Jean Dickson

Refused to Certify a Tied Election — Against Legal Advice

In December 2023, a Pleasant Valley school-board recount came back a dead heat: 255 votes to 255. Certifying a recount is a routine, ministerial duty, and the county's own attorneys advised the board to accept it so the tie could be broken the way Iowa law requires. Instead, Dickson voted No — and the board rejected the recount 3-2, so the tie was never broken and one candidate was left seated over the other.[3][4] According to the county's own minutes, its attorneys — Assistant County Attorneys Kristina Lyon and Steven Berger — advised that Iowa Code 50.48(5) required the board to accept the recount report and “recommended a yes vote,” and the board rejected it 3-2 with Dickson voting No.[6] The tie had been affirmed by two of the three recount members — including the neutral third member appointed by the chief judge, retired judge Mark Smith — though the prevailing candidate's designee did not join them.[7] For her part, Dickson said she viewed the recount document as non-compliant on its face.[6]

Backed the Budget That Cut the Senior Center

Three months into her first term, Dickson seconded and voted for the FY2024 county budget that zeroed out the entire $213,000 county contribution to the Center for Active Seniors — roughly a fifth of the senior center's budget — and cut funding for the Center for Alcohol & Drug Services.[5] The senior-center dollars the board eliminated had helped keep CASI's Jane's Place adult day program running; that program closed in July 2025 amid ongoing funding shortfalls.[8]

Backed Every Budget of Her Term

Dickson voted for all four county budgets during her tenure. County spending grew from about $124.4 million to $136.9 million — a roughly $12.4 million increase — and she personally seconded the FY24, FY25, FY26 and FY27 budget resolutions.[9][10][11]

• Seconded and voted for the FY2025 county budget of $136,690,626, adopted on a unanimous roll call (Res. 98-2024, 2024).[9]
• Seconded and voted for the FY2026 county budget of $134,824,964, again adopted with all ayes — the urban levy rate ticked down to $5.93331 (Res. 81-2025, 2025).[10]
• Seconded and voted for the FY2027 county budget of $136,853,635, which raised the rural levy rate to $8.80645 per $1,000 and passed 4-1 over fellow Republican Ross Paustian’s lone No (Res. 73-2026, 2026).[11]
• Moved and voted for the roughly $2.2 million Paul Revere Square Treasurer’s project — including an $1,813,000 construction contract to Swanson — each award passing 4-1 over Paustian’s No (Res. 70/71/72-2026, 2026).[14]
• Did break with the majority on spending at least once, voting No — with Paustian — on a $360,000 purchase of 2322 E. Kimberly Rd. to relocate the County General Store, which passed 3-2 anyway (Res. 97-2024, 2024).[12]

Moved to Green-Light a New Hog Confinement

In April 2024, Dickson personally moved the board’s resolution recommending the state approve a new confined animal feeding operation — BTD Cleona Pork 1+ LLC’s hog facility in Cleona Township. The county’s Master Matrix review role is largely procedural, and staff had already scored the application as compliant, but the supervisors went on record recommending approval.[13]

• Moved the resolution recommending IDNR approve the BTD Cleona Pork confined-feeding operation; it passed on a unanimous roll call (Res. 96-2024, 2024).[13]

Voted to Rewrite the Public-Records Policy the Lone Democrat Opposed

In May 2026, Dickson voted for a revised county Public Records policy — changing how fees are calculated and how requests are aggregated — that passed 4-1 over the lone Democrat’s objection to its “vague language.” The policy had been approved by the Iowa Public Information Board.[15]

• Voted for the revised public-records policy over Supervisor Maria Bribriesco’s lone No, which she raised amid concerns about vague language (Res. 85-2026, 2026).[15]