Green’s history of politics in Johnson County
October 9, 2022
Green can typically be found with his dog Rosco and sporting a rustic cowboy look. Although he has not had a farmer in his direct lineage for about a century, he has always been farmer adjacent with a connection to more historically and geographically conservative communities. The look was inspired by his grandpa.
Green’s experience with Johnson County politics goes back further than his most recent success in a 2021 special election for county supervisor. From 2018-19, Green served a two-year term as mayor of Lone Tree — the same place he said he visited as kid with a carload of empty gallon milk jugs to take water out of city parks because his family home in Nichols lacked a functioning well.
When he was mayor of Lone Tree, Green made $1,000 per year. This meant Green continued working as an IT infrastructure analyst to pay bills.
“At the end of the term, I was both exhausted and frustrated because I felt like the job deserved more time than I was able to give to it,” Green said.
His positions as mayor and supervisor required him to stay close to the community, Green said.
“You can see the value of your work every day. And it’s also Johnson County, which is a hell of a lot larger than Lone Tree is, but it’s still small enough that you actually get to elbow with your constituents all the time,” Green said.
Although Green sits as the incumbent in the upcoming election, he has only served on the board of supervisors since June 2021 when he won a special election after Janelle Rettig left office. Supervisors serve four-year terms.
Timeline by Jami Martin-Trainor/The Daily Iowan