GLENWOOD, Iowa (KMTV) — A controversy erupted in Mills County after outgoing County Supervisor Carol Vinton told the boardthat Supervisor-elect Jack Sayers is too young to represent the county on regional nonprofit boards.
- Until Monday, Vinton was a board member of the conservation organization Golden Hills RC&D. She falsely stated that the group's bylaws exclude people under the age of 21 from serving on its board of directors. Sayers is an 18-year-old college freshman.
- "It makes that task so much more difficult when just a handful of members of my community try to stop me from doing my job," Sayers said.
- After confirming that its bylaws do not have an age restriction, Golden Hills Interim Executive Director Lisa Fox sent a statement to Katrina Markel: "Additionally, we welcome the addition of Jack Sayers name to the board seat nominations. We have several open seats and (are) working to be strategic about filling them with individuals, regardless of age, who can move the mission of Golden Hills forward in accordance with our bylaws. Golden Hills does not currently receive any funding from Mills County and provides a wide array of conservation activities in the county."
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Eighteen-year-old Jack Sayers may be the youngest county supervisor in Iowa history. I'm Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel in Mills County. At last week's supervisor meeting, the outgoing incumbent raised questions about Sayers' age and his ability to serve.
Sayers, a college freshman, is the newest county supervisor in Mills County.
Now, Carol Vinton, whom he defeated in the Republican primary, is raising concerns about his age.
"The people of Mills County voted,” Sayers said. “They spoke their opinions and I'm going to serve Mills County for the next four years."
Part of the supervisor job is representing the county on nonprofit boards including a conservation group I've covered multiple times: Golden Hills.
Vinton claimed that the organization's bylaws prevent someone under the age of 21 from serving on its board and asked that she continue to represent the county on the Golden Hills board.
"The bylaw states that (they need) to be 21 to be on the board," Vinton said during the Dec. 23 board meeting.
But that's not true. I asked Lisa Fox, the Golden Hills interim executive director if that's something they require.
"We absolutely do not," she said in a text message.
I called other regional boards who said the same thing: no age restrictions for board members.
"It makes that task so much more difficult when just a handful of members of my community try to stop me from doing my job," Sayers said.
Sayers clarified he doesn't think Golden Hills is responsible for the controversy.
Fox continued her text message to me which read, in part: "We welcome the addition of Jack Sayers name to the board seat nominations."
Golden Hills confirmed on Monday that Vinton resigned from its board following her false statements about its bylaws. I reached out to her for comment but hadn't heard back as of my deadline.
Jack Sayers will be sworn in on Thursday morning here at the Mills County Courthouse.
