The Lee County Board on Tuesday accepted the resignation of County Attorney Clinton Boddicker, who is stepping down after being appointed a District Associate Judge in southeast Iowa. Boddicker told the board that his successor should be Assistant County Attorney Ross Braden.
“We’ve worked really closely together,” said Boddicker. “He’s committed, I think, to having a career as a prosecutor. So I just think that’s the best appointment they could make at this point and it would help out with the smoothest transition.”
Braden is a former Lee County Attorney, though he only held the post for a few months. He was appointed in February to replace Mike Short, who retired after serving as the county’s prosecutor for 40 years.
Braden was to serve until the next countywide election, which turned out to be May of this year following the county board’s decision to hold a bond referendum for a new courthouse.
Boddicker, who also applied to replace Short, ran against Braden in the special election and won, giving the county its third prosecutor in five months. He said at the time of his election that he intended to serve through at least the end of the current term, which expires at the end of 2018.
Boddicker told Tri States Public Radio this week that was based on the assumption that the District Associate Judge position held by Gary Noneman would not be filled upon Noneman’s retirement, which occurred this month. Boddicker said when the decision was made to name a replacement, he could not pass up that opportunity.
“Well, I’m very excited about it,” said Boddicker, who was one of the seven people who applied to replace Noneman. “It was very gratifying to receive the support of the other judges in the district and I am really looking forward to taking that new job.”
Boddicker will be seated next month. He said he will hear cases in Henry and Van Buren Counties during his first year to avoid potential conflicts of interest from his time as both Lee County Attorney and Assistant Lee County Attorney.
Boddicker said he has more than 250 criminal and juvenile cases to divide among the other attorneys in his office.
Residents will have an opportunity to call for a special election after the county board appoints a new prosecutor, who would only serve for about 11 months.
