Tiffin City Council member running for Johnson County Auditor

A 31-year-old accountant introduced himself Saturday morning at the Johnson County Democratic Convention as a current Tiffin City Council member and prospective Johnson County Auditor.

Travis Weipert, of Tiffin, declared his candidacy for auditor in the June primary at the convention at West High School, saying it was a good opportunity to get his name out and deliver his message before a large group of his constituents.

“I've been weighing it for two to three months,” Weipert told The Gazette. “I feel like the auditor's office lately hasn't been interacting well with other county departments. I think we're in need of a change, and now's that time.”

Weipert plans to challenge fellow Democrat and long-time incumbent Tom Slockett for a chance to compete for the auditor's job in the Nov. 6 election. Democratic voters will choose their candidate in a primary election on June 5.

Weipert said he's still in the process of collecting the signatures he needs to get his name on the primary ballot, and he hopes to have his paperwork ready to file within the next week.

No other Democrats have entered the auditor's race at this time, and no Republicans have declared their candidacy for the seat either.

Slockett, who has been auditor and elections commissioner since 1977, recently made the news after he circulated his petition for re-election at work along with a check list for employees to mark after they had seen it.

A person needs 100 signatures to be on the ballot in the June primary, and Slockett said he exceeded that number. Iowa Code prohibits the use of public resources for political purposes, including public time, property or facilities for campaign efforts.

The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board did not discipline Slockett, but the executive director and legal counsel for the board spoke with Slockett about the matter and told him it was inappropriate.

Slockett said he's passed re-election petitions around the office in the past, and the checklist was meant to ensure everyone saw the petition, not to keep track of who signed it and who did not. He said there would be no retribution for anyone who chose not to sign it.

In 2008, the last time Slockett was on the ballot, he was challenged by two former employees who claimed he created a hostile work environment.

Weipert, who has lived in Tiffin since 2006 and works in Cedar Rapids as a senior accountant at AEGON Asset Management, said that if he's elected, he'll work to interact more with other county departments and boards, and he'll foster an open and forward-thinking office.

“I want to make sure the staff knows they can come to you with ideas, and you'll work with them to implement those ideas,” he said. “I want to revolutionize the auditor's office.”

Slockett didn't immediately return calls from The Gazette on Saturday morning.

If elected, Weipert said he'll also work to increase voter turnout, in part, by increasing awareness and use of satellite voting sites.

Weipert was elected to the Tiffin City Council in 2010. If he's elected to fill the auditor's job this fall, he'll step down from this position on the council and on the Tiffin Library Board.