SERGEANT BLUFF, Iowa - Mark Monson announced that he will seek re-election to the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors. He made the announcement in the Woodbury County Courthouse rotunda.
In his second term, Monson will continue to promote efficiency in all county facilities and services, including jail and juvenile detention centers. “Programs developed by the county have kept numbers down and manageable,” he said. “We must continue our efforts, in cooperation with the community, to effectively manage our facilities.”
Monson will continue to make rural economic development a priority, saying that agriculture is the county’s major industry. He also will continue to push for opportunities that will keep young people in Woodbury County.
“We must develop new programs that give our youth a reason to stay here rather than moving away. Young people are this county’s most important resource,” said Monson who is a Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, resident.
Monson has been part of exceptional improvements in county government during his first term. The ongoing progress, however, must be supported by long-range plans developed for all departments, he said. “We need more predictability in county expenditures and that will come only if we develop long-range plans. That’s one of my goals and that’s why I’m asking for the opportunity to continue serve Woodbury County citizens.”
In addition to serving on the Board of Supervisors, Monson has represented Woodbury County on more than a dozen boards, commissions and committees during the last three years. He is president of Missouri River Historical Development, Inc. (MRHD) and a member of the Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center Board. Gov. Tom Vilsack appointed Monson to the Iowa Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Commission of which Monson served as chair.
Monson holds a master’s degree in speech pathology from University of South Dakota; and a bachelor’s degree and specialist’s degree in administration from Wayne State College, Wayne, Neb. After teaching high school for two years in Emerson, Neb., he joined the Woodbury County Schools in 1971. Area Education Agencies replaced the county schools in 1975. Monson became a supervisor in 1978. For more than 26 years he supervised numerous education programs. He retired after 35 years of service in education.
Monson and his wife, Judy, have two grown children, Mathew and Jodie, and three grandchildren. Judy is a longtime Sergeant Bluff pre-school teacher employed by the Sergeant Bluff-Luton Community School District.