MASON CITY – Political values and personalities clashed when the Cerro Gordo county Compensation Board met Monday at the courthouse in Mason City.
Minutes before the meeting, an alleged incident was reported to NIT by a known Republican. The reporting party told NIT that a Comp Board member approached her moments earlier in an aggressive fashion.
“I was just attacked,” the visibly upset and shocked woman said in the Courthouse lobby, quickly garnering the attention of a deputy seated nearby. “She (the board member) told me ‘nobody comes here unless it’s for political reasons.'” More words were exchanged, but the Republican woman stayed for the meeting. NIT may soon report more on this incident.
Then, as the actual (fully open to the public) Cerro Gordo county Compensation Board meeting got underway, unusual discussion took place at the normally mundane proceedings. Mason City businessman Stephen Minert was approved again as board Chairman. He then began to introduce a business perspective to county government by offering data and salary comparisons into the decision-making process. (Members of the board are: Minert, attorney Tim LaPointe, banker Patrick Goedken, James Finstad, attorney Nicole Rogues, Mary Beth Greenan and banker Bill Cody.)
At issue for the board, as it is every year, was the level of salaries which are to be paid to county elected officials in 2018. Mr. Minert, a registered Republican, opposed raising salaries because Cerro Gordo county’s elected officials are already fairly and proportionately compensated, he told Board members. Minert presided over a sometimes-spirited discussion and asked for feedback from the other board members as he gently alluded to possibly bringing salaries into line as compared to other counties in Iowa by freezing the pay rates.
“The numbers tell a story,” Mr. Minert told the board, coaxing discussion on the touchy subject. He produced graphs, facts and figures which showed that Cerro Gordo county employees are doing well.
In fact, current compensation is already above comparable levels, Minert explained to the Board, a point that was substantiated at the meeting by unbiased statistics and county-by-county comparisons. Cerro Gordo county is Iowa’s 13th largest in terms of population, but all of its elected officials rank higher than 13th in salaries and benefits. Only three counties pay Supervisors more than Cerro Gordo county, according to statistics provided by the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC), and other reputable sources.
Mason City attorney Joe LaPointe, representing the Board of Supervisors, dissented. Mr. LaPointe, a Democrat, objected to Minert’s proposal, arguing that if the pay increases were not what he deemed as substantial or within the realm of past historical raises recommended by the Board (2.5% at least, if not more), he would abstain from voting. While Minert agreed that the performance of Cerro Gordo county’s elected officials is “outstanding”, he reminded his colleagues that the scope and intent of such entities (i.e., the county Compensation Boards) is not to conduct salary reviews, because that’s effectively done by the voters. The Comp Board’s responsibility, Minert stressed, is to measure, and then compare, salaries. To justify his perspective, he said that “that’s what the data irrefutably proves.
“If we could move that needle, just a little bit, and get it more in line with what the other counties are doing… I think that is the essence of the purpose of the board.”
Board member Jim Finsted nonetheless then proposed a two percent, across-the-board raise (for all but the Supervisors), which passed. Mr. Minert said if there had to be an increase, he would’ve preferred that the pay increase be one percent – or, at most, 1.5 percent. The board also proposed no pay increase for the Board of Supervisors.
Steve Minert was appointed to the seven member Comp Board in 2015 by Democrats Jay Urdahl and Phil Dougherty, and GOP Supervisor Casey Callanan. His appointment was hailed by conservatives, who wanted what a prominent north Iowa Republican banker described as “a business-oriented mindset” on the Board. “Acting in the best interest of the citizens of this county,” Minert told NIT before Monday’s meeting, “this Board would successfully serve the public by establishing a decision based on professional accountability and NOT relationships, in accordance with the intent and spirit of the law.” In 2016, the Comp Board members elected Mr. Minert as its chairman, ousting its longtime Chairman, Tom Jolas.
Our daughter says the law let’s the supervisers kick off the ones they put on any board, she said La Pointe can be kicked off this comp board by them since they put him on.
LaPointe = POS. Kick this Democrat know-it-all off this Board. Its on count of him and Tom Jolas that these politicians are so overpaid.
It took some guts for Mr Minert to do this, the kinda guts most people who serve on boards like this one just don’t have these days.
@ Butt’r Top – Indeed, it did. It would be nice if more public servants were as prepared as Mr. Minert was on this. Too bad he was overruled by Tim and the others. I’m a Democrat, but if this guy runs, there will be a Minert for Senate sign out in our front yard.
Minert, he done real good. He stand’s up for us workers and for our senior citizen’s thats on fixed incomes, that is more then them bankers and lawyers ever do. If he goes up against Ragan, he get’s our votes.
Your right PW, Stevie understands the value of a dollar, he gets it these politicians is way over paid. Shame on LaPoint and those lawyers & bankers.
Minert done good, tried to stop them politicians from ripping us off again. We live on our Soc Sec we never get raises like these lawyers and bankers give these people. Shame on you LaPoint how about you put your money up, if you have any left since you got cleaned out.
Mr. LaPointe claimed to be representing the Supervisors, but they all said they wouldn’t accept any raise. The Sheriff said the same thing, and based on other counties, our County Attorney, Recorder, Auditor, and Treasurer are all overpaid as things are. It seems that LaPointe just wanted to yap, and cause trouble at the expense of us taxpayers. Mr. Minert deserves kudos for trying to educate these bankers and lawyers as to how foolish this Board was, under Tom Jolas. Maybe next year, more people will pay attention.
Every person that holds office as an elected official, should have known what that office paid, before they ran for the office.
If the pay isn’t enough, then resign and find a better paying job.
@ Buzz, your right. This is I think what Minert would of done if LaPointe and the bankers had not stopped him. When Minert said a pay freeze I mean.
I still feel that a pay freeze should be implemented. Our social security is pathetic and we don’t get a raise every year. Shameful and disgusting.
I understand Mr. Minert’s reasoning in terms of comparison to other counties. However, I wonder if he also looked at experience in comparison to those other counties.
Minert should be arguing for Federally approved quiet tailpipes. That’s his real ability to help North Iowa. The rest of this is spelunking.
Your comment has nothing to do with this subject. If you can’t stay on subject go away.
Its hard to stay on subject with all those loud tailpipes interrupting all the time.
Some of us can read, think, and type even with a bit of noise in the background. When you’ve mastered that skill, come back.
some pretty hefty raises, I wish my soc sec would give me a raise like that, just because I am retired it still costs me the same to live as it does them.
LaPointe was put on there by Jay Erdahl and Phil Doherty. Tim is a liberal puke lawyer like’s to play hey big spender but it’s all other people money since he barley get’s chasing ambalance’s. No chance in Hell our Supervisers puts this big spender back on. Enjoy your glory be while you can LaPointe your done come next meeting.
Sounds personable….Now, Jerry lay off the booze – Fck!2 lol
It seems to me that the city uses the same ideas when it comes to wages, ie, they compare wages with other cities our size. Everybody would like more money, but sometimes that just isn’t possible. COLA, should be a factor in wage increases, not just, I want more.
Politics again….
Why do city,county and the schools all think they need to get a raise every year.
It would be nice to mention that the Comp Board doesn’t set the salaries of elected county officials. They recommend a raise, freeze or lowering of salaries to the board of supervisors who then make the final decision. Most counties recommend at least 5 percent pay hikes, knowing the board will cut them down to a reasonable level.
even though the state is broke, our public servants who the taxpayer now serves, want more and more
I didn’t know the state was broke!? When did this happen? Have we filed for bankruptcy yet!?
Which LaPointe is on the board? Reading the article both are listed?
Tim LaPointe
Why do we have only bankers and lawyers on this board? Why is there not a working person there to represent the majority of the taxpayers?
We are working class, me and the wife. Me and her say Mr Minert did a great job trying to do things right on this. But your right, this lawyer and the bankers got it all fouled up.
Why don’t you run for the board then?
Anonymous, people don’t run for the compensation board, they are appointed.
@ He don’t need to run for the Board long as Minert is on it, he told them lawyers & bankers just how we think. No raises for nobody that already gets paid more then enough. We are working prople, sure would like to see more people in politics thinks like Mr Minert, he does talk for us.