Chris Greenwald says he is confident that he is the type of change that Lee County government needs right now.
Greenwald has served in city government in Fort Madison for the last ten years, representing the 1st and 2nd wards on the City Council during that time.
He says he has thoroughly enjoyed his time on the panel, but as a supporter of term limits for political offices, he is ready to find something different.
That led him to toss his hat in the ring for the District 2 seat on the Lee County Board of Supervisors. District 2 is an urban district, covering most of Fort Madison.
Greenwald says his time on the Fort Madison City Council has prepared him for higher office.
"The (Fort Madison) City Council was an excellent place to train in anticipation of this even larger budget."
Greenwald says he brings leadership, enthusiasm, and a new perspective to the race.
"I pride myself on looking at the big picture, the overall picture, however it is human nature to start zeroing in and getting some tunnel vision. I will bring a new vision and see things from a different angle."
His opponent in the June 3, 2014 Democratic Primary, Supervisor Rick Larkin, has served in various levels of government for more than 30 years.
Greenwald says in his opinion, the biggest issue facing the county is the fall-out from the decision in 2011 to reorganize several county offices.
He points to the division it has caused amongst the five supervisors and between the county's two largest cities, Keokuk and Fort Madison.
Greenwald says he will work to end that division by sitting down with Supervisors Gary Folluo and Matt Pflug, who represent Keokuk, and finding common ground to avoid the constant 3-2 votes on the board.
Greenwald says he has not taken a formal stance on the office reorganization, but he has come out in opposition to the volunteer committee that is studying the subject.
He disagrees with the notion that the public committee is the only way to get a fair, unbiased look at the issue.
"Everything that (the committee) is describing (in regards to fairness), to me, is what the Lee County Board of Supervisors is. 20% of the county elects each one of the supervisors so what better way to have unbiased representation for each precinct than to use those supervisors."
Greenwald says despite his opposition, he would consider any report from the committee because more information is a good thing.
He says when it comes to the county's multi-million dollar budget, without getting into specifics, he would base his decisions on whether an expenditure is something the county "wants or needs," in a similar manner to home budgets.
Greenwald says he will consider future requests for funding for Keokuk Area Hospital, as long as the hospital is making progress in reversing its financial struggles, but he has not looked into the idea of new locations for the Lee County Health Department and the Lee County Conservation Board.
