Stakes high in Johnson County auditor primary

IOWA CITY - Johnson County Auditor Tom Slockett expects next month's Democratic primary to be the biggest challenge in his three-plus decades in office.

His opponent, Tiffin accountant Travis Weipert, also believes it will be a tough race.

It's a rarity in Johnson County, where Democrats dominate and incumbents typically cruise to victory.

“I think it's going to be the toughest race I've ever been in, so I'm taking nothing for granted,” Slockett said.

The 65-year-old from Iowa City has been Johnson County's auditor and elections commissioner since 1977. On June 5, voters will make a major statement on whether they want him to keep that job.

The winner between Slockett and Weipert will be the Democratic Party's nominee in the November general election. There are no other candidates from any other party, although they could still come forward this summer.

Slockett has faced a rush of bad publicity this spring, including accusations that he treats his employees poorly and that he used public resources to aid his campaign. The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board is investigating the latter charge and has said it will meet on the matter before the primary.

Slockett said those issues and being surprised by having an opponent - he said he is generally well-informed on what's going on in Johnson County but had no idea Weipert was running until he saw it in the newspaper - make for a tough re-election bid for him.

He also has lost the support of some of his fellow area Democrats. The county recorder, treasurer, two supervisors and two state representatives are on Weipert's campaign committee. State Sen. Bob Dvorsky is Weipert's campaign chair.

Letters to the editor show that Slockett still has vocal supporters, and he's counting on his experience and history of boosting voter turnout to further aid his candidacy.

As major accomplishments, Slockett cited his long-standing advocacy of making voting accessible and for early voting efforts like satellite locations. Johnson County had record turnout in the 2008 general election and 55 percent of those voters submitted their ballots before Election Day, according to the Auditor's Office.

Even Weipert gave Slockett credit, saying early voting in Johnson County has been “excellent” under Slockett.

The two differ on voter identification laws.

Slockett earlier this year expressed approval of a voter ID plan put forward by Iowa's Republican secretary of state, Matt Schultz. Slockett said it resolved some of his concerns that a law would repress voting, saying it would accommodate the elderly, poor, students and others who may not have easy access to an identification card.

Weipert opposes any voter ID law, saying it would discourage voting.

Weipert, 31, is a member of the Tiffin City Council and an accountant at AEGON USA in Cedar Rapids. He said his job has given him the skills needed to be county auditor, a position that in addition to elections oversees accounting, real estate and meeting minute-taking duties.

He said the auditing and budgeting pieces of the job are “where I can provide a lot of insight that maybe currently isn't there.”

Weipert said he'd improve the work environment within the Auditor's Office and also between that office and other county departments.