MASON CITY – A state probe into a candidate for Cerro Gordo county supervisor launched by a democratic auditor over alleged illegal activities by his subordinate has added a new layer of angst – and intrigue – at the local courthouse.
Lori Ginapp is the Democratic candidate for Cerro Gordo county supervisor. Her boss, Cerro Gordo Auditor Adam Wedmore, recently filed a complaint with the Iowa campaign ethics board against Ginapp, alleging she used county resources on her campaign. This is considered a serious misdemeanor under Iowa law.
Supervisor is a great gig if you can get it, paying well over $50K per year plus cushy benefits. Plus, you are perceived as everyone’s boss, so practically everyone in the courthouse will all kiss up to you like you are Elon Musk or something. Folks run for this office, say they will stay a short time, then years later are still involved in vicious re-election cycles. It even draws interest from long-time state legislators, like Amanda Ragan, looking to work closer to home.
Ginapp, a county election clerk with years of experience, defeated Paul Adams, a well-liked Mason City councilman, earlier this year in a Democratic primary for this election. (“He got lazy” in that campaign, a local GOP honcho told NIT. Plus, Ginapp “knows how to work precincts and get out the vote.”)
What’s intriguing is not only that Ginapp and her boss, Wedmore, are both Democrats. It is also that Wedmore is Adams’ first-cousin and close friend, sources tell NIT.
“Was (this Wedmore-Adams relationship) a factor in this investigation being brought against you?” NIT asked Lori Ginapp Monday morning during a phone interview.
After a short pause, Ginapp said, “Well, I’m not sure about that. Maybe he just doesn’t want to have a woman as his boss.”
Ginapp was pleased to speak to NIT about this matter, as she explained, no other local news outlet (so-called “award-winning” journalists included) that reported this story even tried to contact her for her side of things. Which may be why they have zero quotes from the accused in their reporting.
You “are the only one to reach out to me for comment,” Ginapp said.
“I know you will fairly report things,” Ginapp said. She would be correct, as this is a cornerstone of NIT reporting since 2010.
In the interview with Ginapp, she explained that although she is under investigation for campaign ethics violations, her campaign “is going well.” Pressed further about the investigation and whether there was truth to Wedmore’s allegations, she said with a slight chuckle, “it will all come out.”
The voters have their final say tomorrow. Watch NIT for election outcomes.
