Longtime Polk County supervisor Tom Hockensmith’s retirement will lead to new leadership for District 4 on the board.
Democrats Joe Gatto and Heather Jones-Brown will square off in the June 2 primary to represent the Polk County Board of Supervisors district, which includes east Des Moines, parts of southeast Des Moines, Pleasant Hill, Runnells, Camp Township, and Four Mile Township.
The two candidates are competing to replace Hockensmith, who will retire from the role at the end of the year.
Jones-Brown, who works as the assistant chief diversity officer for staff equity at Grinnell College, announced her candidacy Feb. 22. Gatto, who has served as the southeast side representative on the Des Moines City Council since 2014 and is the co-owner and operator of Baratta’s Restaurant and Catering, announced his campaign in Des Moines only days after Hockensmith’s departure announcement.
Both candidates said they would step away from their current roles to dedicate themselves to the supervisor role full-time.
Hockensmith told the Des Moines Register he was fed up with clashing personalities and policy choices on the board. Polk County has been the subject of several lawsuits filed by employees in recent years and is working under deep division, with the election of two new supervisors last year. Hockensmith, a Democrat, has served on the board since January 2003.
Longtime supervisor Angela Connolly also is stepping down as District 5 representative.
Democrats Matt McCoy and John Forbes are vying for the District 1 seat in the upcoming primary, and Democrat Izaah Knox is running for District 5.
Gatto said he believes his experiences in public service and as a business owner in managing budgets, overseeing operations and balancing competing priorities have prepared him for the supervisor role. Gatto declined a phone interview with the Register news staff, but agreed to emailed responses.
“On Day One, I would bring a practical understanding of budgeting, economic development, infrastructure needs, and constituent services,” he wrote. “Most importantly, I understand that county government works best when leaders are approachable, collaborative, and focused on solving problems.”
Des Moines east-sider Jones-Brown said she has deep respect for people who have served in public office for years. She said what she lacks in elected office experience, she makes up for in her time serving on community boards, campaigns and volunteering. Responsibilities on boards — including as chair of the advisory board for Grandview University modern languages and the Des Moines Y-Camp — have taught her fiscal management, looking at the big picture, as well as answering and asking tough questions about the organization’s structure or whether a program works, she told the Register.
“I may not always get it right, but I am always willing to accept accountability where I need to and ask tough questions so that we can find ways to have the best solution for us all,” Jones-Brown said.
Gatto raised $25,700 in cash contributions to run his campaign, according to filings with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, which cover fundraising and spending from Jan. 1 through May 14, and were due May 19.
A previous report due Jan. 19 shows Gatto raised $140,235 for the county race, $80,000 of which was transferred from Citizens for Joe Gatto, a committee established for his City Council campaign.
Jones-Brown raised about $19,355, according to the filing that covers fundraising and spending from Jan. 1 through May 14.
Joe Gatto’s focus lies on affordability in Polk County
Gatto previously told the Register he’s ready to turn his attention to human services work, such as homelessness, mental health, and affordability. The supervisor role at the county, a government body that helps distribute grants and funding, would allow him to be more effective in helping the most vulnerable community members he represents.
A county supervisor should be visible, accessible, and deeply engaged with the everyday concerns of residents, Gatto wrote to the Register.
The most important issue facing Polk County is affordability, as families deal with property taxes, housing costs and inflation, he wrote in the Des Moines Register candidate questionnaire.
“I will focus on responsible spending, protecting core services, and supporting economic growth that creates good-paying jobs,” he wrote. “This isn’t about politics — it’s about making sure county government works efficiently and delivers real value to taxpayers.”
Gatto said the county should improve its transparency and long-term financial planning.
“I would have pushed for more public-facing reporting and stronger long-term cost analysis before committing to programs or expansions that may require ongoing taxpayer support after federal dollars expire,” he wrote in an email to the Register. “Good government means not only investing in important services but also making sure those investments are sustainable and clearly explained to the public.”
The Register also asked Gatto where he holds his current residence. That issue has been challenged and protested during his time on Des Moines City Council. Gatto owns two homes in Des Moines, including one on Emma Avenue in District 1, which he purchased with his wife in 2004. In September 2013, he took ownership of his mother’s home on Creston Avenue, in District 4.
The East Creston Avenue property has been Gatto’s official residence for voting and candidacy purposes, he wrote to the Register, adding he’s always complied with Iowa law and residency requirements.
Heather Jones-Brown: Polk County needs a ‘hype person’
Jones-Brown said her earliest memory of volunteer work was during the 1993 floods in Iowa. More than 250,000 people were left without water after the flooding closed Des Moines Water Works.
She remembers handing out gallons of water to community members from the back of her grandfather’s pickup truck outside the Anderson Erickson Dairy. That experience, she told the Register, laid the foundation for her love of volunteering and commitment to bettering the community.
While supervisors’ priority is the county’s fiscal management, Jones-Brown said being the county’s “hype person” and addressing the community’s needs and wants is just as important.
She said she was frustrating to see the county occasionally end up in the news for personal conflict. She said conflict is inevitable, but there are ways to find common ground without resorting to arguments or alleged threats.
“The county should be in the news for the great programs that it has, and the work of the staff that makes our county run and the things that are available to its constituents,” Jones-Brown said.
“We have to remember what our north star is, and that’s serving the people,” she added.
Jones-Brown told the Register if she wins, she plans on holding office hours once a month in different parts of the district to meet with residents and would publish a regular schedule informing residents what events and meetings she would attend.
Among the most urgent issues for the county, Jones-Brown says public health rises to the top because it touches every aspect of community life, pointing to rising cancer rates and gaps in mental health care.
“We cannot treat health as separate from county government,” she wrote in a Register candidate questionnaire. “Health is shaped by the conditions people live in.”
Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Health, affordability become focus in Polk County District 4 race
Reporting by Virginia Barreda, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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