Lee County residents are being asked to decide whether the county should borrow up to $8.5-million dollars to build a new courthouse and renovate another building. Plenty of current and former elected leaders are using their wallets to try to sway public opinion.
Two committees have been formed in response to the Nov. 8 bond referendum.
- The Committee for One Lee supports it.
- The Committee to Save Our Courthouse opposes it.
The two groups filed their latest campaign disclosure reports this week with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. The details show a slight fundraising advantage for the Committee for One Lee.
The pro-bond referendum group has raised nearly $3,300 since September 1, plus nearly $1,400 in in-kind contributions to the effort. That’s compared to about $2,300 raised by the Committee to Save Our Courthouse.
The Committee for One Lee also leads in spending with the vast majority of the expenditures going towards newspaper and radio advertisements.
The bond referendum requires 60% for approval. If approved, the new courthouse would be built near the Lee County Jail.
Notable Donors to Committee for One Lee in support of the referendum:
- Nancy Booten - Lee County Recorder
- Ron Fedler – Lee County Board Chairman
- Janet Fife-LaFrenz – Former Lee County Board Member/Current SCC Board of Trustee
- Denise Fraise – Lee County Auditor
- Anne Pedersen – Former Lee County Auditor
- Cindy Renstrom – Lee County Budget Director
- Ed Soenke – Architect of proposed centralized courthouse
- Janet Strunk – Former Lee County Treasurer
Notable Donors for Committee to Save Our Courthouse in opposition to the referendum:
- Clinton Boddicker – Assistant Lee County Attorney
- Roger Bryant – Keokuk City Council
- Gary Folluo – Lee County Board/Former Keokuk Mayor
- Gene Fraise – Former State Senator
- Jerry Kearns – State Representative
- George Morgan – Former Lee County Board
- Teresa Murray – Lee County Assessor
- Sandy Pollitt – Keokuk City Council
- Chris Spann – Lee County Treasurer
- Bob Woodruff – Former Lee County Board/Former Keokuk City Council
