Shelby County Extension Council Chairperson Julie Klein reports four Shelby County residents have been appointed to the Iowa State University Extension Council Nominating Committee. The committee is charged with nominating candidates for the four vacancies on the council before August 10th, 2016. Committee members selected to nominate extension council candidates for the 2016 election are Arleatta Bartelson of Irwin, Travis Lane of Shelby, Robert Mortensen of Elk Horn and Stacy Torneten of Harlan.

By law the nominating committee must include two women and two men, and cannot include any current member of the council. The committee is required to take county geography into consideration when nominating candidates. Terry Maloy, director for Iowa Association of County Extension Councils, says “Serving as an extension council member is one way to give back to your community. If you believe local educational opportunities are vital to the community’s well-being, then you should consider running for council. It is rewarding to know that people are able to improve their lives, farms, businesses and communities because of ISU Extension and Outreach’s education and information.”

Candidates nominated by the committee must submit petitions containing the names of 25 qualified voters to the county election commissioner by 5 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2016. Additionally, individuals may petition to have their names placed on the ballot through a self-nominating process by submitting petitions with 25 names to the election commissioner. Petition forms are available from the election commissioner and at the county extension office.

Voters will cast ballots for the nominees in the Nov. 8th, 2016, general election. Successful candidates will serve four-year terms beginning in January 2017.