Thursday, January 31, 2013

Democrats Nominate Dahms

Johnson County Democrats nominated their chair, Terry Dahms, as their candidate for the March 5 special election for county supervisor.

With 113 delegates on hand, Dahms just cleared the 50% requirement on the first ballot with 58 votes. Dawn Suter won 30 votes and party vice chair Mike Carberry won 25. A fourth potential candidate, Cedar Township trustee Ron O'Neil, decided not to run.

Via Facebook, Carberry congratulated and endorsed Dahms, and said "I may run again in a few years for another office or maybe this one. I will remain an active Democrat in electing Democrats up and down the ticket." UPDATE: Wednesday morning Suter also posted her support of Dahms, saying "he'll be a great supervisor."

Republicans have scheduled a convention for February 6, the day before the filing deadline. John Etheredge, who ran for supervisor as an independent last year, is the only publically announced Republican candidate.

The special election is to fill the vacancy left when Sally Stutsman resigned mid-term after winning election to the Iowa House. Stutsman brought things full circle by chairing tonight's convention.

A few unfiltered live thoughts below:
 
6:11 PM and Sign in starting at special nominating convention at NW Jr High.Twitter will be the main medium tonight but will update here as I can.

At the moment my perspective is limited; I'm in the credentials bunker doing data entry.

7:11 PM - still in credentials bunker - a science classroom, actually - as Secretary of State candidate Brad Anderson speaks. Alternate seating beginning. New IDP chair Tyler Olson is here. Electeds spotted: Dvorsky Jacoby Stutsman Sullivan Rettig Neuzil Pulkrabek Gross.

(The teacher was still in the classroom after 6 PM as credentials and rules moved in. And that was on "early out" day, so four hours after the kids went home. Thanks, teachers. He assured me there was no acid on the counter. There is, however, one very scary looking beaker that I'm not going to touch.)

7:36 PM and seating is done, with 113 delegates seated.

741 and I've been released to the convention hall. Sally Stutsman, who made this evening possible by winning her legislative election, is convention chair. Nominations proceed quickly: Carberry, Dahms, Suter. O'Neil did not follow through. Carberry speaks first, Dahms second. Not sure if the speeches matter much at a thing like this, it's more a who shows up thing. I'm not betting the beret on who wins this. (I'm not actually wearing it either.)

This is my sixth special nomination convention but the first I've been able to vote in that was seriously contested. Two of them were not contested at all. We had a hot one for a legislative seat in 2003, but not my district.
1994: State Senate and House
1994 again: Supervisor
1997: Recorder
1999: Supervisor
2003: State House (not my district)
2009: Supervisor
and tonight
This is why it's really really important to get on that delegate/alternate list on caucus night. Especially for this one, because we expected this a year and a half ago as soon as Sally announced for the House.

We've bypassed Q and A; straight to voting.

RESULTS Terry Dahms 58 Suter 30 Carberry 25

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