a major figure in purchasing a building for the new permanent overflow homeless shelter.

Currently, Rogers is leading a group to create an access center for children and families in an attempt to divert juveniles from entering into the court system.

“The mental health of our children and families have been under tremendous strain since COVID-19, and having a service similar to the Access Center is a service that is desperately needed in our community,” he said.

Rogers is the first candidate to announce any campaign for the District 2 seat he currently holds.

However, three candidates have announced campaigns for the soon-to-be-open District 1 seat held by Supervisor Stacey Walker. Walker announced last October that he would not seek re-election. The redrawn district will include west Cedar Rapids as well as Fairfax, Walford and Ely.

Six-term former Supervisor James Houser, 68, announced his run for the District 1 seat at the end of February.

Kirsten Running-Marquardt, the Democratic state representative for District 69, also announced last month she would be running for the District 1 seat. Running-Marquardt, 44, has been a state legislator for 13 years.

Breanna Oxley, 30, a Democrat and teacher at Roosevelt Middle School, announced her campaign in October. Oxley is the granddaughter of the county administration building’s namesake — Jean Oxley, the first woman to serve on the board and the longest-serving member.

Linn County supervisors handle a budget of over $150 million, and each supervisor makes $119,198 a year.

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