Cartoon by George Sedlak copyright 2026

My frustration with the looming 2026 midterm election is that so few candidates, whether incumbents or challengers, deserve my vote. Most incumbent career politicians stopped representing voting constituencies long ago. Newbie challengers hit the ground running in place, relegated to the fringe and saddled with newbie duties, such as marathon fund raising for their respective parties – duties deliberately designed to distract away from the serious business occurring elsewhere.

Scott County Board of Supervisors 2026.10.06 Committe of the Whole Meeting Screen Shot

Policy Practices, NDAs, and County Home Rule Relative to Iowa Utilities Commission

There are five supervisor seats on the county board, and elected supervisors serve four-year terms. This year, there are three open seats, and two of the three incumbents are running again, as Ross Paustian did not run again. Only one of the two incumbents, Jean Dickson, responded to the questionnaire. Supervisors are paid $45-50,000 annually plus health and retirement benefits. Five of the seven candidates vying for the three seats participated this year. Responses are in alphabetical order by family name.

OCT 2026 Scott County Recorder Property Fraud Alert Webpage Screenshot

According to the Scott County, Iowa Recorder's Office's web page, "The Recorder's Office was created by the First Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Iowa in 1839."
The incumbent Recorder, Rita Vargas has served since 2002, and last fiscal year was paid $102,313 plus benefits. Vargas is not running for re-election and there are two candidates for a single seat that has a four-year term, Tony Paone and Michael Wulf. Responses are in alphabetical order by family name.

OCT 2026 Scott County Treasurer Office Webpage

The incumbent Scott County Treasurer, Tony Knobbe has served since 2023, and last fiscal year was paid $102,313 plus benefits. Knobbe is not running for re-election and there are two candidates for a single seat that has a four-year term, Greg Guy and Samuel Samara. Responses are in alphabetical order by family name.

Propaganda has proven itself to be among the most useful tools in the behavior modifiers' toolbox for capturing human cognitivity and strategically directing it to predetermined, highly specific conclusions. The success of propaganda campaigns depends on the techniques used, and the resources available for deploying and anchoring propaganda, including whether said messaging induces harmony or discord relative to the established hierarchy of social norms and mores.

August 2025 Cartoon by Ed Newmann Uncle Scam's Election Casino

I cannot stress the importance of familiarizing yourselves with Tina Peter's ongoing case.  Judge Barrett ordered Tina's incarceration prior to her appeal being heard. Not for any of the crimes she was convicted for, but for her potential speech, for what she might say that he determined might be potentially dangerous.

Captain Seth Keshel Repariing America's Broken Elections Lihue-Hawai'k March 9.2023.

No amount of media manipulation of election coverage, past or present, can restore the trust that has been lost relative to the security, fairness, and authenticity of U.S. elections, especially in the last decade. The election bureaucracy, in full cooperation with mainstream media, have maintained a pathological denial and suppression of widespread irregularities, including compelling supporting evidence, dooming its credibility going forward.

Scott County Iowa Vacancy Appointment Committee 2022 Tompkins Knobbe Vargas

For two years, lifelong Scott County residents Dr Allen Diercks and Diane Holst (a former Scott County Board of Supervisor) put their money where their convictions are and hired Attorney Mike Meloy to take Scott County, Iowa, and Auditor Kerri Tompkins to court in 2023 to compel her in the direction of greater transparency and participation with Scott Countians by disclosing the list of names and addresses of 27 candidates who submitted résumés for a vacant supervisor seat on the Scott County Board of Supervisors (SCBS).

Scott County has purchased all-new election equipment and software for the upcoming, highly contentious 2024 election. It is fair to say that the purchase was fast-tracked in 2023 with approval by the Scott County Board of Supervisors, even though relevant concerns and questions from the public were not addressed, let alone satisfied.

County Sheriff is most important office locally to protect property rights.

Scott County Primary Elections on June 4, 2024, are especially important due to the importance of counties in the American Republic pecking order of authorities. Arguably the most important election for any county is its sheriff. Globalization has the elimination of elected county sheriff's as one of its stated goals because this office represents a systemic threat to its central control model.

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