The June 4 primary election ballot will have the names of four Republicans who are seeking their party’s nomination for the two available seats on the Crawford County Board of Supervisors.

The following articles are to serve as an introduction to the candidates.

More thorough interviews will be published in May closer to the date of the primary election.

The Denison Free Press also plans to publish interviews with the two Republican primary candidates for sheriff.

Absentee ballots can be requested now; however early voting by absentee ballot or in person at the county auditor’s office won’t begin until May 14.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is at 5 p.m. on May 20.

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Jean Heiden

Heiden seeks second term as supervisor

Jean Heiden is among the four Republicans running in the June 4 primary election for two seats on the Crawford County Board of Supervisors. She is an incumbent, elected to the board of supervisors in 2020.

Heiden was born and raised in Crawford County and is a 1972 graduate of Denison High School.

She and her husband, Jerry, have been married for 50 years. They raised three children. Angela works at Job Corps in Denison. Anthony is a UPS driver in Montrose, Colorado. Adam is the owner of Heiden Concrete Inc. in Schleswig.

Heiden and her husband have nine grandchildren.

She started a career in banking right out of high school. Her first job was at First National Bank in Denison.

In 1978 she and Jerry purchased the Deloit Mercantile Grocery Store. They lived there until Jerry was transferred to Boise, Idaho, by his employer, Iowa Beef Processors.

“Because of his career, we moved around for a few years, but life ultimately brought us back to Crawford County in 1993,” said Heiden.

She and Jerry currently live in the county just outside of Denison.

“As we traveled the country, I also worked at various financial institutions,” she said. “I retired from United Bank of Iowa in 2019 as a mortgage loan vice president.”

She continued, “I feel my life experiences and a long career in banking has helped me in many ways as a Crawford County supervisor. I have always listened to both sides of the story and consider myself a good listener. I like to do research to find out all the facts before making important decisions. I like working with numbers and percentages. Certification of the upcoming budget is a very important part of the supervisor position.”

Heiden said it has been an honor to serve as a supervisor for the past three and one-half years and added that the position of supervisor has many moving parts.

“We have had some very challenging issues to deal with this term,” she said. “We have had the Silver Queen wind turbines and the creation of an ordinance for new setbacks for future projects. We have had the challenges with the projected hazardous carbon dioxide pipeline wanting permission to cross our county. This is still an ongoing issue as we wait for the ruling from the Iowa Utilities Board.”

Other issues mentioned by Heiden are eminent domain and the effect it will have for landowners in Crawford County, and mental health redistricting being taken over by the state.

“The effects of House File 718 and Homestead 65 will also cause some challenges in the upcoming budgeting for our county,” she added.

As part of her duties as supervisor, Heiden serves on the Mental Health Advisory Board; the Public Health Board; Region XII Council of Governments Policy Board; Buena Vista, Crawford and Sac Early Childhood Iowa Board; and Decategorization/Community Partnership for Protecting Children.

“I am one of the first Certified Iowa County Supervisors in Crawford County,” Heiden added.

Along with her work with local government, Heiden is an active volunteer for her church and community.

Heiden said she is fiscally conservative and understands the importance of watching out for the taxpayers of Crawford County.

Paul Outhouse

Outhouse says he wants to give voters a choice

Paul Outhouse, of Schleswig, said he is running for the Crawford County Board of Supervisors to give voters a choice in the June 4 primary.

He is one of four Republicans running for the two seats up for election.

A 1988 graduate of Denison High School, Outhouse grew up south of Denison near Defiance where he still has an extended family.

He is currently an inspector for Farmers Mutual Insurance in Schleswig, inspecting buildings for the insurance company.

Outhouse previously owned and operated Outhouse Door Company in Schleswig.

He and Shannon Cose have raised a family for 27 years.

Outhouse has been involved in the operation of the local community in a number of ways throughout the years, including serving on the Schleswig City Council. He is currently in the first year of a second four-year term.

As a Schleswig City Council member, Outhouse has gained experience that he said will help him as a member of the board of supervisors.

“You work through the city problems – water lines, sewer lines, sirens – there is always something, and as you work through those challenges, you make connections with different people,” he said.

He said those connections build relationships which are valuable in serving the public.

Outhouse’s commitment to community extends beyond the city council. He has been on the Schleswig Volunteer Fire Department for 20 years. He currently serves on the board for the Crawford County Community Foundation. The foundation board awards grants to nonprofit organizations and community projects throughout the county.

As a member of the Schleswig Enterprise Board, he has a hand in the operation of the Schleswig Community Building.

Outhouse has been preparing for his run for county supervisor by attending the meetings on Tuesday mornings at the courthouse, to learn more about the issues the board is dealing with.

“I wanted to run for the board of supervisors in the past couple elections,” Outhouse said. “Local government is so important, and I want to give the county voters a choice, whether it could benefit me or not, and at the primary, we will have a choice. As someone involved in local government and the community, I care what happens at the city and the county levels.”

Ty Rosburg

Rosburg wants to continue his work as a supervisor

The development of Crawford County is one of the reasons that Ty Rosburg is seeking a second term on the Crawford County Board of Supervisors. He is one of four Republicans running in the June 4 primary for the two seats up for election.

His life has always been rooted in Crawford County. His grandfather was born at Keating’s Corner, located along Highway 141 between Denison and Charter Oak, and his great-grandparents on the Rosburg side of the family homesteaded west of Ricketts. Rosburg was raised and graduated from high school in Fort Dodge because that’s where his father’s job with Iowa Beef Processors took the family, but Crawford County and Charter Oak Township have always been what Rosburg calls home. He is a member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Denison.

He and his wife, Natalie, raised two boys. Zach takes care of the day-to-day operations of the family business, Rosburg Livestock, a trucking company. Josh lives in Des Moines. Ty and Natalie also have what they consider a daughter, Shaunda.

The Rosburgs have six grandchildren between their two sons, and they also consider Shaunda’s four children as grandchildren.

Rosburg spent nearly a decade in the U.S. Army serving in the U.S. and overseas. When he left the service, he returned to Crawford County and started out in the trucking industry with his uncle, went on his own for a while and then started B Bar R Livestock Transportation with Les Brown. After that, he started Rosburg Livestock.

Rosburg said having to manage budgets and invest wisely as a business owner has helped him as a member of the board of supervisors.

“I understand the importance of making your dollar stretch. You pay good people well, but you can’t overextend your account because you don’t want your entire expense in salaries and benefits, and then you can’t update equipment and do things like that,” he said.

He initially ran for supervisor because he saw some things that weren’t getting done and mentioned the communication tower system as an example.

“It was at a standstill, and I thought I had some ideas to help,” he said.

Rosburg said he wants to serve as supervisor to continue to push for development in the county. One key concept is for Highway 30 to be four lanes throughout the state.

“When I talk to employers, the top three or four questions is what kind of highway system we have,” he said. “A four-lane Highway 30 is something I’ve been working on, and to do that as a supervisor kind of adds a little weight to it.”

He also wants to help advance the conversation about a reservoir project for the county, something that was started in 2001.

“Water reserves are critical for the future of Crawford County. All of our industries use a lot of water, and we can’t continue to rely solely on groundwater,” Rosburg said. “A reservoir will serve multiple purposes. Not only does it provide and protect the water supply and provide for flood mitigation, but you also get an area for development.”

Quality of life, development and the sustainability of Crawford County are priority #1 for Rosburg.

Along with serving as a county supervisor, Rosburg serves on multiple committees with the National Association of Counties (NACo), the Highway 30 Coalition, and is on the Governor’s Freight Advisory Council.

James R. Steinkuehler

Steinkuehler seeks to serve county residents as a supervisor

James R. Steinkuehler, who has served as Crawford County Sheriff for the past 16 years, is among the four Republicans running for supervisor in the June 4 primary. Two seats are up for election.

Steinkuehler is retiring as sheriff in November this year.

He was born and raised in Dow City and graduated in 1976 from Dow City-Arion High School.

He and his wife, Starla, have been married for 40 years and have raised three sons – Ryan, Nick and Cody. Ryan and his wife, Danielle, have three daughters, Kadence, Kenslee and Kaislyn. Nick is employed with the Boyer Valley Community School District. Cody and his wife, Crystal, live in Canada where they own and operate a business.

Through the years, Steinkuehler served as the mayor in both Arion and in Dow City and was on the city councils in both those communities in the past. He was on the Dow City-Arion Fire Department for 34 years and was also a first responder, becoming an EMT. He was president of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Dow City.

At one time he was the parts manager for Flynn and Larsen Service Center, which then became Denison Tractor Trailer. He worked there until the business closed and then worked at Farmland Foods (now Smithfield Foods) for three years.

Steinkuehler then moved into the law enforcement portion of his career. After Farmland, he served as the police chief for Dow City and Charter Oak. From 2002 to 2008, he was employed with the Denison Police Department.

“In 2008 the position of sheriff came open for election,” Steinkuehler said. “Starla and I discussed it and I decided to run for sheriff. There were seven candidates, and I was elected.

“As sheriff, I took over the K9 unit after the handler resigned to take a police chief position. I oversee 10 deputies, 10 jailers and two office staff and am also in charge of the jail,” he added.

He was appointed by Governor Kim Reynolds to serve on the Iowa Law Enforcement Council. That four-year term will end in 2025.

“I am running for Crawford County supervisor because I believe in budgeting, keeping the county safe and listening to each and everyone’s concerns,” said Steinkuehler. “I have met a lot of citizens in the past 16 years and would love to meet more. I believe that I can continue to look out for the people of Crawford County if considered for the position of supervisor.”

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