Scott County Iowa Vacancy Appointment Committee 2022 Tompkins Knobbe Vargas

In 2023, Dr Allen Diercks and former Scott County Supervisor Diane Holst enlisted Attorney Mike Meloy's expertise in a lawsuit to force transparency on the part of of our elected public officials with respect to the people's representation. I can't encourage and urge people enough to read the case documents for a great lesson in how government service is supposed to work according to law, but how said service often goes awry.

Iowa Supreme Court Case No. 23–1729 Oral Arguments - Mike Melloy for Plaintiffs Diercks & Holst w Kr

The Iowa Supreme Court has reversed a lower court decision and ruled that the public should have access to county-supervisor applications maintained by Scott County. (Full ruling available at IowaCourts.gov/courtcases/21492/embed/SupremeCourtOpinion.) The case involves the Scott County Board of Supervisors, which experienced a midterm vacancy in December 2022 when one member resigned.

Scott County Iowa 2024 General Election Sample Ballot Screenshot

Auditor Tompkins did not respond to our requests to participate in this printed forum. The invitation was extended for Tompkins to provide her responses by October 10, 2024, and we will supplement this article at our Web site with her responses. Tompkins has responded to none of the questions published in the September 2024 print edition and published online here Who Has Access and/or Control of County Election Data Before, During, and After an Election?, nor any of the questions provided below.  

Scott County has purchased all-new election equipment and software for the upcoming, highly contentious 2024 election. It is fair to say that the purchase was fast-tracked in 2023 with approval by the Scott County Board of Supervisors, even though relevant concerns and questions from the public were not addressed, let alone satisfied.

2024 Scott County Primary Election Candidate Questionnaires

In keeping with the Reader's tradition during primary season, we are publishing a candidate questionnaire for each of the three Scott County offices on the ballot this election year. The following questions were emailed to the candidates below. The unedited responses will be published at the Reader's website May 8 through May 10, and then again in print on May 23, 2024, when the June Reader print edition hits the streets.

Scott County Appointments to Elected Offices Keep Records Secret and Not Transparent

When public officers are appointed to positions by a bureaucracy or by fellow elected officials versus elected by the people, there is often a distinct lack of transparency that accompanies the process that can be antithesis to the public interest.

Tenex Precinct Atlas Poll Book Electronic Signature Capture

How did the Scott County Auditor and Supervisors fast track the most expensive pollbook vendor pricing to eliminate the incumbent system during a general election year? 

Scott County Iowa Board of Supervisors Committee of the Whole Meeting Nov 21.2023

For 30 years, the Reader has memorialized in print and online how nearly all local, state, and national legislators, staff within executive agencies, and jurists, regardless of political party, have epically failed in representing the electorates' interests and Constitutionally protected inalienable rights they swore to uphold as mandated by their oath of office.