Trio of contested county races expected this cycle

More than 30 county-level offices will be on the ballot this November for area voters, but only three of those races will see any competition at the ballot box.

A pair of seats on the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors are up for grabs this cycle. Democratic incumbent Supervisor Shirley Vermace filed papers to maintain the District 3 seat on the board, and she’ll face off against Republican challenger Dan Hovden on Election Day. Republican incumbent Supervisor Dan Langreck — the board’s current chair — also filed for reelection in the race for the District 4 seat. He is up against a bid from independent candidate Cheryl Wieseler.

Vermace, Hovden and Langreck each ran unopposed in their respective primary races in June — Vermace received 71 votes of support, Hovden tallied 39 votes and Langreck garnered 41 votes, according to information from the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office.

Local voters will also be tasked with narrowing a field of four candidates for county hospital trustee to just three individuals. Candidates Karen P. McLean, Clark Goltz, Christopher Miculinich and Jan Heikes have all filed candidacy papers. Heikes, Goltz and McLean all currently serve as hospital trustees, and Miculinich currently serves as the city councilman for Decorah’s Ward 2 — his term on the city council is set to expire in December of 2027.

https://www.driftlessjournal.com/news/trio-of-contested-county-races-expected-this-cycle