Courthouse Races Mostly Settled

It was overshadowed by sales tax language, but the county filing deadline passed Wednesday and three of the four courthouse races are uncontested.

Janet Lyness won renomination with 69% over challenger John Zimmerman in the June Democratic primary, and the loss seems to have driven Zimmerman right out of the state. Gregg Hennigan reports that Zimmerman has taken a public defender job in Missouri. In any case, Janet's win was convincing enough to deter any other rivals and she will begin a third term in January.

Also uncontested are treasurer Tom Kriz and recorder Kim Painter, also Democrats.

That means the only courthouse race is the supervisor contest for two seats. Republicans only nominated one candidate, incumbent John Etheredge. He faces a very different electoral climate than the low turnout race he won in March 2013. In a hotly contested, very partisan general election year, he starts as an underdog against the two Democrats, fellow incumbent Janelle Rettig and challenger Mike Carberry.

In late surprises, two cities with special elections on the November ballot will see contested races. In North Liberty, appointed mayor Gerry Kuhl is being challenged by Amy Nielsen, who applied for the council vacancy created by Kuhl's appointment as mayor.

Theory: after the bitterly divided era of North Liberty city politics during Dave Franker's tenure as mayor, Tom Salm was the anchor that held the city together. With Salm's sudden death, city factions are sorting themselves out again...

In Solon, city council appointee Steve Duncan is being challenged by Kevin Samek, who served on the council 2003-07.