BEDFORD — In Taylor County, there are several contested races for constituents to vote on in Tuesday’s general election.
William F. Daleske is running for sheriff against Taylor County Sheriff Josh Weed. Bethany Murphy and Sue Cox are both running for the open position of auditor, as current Auditor Bonnie Baker will not be running, and David Spencer is running against incumbent Jerry Murphy for one position on the Taylor County Board of Supervisors.
Sheriff
William F. Daleske
Daleske, 46, has 21 years of law enforcement experience. After graduating from high school in 1988 from Hagerman High School in Hagerman, New Mexico, he attended several colleges.
He worked with Hagerman Police Department in Hagerman for 11 1/2 years before joining the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office in Roswell, New Mexico. During his 10-year stint with the sheriff’s office, he was a narcotics agent for two years, criminal investigator for three years and DARE and hunter safety instructor for six years each. Daleske was a sergeant his last three years with the sheriff’s office.
He was also an intermediate emergency medical technician for 10 years at Eastern New Mexico Medical Center in Roswell and a volunteer firefighter for 10 1/2 years with Hagerman Volunteer Fire Department.
In 2014, Daleske moved to Bedford, where he is currently the Bedford Chamber of Commerce director.
“I have the ability to talk to people really well, and with my experience with narcotics and detectives, I bring a lot of experience with search warrants, arrest warrants,” Daleske said. “I’ve done some grant writing and I have leadership certificates from being a sergeant and whatnot. I ran my own crew. I had about five or six deputies that worked for me on patrol. I’ve done every aspect of law enforcement that’s out there.”
Daleske said he wants to hit on the drug problem in Taylor County first before working to stop the burglaries occurring throughout the county. He also wants to work toward promoting training for the department and making the officers more community oriented.
“I always give back to the communities I live in, as you can tell from my past history,” Daleske said. “Taylor County is no different.”
Josh Weed
Weed, a third-generation officer, is running for another term as sheriff of Taylor County.
Weed, 36, of Bedford, is a 1998 graduate of Bedford High School. He graduated in 2001 from Iowa Western Community College in Clarinda with a degree in business administration.
In 2005, he joined the Bedford Police Department. In 2010, he was elected Taylor County Sheriff. Three years later, Bedford Police Department consolidated with Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, and two years after that, Lenox Police Department consolidated also. Weed also has experience in construction and auto repair.
“I have six years experience, experience in all areas needed,” Weed said. “I mean, it’s not just the law enforcement side. You’re in control of the communications center, the civil department, courthouse security and the jail. And, I have the required training.”
Weed said in the past few years he has ensured the department has several equipment upgrades, as well as a 911 systems upgrade. He also has received grants to upgrade the software used at the department.
Other things he’s helped do as sheriff include beginning the K9 program in the summer, working on coverage of the Bedford and Lenox communities and promoted ALICE active-shooter training at Taylor County Courthouse and local school staff.
In November, Weed plans to begin a junior deputy academy to connect with local youth and teach them about law enforcement. He also hopes to purchase quality body cameras for each officer in the near future.
“I have a supportive staff that I enjoy working with,” Weed said. “I look forward to building on the changes and accomplishments that we have made over the last several years.”
Auditor
Bethany Murphy
Bethany Murphy is one of two running for the position of Taylor County Auditor.
Bethany, 30, lives in Bedford. She is a 2005 graduate of Lenox High School in Lenox. She attended Iowa Western Community College for a short time.
Bethany previously worked in the bookkeeping department at State Savings Bank in Bedford. She has worked for the past 10 years in the Taylor County Assessor’s Office, the most recent seven years as the deputy assessor.
“The auditor’s office is a very busy place. It’s the hub, if you will, of county government,” Bethany said. “I’ve worked in county government for the last 10 years. So, I’ve been around a lot of the functions of the auditor’s office through my job in the assessor’s office, and I would like to see Taylor County continue running strong. I believe I’m the person to do that.”
Bethany said as a resident of Taylor County her whole life, and as a taxpayer, she has a unique understanding of what makes the county tick and how to maintain it financially.
“I have a vast knowledge of the county, being born and raised in Taylor County, and being a taxpayer of Taylor County myself,” Bethany said. “I know that I would be committed to keeping Taylor County in a sound, financial place.”
Bethany also said the relationships she’s built through her position in the assessor’s office has been instrumental.
“I have working relationships established with all the other department heads,” Bethany said. “I know that those relationships would ensure that the budgets and all other work would continue.”
Sue Cox
Cox is also running for the open position of Taylor County Auditor.
Cox, 52, lives in rural New Market. She graduated in 1982 from Central Webster High School in Burnside before obtaining her associate’s degree in 1984 from AIB College of Business in Des Moines. She then earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and health care management and master’s degree in instructional leadership from Graceland University in Lamoni.
“I already work in the office as deputy auditor,” Cox said. “Since I’ve worked side-by-side with the current auditor, we all got together and thought it would be good to have someone from the office run so there would be a smooth transition of leadership.”
Cox worked for 17 years in local, county and state government after obtaining her associate’s degree. She worked for 10 years in the financial aid department at Graceland University, and also worked as student employment coordinator which gave her “human resources experience and budget experience, working with compliance issues and just working with numbers in general.”
Cox has been the deputy auditor in the auditor’s office since 2015.
“I bring experience and having Bonnie to work with for the last year is a huge aspect,” Cox said. “Bonnie’s been there 42 years, so working side-by-side with her is a huge advantage over someone else.”
Cox said she would also be a good auditor because she doesn’t have as large a learning curve because of her experience in the auditor’s office already.
“I’m a reliable person, and dependable. I have great customer service skills and I’m pretty knowledgeable of the auditor’s office already,” Cox said, “so I know all the jobs it takes to be auditor.”
County Board of Supervisors
David Spencer
Spencer, a Republican, is running against Jerry, the incumbent, for one spot on the Taylor County Board of Supervisors.
Spencer was unavailable for comment.
Jerry Murphy
Jerry, a Democrat, is an incumbent for a position on the Taylor County Board of Supervisors. He is running against David Spencer.
Jerry was unavailable for comment.
Charles Ambrose
Age: 62
Of: Gravity
Party: Republican
Work history: Ambrose is a school bus driver and owner and operator of Garden Charlies, a small produce and annuals nursery in Gravity. He has also been a Taylor County supervisor since 2009.
Why do you want to remain a supervisor? "I find the work fulfilling. I consider it a privilege serving my people down here. I've helped get some things done in Taylor County that have helped the people in the county, and I'd just like to continue serving for another four years."
What do you think you bring to the position that someone else doesn't? "I think I sometimes have a different perspective where the county ought to be headed than some people. In the past seven years, I've been involved with some road improvements. ... We have reorganized the police department and now we have a countywide police department and we have a countywide ambulance service we didn't have before. ... In the next four years, my intention is to focus on economic development as it pertains to ways it can help the county prosper."