Special election will determine who fills Johnson County Board of Supervisors vacancy

Contributed

Contributed

Jordan Prochnow, News Reporter

A committee voted Thursday 2-1 to hold a special election on Dec. 18 to fill the vacancy left on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors after Kurt Friese’s death.

County Treasurer Tom Kriz voted against holding the special election.

Friese died on Oct. 26. His position on the board was not up for grabs in Tuesday’s midterm election; Iowa Code prevents special elections from being held on the three Tuesdays before or after primary and general elections.

Janelle Rettig and Pat Heiden secured seats on the board after Tuesday’s election. Rettig, the incumbent, received 62 percent of votes while Heiden received 57 percent. They garnered the most votes during the Democratic primary in June.

It is not known at the time how much the special election will cost or when the person who is elected will start. The person will fill the remainder of Friese’s term, which was set to end in 2020.