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Veterans Affairs Board selects two candidates for replacement commissioner

Newton Daily News - 3/20/2018

March 20--The Jasper County Veterans Affairs Commission held a special meeting Monday afternoon to discuss their pick for a replacement commissioner. Former commissioner Jerome Gunderson resigned last month after moving out of Jasper County and commissioners hope to have a replacement ready to go in time for their April meeting.

The commissioners voted to recommend two candidates to the county board of supervisors, who will make the final decision. The first candidate, Michael Naber is a resident of Prairie City. Naber, an active member of the American Legion retired from the Army with the rank of staff sergeant. He served during the Persian Gulf Conflict. The second candidate is Lin Chapé, of Newton, who served in the Air Force as a master sergeant at the beginning of the Vietnam War.

The county board of supervisors will have the final say over who's selected to the commission, but Kurt Jackson, director of the Jasper County Veterans Affairs Commission said he hopes the board will accept the commission's suggestion.

"We're doing the board a favor, they don't have to listen to us," Jackson said.

Gunderson's replacement will be the first commissioner selected under a new process for choosing commissioners, a move that Jackson said is designed to bring Jasper County in line with the state's fair hiring practices. To fill the position Jackson has been advertising for Gunderson's replacement, and in a two week period Jackson's office received eight applications, more than commissioner Fred Dimon was expecting. In an earlier meeting, Dimon said he would be surprised if anyone applied for the position, on Monday he said he's "really surprised" by the number of applicants.

"I was totally surprised," Dimon said. "That's great, I'm glad people are interested in helping out."

The position is unpaid, however, commissioners do receive a stipend to cover their mileage costs. Jackson said he feels like the advertisements have been a success, and it's brought him into contact with veterans that have never visited his before. Dimon said he's glad to see the commission move forward with the selection process after the proposal was twice tabled by the board of supervisors.

"I'm excited that we're doing this process, it's a great way to make sure a new commissioner will mesh well with the established members of the commission," Dimon said.

The new selection process replaces the previous method, where commissioners would be replaced by the county board of supervisors unilaterally, often with little advance notice. Commissioner Marta Ford said she's glad the commission will have a chance to recommend the candidate they feel is the best fit for the position.

"Before they never asked us, people would just show up," Ford said. "At least we'll know they have some knowledge about the commission and the service."

As a 20 year veteran on the commission, Ford said she was surprised to see some of the applicants were veterans she didn't already know. Impressed by the high quality of the applications the commission received, Ford said she's confident the new commissioner will represent the Veterans Affairs office well, something she feels that she and other members of the commission can be proud of.

"These people know what the Veterans Affairs Commission is, I don't even think they knew what it was before," Ford said.

Contact David Dolmage at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or ddolmage@newtondailynews.com

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(c)2018 the Newton Daily News (Newton, Iowa)

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