(ABC 6 News) – The League of Women Voters of North Iowa held a candidate forum for local, state and federal (congressional) candidates on Monday October 7, in the FEMA Room of Mason City High School.

While all local candidates for Cerro Gordo County Supervisor, Sheriff and Auditor attended, noticeably absent were three GOP candidates for office: U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson, Iowa Senate District 30 candidate Doug Campbell and Iowa House District 59 candidate Christian Hermanson.

The League of Women Voters of North Iowa told ABC 6 News that the three candidates informed the league that they would not attend due to prior commitments.

Without their opponents joining them onstage, the Democratic candidates for state senate and house; respectively Richard Lorence and Jeremy True (who are both Mason City educators) lambasted the Republican-controlled state government on education policy.

“When I started in the public schools in Iowa,” said True. “We were number one. We’re here, it’s now 2024 and we have the same people that ran the place when it was number one. But now we get resources taken away (and) unfunded mandates that are just there to tie our hands. That has to change.”

“Over $200 million taken away from our public schools,” said Lorence, “… to fund private schools, which we have no say of what gets done in them. That needs to stop. They need to be held accountable for the money that they’re getting from the taxpayers, just like our public schools are.

Questions fielded to the county candidates included how they would approach partisanship in local government, manage the $42 million budget, and recruit new jobs and families to the region.

“I don’t think local politics needs to be partisan,” said candidate for District 1 Cerro Gordo Supervisor. “I promise to reach across the aisle and get things done. I’m a Democrat, but I’m working for you. I want to work for you on a bipartisan pledge, bipartisan approach to governance.”

Incumbent District 1 Supervisor Chris Watts said, if elected, this would be his final term, “I believe in term limits, always have. This is my last term, my last run. I want to finish what we started here in the county a few years ago. We’ve still got some unfinished business (and) I want to see our plan through.”

Democratic U.S. Congressional candidate Sarah Corkery called out the absence of her opponent. “Where is Miss Hinson?” Corkery questioned. “She chose not to be here and not be part of this conversation.”

Cerro Gordo County Auditor Adam Wedmore is running unopposed, but joined the forum along with District 2 Supervisor candidates Carl Ginapp (R) and Lori Meacham-Ginapp (D) and Sheriff candidates Dave Hepperly (R) and Brian Koob.