THE BEARD IS ON THE BALLOT

One of the incumbents running for re-election to the Jasper County Board of Supervisors has been chosen as one of the Republican nominees in November, according to preliminary results of the 2022 primary election posted by the county auditor’s office on June 7.

Brandon Talsma received the bulk of the votes. Out of the 4,582 ballots submitted, Talsma received the most votes with 2,112, or 46.09 percent. Denny Carpenter received 1,361 votes, or 29.70 percent. Julia Prendergast received 1,088 votes, or about 23.75 percent. There were 21 write-in votes.

Similarly to the Democrats, the Republican party will have to hold a nomination convention since neither Carpenter nor Prendergast secured at least 35 percent of the vote to be placed on the ballot in November.

On the night of the election, Talsma was surrounded by family members when he received the news he made it past the primaries. Talsma told Newton News his plans moving forward are to keep engaging in conversations with citizens, as well as continuing work to solve issues.

“Once again I’m humbled by the support from citizens of Jasper County,” Talsma said. “It’s been an honor and privilege to serve on the board the last four years.”

Talsma, of rural Newton, works in land management, has an associate’s degree in criminal justice/homeland security and is the current chairman of the board of supervisors. In addition to being a lifelong resident of Jasper County, Talsma is a veteran who served six-and-a-half years and was deployed twice to Iraq.

Carpenter, of rural Reasnor, has served on the county board of supervisors for four consecutive terms. Prior to becoming an elected official, Carpenter worked for the engineer’s office in Jasper County for several decades. With those combined experienced, he was devoted more than 50 years to the county.

Prendergast, of rural Jasper County, is a local business owner that owns Fine Things Reclaimed. She is also a sales manager for a polyurethane company, economic developer and entrepreneur. Prendergast is a third generation resident of Jasper County and has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and business.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com