Mitchellville voters returned to the polls on July 7 for another City Council election, marking the city’s third election in less than a year and the latest attempt to steady a local government reshaped by months of turnover and public conflict.
The July 7 election asked voters to fill two at-large council vacancies, one for a four-year term and one for a two-year term. Both races were uncontested on the ballot, with Jerry Kyle running for the four-year vacancy and Cody Benton running for the two-year vacancy.
Kyle received 88% of the votes in the four-year race, according to unofficial results from the Polk County Auditor’s Office, with all precincts reporting. Cody Benton received 86% of the votes in the two-year race.
The election was the second special election Mitchellville residents have seen this year. A February special election restored the council’s ability to meet after resignations left it without a quorum.
Kyle’s path to the ballot came after council member Konnor Trevallion resigned earlier this year. The council appointed Kyle to the seat in April, but the appointment was challenged by petition, forcing the city to nullify the appointment and send the vacancy to voters.
The second vacancy came after council member Amber Turner, first elected in 2023, resigned effective May 20. Her departure left the city with no remaining elected leadership from before the turmoil that began last year.
The latest election follows a months-long fight between Mayor Tony Jensen and the council over control of City Hall. That conflict sharpened after Jensen fired longtime Fire Chief Mike Twohey in March, a decision that drew public backlash and later prompted council members to change city code to shift appointment authority from the mayor to the council. Twohey was reinstated in May by the council.
Mitchellville had already been navigating deeper instability. Former Police Chief William Daggett resigned after a state audit found he had received more than $50,000 in improper pay while previously serving as police chief in Baxter. Daggett was later arrested and charged with first-degree theft.
By late December, every member of Mitchellville’s police department had resigned, pushing the city to dissolve its police department and instead contract with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to handle law enforcement.
Nick El Hajj is a reporter at the Register. He can be reached at nelhajj@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mitchellville fills council seats as city tries to move past conflict
Reporting by Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
