In the Spring of 2016, I was on the fence about how I could help assure my then 13-year-old son would have the best opportunity to live and thrive in Hardin County. I saw a means of bringing another generation back to the farm where my Yantis roots started when my grandfather came to Hardin County from Queen City, Missouri after the turn of the 20th century. That 13-year-old son is now in his final weeks before graduation at Ellsworth Community College where he’s receiving an amazing college experience and will receive a degree in May and if all goes well he’ll stay in the County to pursue a career.
Now as a two-term Hardin County Supervisor who has been blessed with two amazing colleagues on the board along with tremendously hardworking, dedicated, and trustworthy elected officials and department heads, I believe we’ve moved the needle forward in Hardin County for the better.
In the past seven years, we’ve worked hard and:
Reduced the property tax levy by 52 cents/$1000 when the State took back mental health funding while other counties let the levy remain the same and kept taxing their residents.
I championed the push for constitutional protections for Hardin County to be a Second Amendment Sanctuary County even when I was scolded and told it would turn Hardin County into the Wild West. It hasn’t become the Wild West and people appreciate their God-given rights being protected.
As the Chairman of the Central Iowa Community Services Mental Health region, I was able to lead the charge to allocate $15 million to the Youth and Shelter Services, Ember project that will provide 70 mental health crisis beds to Iowa youth in need.
I’m proud of the fact that Hardin County has implemented the hiring of our own Economic Development Director and the position with board support has been able to make significant strides in local small and large-scale development projects.
In the last seven years serving as a Drainage District Trustee for well over 200 districts, we have made significant strides in processes and procedures that reduce costs for the landowners in drainage districts. This includes wetlands (CREP) projects that are a critical part of water quality management.
I was highly engaged at the State level as a member of the Iowa Board of Nursing and was able to utilize my 20+ years of healthcare experience to make nursing as safe, patient-centered focused, and as fiscally feasible for new nurses to work in nursing in the State of Iowa.
My support of our law enforcement officers was unparalleled as I spent countless days at the Iowa State Capitol lobbying for the passage of the Back the Blue bill as the negative sentiment and disrespect for law enforcement grew across the Country. I also appreciated being part of a very equitable collective bargaining agreement with the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office that provides top-notch law enforcement to Hardin County residents and guests.
Now I’ll lobby alongside educators, parents and taxpayers to prevent Area Education Agencies from having services violently ripped apart while hoping that policy makers and experts will use surgical precision to improve processes and streamline services.
Lastly, during a worldwide pandemic, I worked at both the State, County and Local levels to protect personal and religious freedoms while fostering an environment that gave parents the right to make choices for their children in their best interest. As a County, we worked hard to maintain continuity of operations and didn’t push mandates upon our team without knowing the long-term consequences and impacts on health and safety.
On June 4, 2024 I look forward to earning Hardin County Republican votes in the primary election. In the meantime I look forward to: working to assure constitutional protections with guidance from our legal experts, working to craft a budget that fits into the State mandated reduced budget, working to have the State transition the Boys State Training School to the Iowa Department of Corrections so the State Training School staff members can go to work and return home safely, fight to bring additional State funding into support the current unfunded mandates, and work to preserve the principles of production agriculture that Hardin County is known for.
Finally, I want to help grow Hardin County through responsible Economic Development. I believe we can do that but we can’t let Hardin County become, “New York’s plaything” or “California’s playground”.
Hardin County has an opportunity for socially and culturally appropriate growth based on the foundations of our rich history, heritage and Judeo-Christian beliefs and I plan to guide it while remembering those who came before me.
