Robinson reflects on four terms with the Montgomery County Supervisors

After 16 years and four terms with the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, Donna Robinson has called it a career. She announced earlier in 2024 she would not seek a fifth term.
Robinson said it was the urging of others that she first entered the 2008 supervisors race, after the then-District 5 Supervisor, Jim Parker, announced his own intentions not to run.  
“Parker was running for a state senate seat, so his supervisor’s seat was going to be available. I was approached by a couple of people about it. They told me this would be something I’d be good at, and that I should consider running. I really wasn’t sure, but the more I thought about it, I considered that we owned farm ground, we owned a small business at that time. We also owned a home and had rental property. We were very invested as taxpayers in the county. Also, I knew I had budgeting skills. I had worked in retail also, so I was used to working with the public.  I realized it was something I could do, so I moved forward,” commented Robinson.
Robinson had not been in public office prior to her decision to run for Supervisor. After securing the Republican nomination in the 2008 Primary, Robinson said her race suddenly became contested.
“Parker had run against, at that time, Clark County Treasurer, Kim Reynolds, for the state senate seat and he was defeated in that primary. At that point in time, you could file papers as an Independent and run. He said was going to run, to try to continue to keep his seat as supervisor. I was fine with that, but told him I wasn’t withdrawing my candidacy. We had a race in November of 2008 and I was elected. After that, it was the last time my race was contested. The last three terms were unopposed,” Robinson explained.
After the election, Robinson said she dived right in, getting involved with a major project being considered by the county, the old jail.
“The old jail was in need of being replaced. There had been a number of studies done. According to the state jail inspector, the building was hanging by a thread and we needed to do something. A jail committee was put together and that was my first project. I chaired the committee, and we had a lot of people from all around the county that served. Joni Ernst, who was our auditor at the time, clerked for the board. We had all kinds of help and expertise and put plans together for a new jail. That ended up taking over a year,” advised Robinson. “Then we took it out to the people and held meetings in Villisca, Elliott, Grant, Red Oak and Stanton. We also went to civic clubs and other places and organizations and talked to people to give them the information as to what the needs were and why this was the best option. We brought it to a vote in August of 2010, needing a 60% super majority for it to pass, and it passed resoundingly! We had a 79% majority that voted in favor of the jail project.  That was very gratifying and it made all of our hard work worth it.”
Robinson said she was a part of the groundbreaking in 2011. The doors to the new Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center opened in August of 2012. Robinson said she’s pleased with how things turned out.
“It was a major project and it’s something that, to this day I’m proud to have been a part of along with a lot of other people. Everybody worked hard on it,” commented Robinson.
Another item Robinson was happy to have helped bring to fruition was a dedicated medical examiner. After working with various doctors, Montgomery County Emergency Management coordinator Brian Hamman was approached and trained to serve in the position, and has done so for the last several years. Another project she was pleased to see come to fruition was the new courthouse roof, which was installed in 2016, as well as new HVAC in the courthouse and Highland Annex.
Since joining the supervisors, Robinson said she’s worked with a variety of other members to find common ground and reach certain goals.
“It’s always interesting to bring someone new onto the board. I came on as a new member and there were four members that were not familiar with me. I found it was always good to be welcoming and to try to be helpful and give the new members the opportunity to learn and listen just as I did. I’ve had the pleasure of working with a lot of good people on the board of supervisors. Karen Blue was on the board when I was first elected. I considered her a great mentor and learned a lot from her. There were so many people and I couldn’t list them all because I’d probably leave someone out,” stated Robinson. “We’ve all come from different backgrounds, different education levels. But we all bring something different to the board and everybody works together to make that work. I’ve also had the pleasure of working with four auditors, three treasurers, one recorder, two sheriffs, all of the Swansons in the county attorney position, two engineers, and three IT people.  It’s been a very diversified group of people in elected positions and other department heads. It was always my goal to be a part of the team and for everybody to work together. We didn’t all always agree. We didn’t all always have the same outlook, but we worked through all of our challenges and tried to do what was best for the taxpayers of Montgomery County.”
While the supervisors meet weekly, Robinson said there was a lot of time and energy spent behind the scenes as well.
“Beyond the meeting, you serve on a lot of other committees that the county is involved with, and that funding goes to. You have representation on different ones. I’ve served with Nishna Productions, the Southwest Iowa Planning Council, the Landfill Association, Regional Planning Affiliate 13, Montgomery County Public Health meetings, and a lot of other different things. I took my turn of serving as the chairperson for SWIPCO and was the secretary treasurer of the Landfill Association. I attended countless meetings with all these assignments as well as attending ISAC state meetings. I enjoyed all of the different committees. Much like the supervisors board, it’s a combination of a lot of people all trying to work for the good of the whole.”
Since joining the board, Robinson has served eight times as the vice-chairman, and two times as the board chairman.
Robinson said being able to serve the people and trying to make good decisions that are to the benefit of all the people have been the most rewarding aspects of her tenure as District 5 Supervisor.
“Being fiscally responsible is something I took to heart. You try to do what’s best with the taxpayer dollars. You try to do what is necessary without being extravagant, while taking care of the needs and providing services for the people,” Robinson said.
According to Robinson, there were several factors that led to her deciding not to run for a fifth term.
“I was proud of the things that had been covered over the years by our entire board, not just me. And I just felt like it was time to relax, to retire, and to enjoy a little more free time. I’m looking forward to spending time with family and friends, fishing and golfing,” explained Robinson.
Still, the decision was bittersweet, and there are things she said she’ll miss now that she’s off the board.
“I’ll miss the people. There are people that I now have good relationships and friendships with that I would have never met had I not been on this board. I’ll also miss the experiences of working with others and growing and learning. I considered that throughout my tenure that I was continuing to learn as well.” Robinson commented.
Robinson had a final message to pass on to all the people who supported her over the years, both on the board and at the ballot box.
“I’m very grateful for their support. When I first started, I set up committees and I surrounded myself with good people and I had good people that got behind me right from the beginning, and they supported me. And I’m grateful for that. I’m also grateful to two of my good friends, one of which is deceased. The late Rich Fast was chairman of my campaign, and Mark Focht was my treasurer. Also my husband, Jim, worked very hard right along my side throughout all this and he’s been my greatest supporter. The fact that I had good people all around me made it worth the time, and it was much appreciated,” stated Robinson.
If anyone is considering running for any sort of public office, Robinson urged them to approach the position with the understanding that that there will be challenging times, but there will be very gratifying situations as well. Most importantly, Robinson said it was important to treat people respectfully, no matter what the difference was in opinion.