The Warren County Board of Supervisors selected Republican David Whipple to serve as Interim Warren County Auditor in a special meeting held Tuesday, replacing former Warren County Auditor Traci Vanderlinden, who announced her retirement several weeks ago. Vanderlinden won election in 2020 as a Democrat, defeating now Warren County Supervisor Mark Snell in the race 55%-45% (16,264 – 13,170).

The Warren County Democratic Party has announced their intention to petition for a special election to fill the position, after Whipple was selected over current Deputy Auditor Kim Sheets.

Warren County Democratic Party Chair Jim Culbert said in a statement:

“This is not a partisan issue. County Auditor Traci Vanderlinden decided to retire after 27 years of dedication to the people of Warren County. She recommended her Deputy Auditor to be appointed to fill out the remainder of her term. Kim Sheets has been with the Auditor’s department for years. She is ready to provide a seamless transition in leadership. She has wide support among County workers. The County Supervisors choose to ignore all of this in favor of a political appointee with no experience in the County Auditor’s office or government administration. Warren County is the 11th largest county in Iowa and growing fast. The citizens are not well served by an Auditor who will be learning on the job. The voters of Warren County can see the error in this decision. Fortunately, Iowa code allows us to swiftly rectify this mistake. By calling a special election, we will allow the voters make their choice for Auditor. I am confident they will recognize the experience and competence of Kim Sheets.”

According to Iowa Code, a special election needs to be filed within fourteen days after the appointment is made. If a petition is filed with the county auditor requesting a special election to fill the vacancy, the appointment is temporary and a special election shall be called. The petition needs to be filed within 14 days of the appointment, which is June 20th. The petition is valid if signed by eligible electors of the county equal in number to at least ten percent of the votes cast in the county for the office of president of the United States or governor at the preceding general election, which in Warren County was 23,837 voters, meaning a petition of 2,384 voters is needed.

If called, the special election will fill the term through 2024, and the position will have a new four-year term up for election in November of 2024.