Johnson County Supervisor Stutsman to Run for New House Seat

Sally Stutsman didn’t always have political aspirations.

The Iowa native was a social worker before she decided to run for the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. Now – at the start of her fifth term and seventeenth year on the board – Stutsman has announced that she’ll run for a new seat in the Iowa House of Representatives next fall.

For Stutsman, it is just the natural next step on a path she never expected to take.

“It’s nothing that I set out 25 years ago to do, that I’m going to run for the Board of Supervisors or any elected office,” she said. “But one thing led to another, so here I am.”

Stutsman is running in House District 77, a zone created after a new congressional map was approved this spring, giving Johnson County an additional seat due to its population growth.  District 77 will include much of North Liberty, Tiffin, Oxford and southwestern Johnson County.

Stutsman, who grew up Fort Dodge, currently lives in unincorporated Johnson County. The addition of the new district was a key factor in her decision to run.

“The map that came out really was very favorable for where I live,” Stutsman said. “It’s a new seat, there’s no incumbent in that district. It’s something I’ve thought about doing but the district has never worked out before.” 

Stutsman said she’s considered running in Washington or Muscatine Counties, but added: “Let’s face it, a Johnson County Democrat does not run well in those counties.” 

As a supervisor, land use planning and human services funding have been among Stutsman’s priorities. Before joining the Board of Supervisors, she served as the coordinator of the Volunteer Action Center in Johnson County, working for the Iowa Department of Human Services and also as an independent adoption investigator.

Stutsman says her 17 years of experience in local government would be a worthy credential in the state legislature, and she hopes her name recognition after four terms on the Board of Supervisors will bode well for her campaign. Human services and mental health will remain at the top of her agenda.

“Being that I‘ve worked at the local level, I know if you cut property taxes at the state level, that’s just going to shift down to the local level,” Stutsman said. “I’m hoping that my experience will lend to good government and good policies at the state level.”

Other than publicly announcing  her candidacy, Stutsman is still in the early stages of her campaign. She’s cautiously optimistic about her shot at the seat –

“You’d never throw your hat in the ring if you weren’t optimistic,” she said.

Stutsman has created a Facebook page for her campaign and started speaking with members of the community. Later in the summer, she expects to begin fundraising.

“I always like to announce early, so people know what my plans are,” she said. “But it’s still early … I think all of us get tired of these long campaigns, so let’s pace this so we’re not all burned out by January next year.”