Polk

Polk County Elects New Leadership for 2023

Published 1/3/2023 10:26:10 AM

Polk County Board of Supervisors Elect Leadership for 2023

 

DES MOINES, IA –  In the first official meeting of the year, the Polk County Board of Supervisors took action today to elect Tom Hockensmith, 4th District Supervisor as its new Chairperson and Steve Van Oort, 3rd District Supervisor as its Vice Chair. The Board of Supervisors also swore in Angela Connolly, District 5 Supervisor and Matt McCoy, District 1 Supervisor. Both won re-election in November, along with Tom Hockensmith.

 

“I want to thank my colleague Angela Connolly, who has served as Chair for the last two years and led us through a lot of difficult issues. Her leadership and commitment to doing outstanding work for the people of Polk County is unmatched,” said Board Chair Tom Hockensmith. He added, “I look forward to picking up where Angela left off and continuing to focus on bettering our community.”

 

Priorities for the Board of Supervisors include improvements in quality of life initiatives such as the restoration of Four-Mile creek, improvements at Easter Lake park that will make it one of the most inclusive parks in the region, and the redevelopment of Sleepy Hollow Sports Park. In addition, we will be moving closer to the opening of a new sobering center that will serve as a one-stop entry point for individuals needing mental health and substance abuse services. Currently individuals are taken to the hospital or jail where they may not get the treatment they need. This new sobering center will be a new resource to get those needing assistance the quality care that will truly make a difference. We are also committed to continuing to implement energy efficiency and environmental sustainability projects on Polk County property and to expanding our recently implemented diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

 

For the second year in a row a republican, Steve Van Oort (R) will serve as Vice Chair. Van Oort says, “Like any other community, we often face difficult challenges. The work of the Board of Supervisors has not historically been partisan and I look forward to continuing the tradition of working on issues that affect all Polk County residents.”

 

Recent redistricting has changed the district boundaries . They are now:

 

  • Matt McCoy/ District 1 – West Des Moines, Clive, Windsor Heights, Southwest Des Moines
  • Robert Brownell/ District 2 – Johnston, Urbandale, Grimes, Polk City, Alleman, Elkhart, Bondurant, Mitchellville
  • Steve Van Oort/ Vice Chair, District 3 – Ankeny, Altoona
  • Tom Hockensmith/ Chair, District 4 – Pleasant Hill, Runnells, Eastern Des Moines
  • Angela Connolly/ District 5 – Urban core and Northern Des Moines

 

Polk County Board of Supervisors hold regular bi-weekly public meetings at 9:30 a.m. in room 120 of the County Administration Building, 111 Court Ave., Des Moines. A complete schedule of meetings and live stream of the meetings are available on our website at PolkCountyIowa.gov.