Petition deadlines elapse for county auditor, supervisor appointments
Jan. 21—Despite early interest in holding special elections after a new county auditor and county supervisor were appointed to vacant seats, there have been no petitions filed with the required 1,502 signatures received by the auditor's office, Newton Daily News confirmed on the morning of Jan. 18.
Residents had 14 days from the time the new county auditor was appointed on Jan. 3 to petition a special election. The deadline was Jan. 17.
Which also means the deadline to petition the appointment of county supervisor Denny Stevenson has also long passed. That deadline was Jan. 10. However, the appointment of Jenna Jennings to county auditor, if successfully petitioned, would have triggered a special election for the supervisor seat as well.
However, the supervisor seat is still volatile. For instance a countywide special election — like a bond referendum — would put the seat on the ballot. Parties would then select their candidates, who would be allotted time to campaign for the seat. Otherwise, Stevenson will likely serve for a total of two years.
