If you're a resident who is eligible to vote in a general election, you're an eligible candidate for the Woodbury County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) board. In Iowa, Conservation Districts are managed by five commissioners elected on the general ballot to serve four-year terms with no more than one commissioner per township. With assistance from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship-Division of Soil Conservation and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, commissioners address the natural resource issues that are most critical in their districts.
Candidates for commissioner are elected in even numbers years with no political party designated. Townships open in the 2008 election are: Banner, Concord, Floyd, Grange, Grant, Kedron, Lakeport, Liberty, Liston, Little Sioux, Morgan, Oto, Rock, Rutland, Sloan, Union, West Fork, Wolf Creek, and Woodbury. The next general election will be November 4, 2008, and will have three commissioner positions on the ballot. If elected, you will take an oath of office January 2, 2009.
District boards are seeking more diversity in their representation. Studies have shown that where minorities and/or women are represented on boards in proportion to their presence in the area, program participation by these groups increased. Districts offer services without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, political beliefs or marital status. To help broaden interest in district programs and bring different perspectives, districts encourage members from these groups to consider serving as a soil and water conservation district commissioner. Contact the district's office for more information, 712-943-6727, 206 First St., Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054-0725.