With the 2024 election just around the corner, the Times-Republican sent out questionnaires to the candidates in competitive races at the local, state and national level. In the race for Marshall County Auditor/Recorder, incumbent Republican Nan Benson of rural State Center, who was appointed in 2017, won an election to serve out the remainder of her predecessor’s term in 2018 and then won a full term running unopposed in 2020, faces independent Joel Oliva, a political newcomer who moved to Marshalltown within the past year and has a background in information systems and cybersecurity.

Their responses are printed below.

1. What is your personal, professional and educational background, and why are you running for Marshall County Auditor/Recorder?

Nan Benson: I am a lifelong resident of Marshall County understanding the needs of the residents both in the rural and urban setting. I was raised on a farm near State Center; my husband Jay and I continue to farm near the Sheriff’s Office. I have a B.A. Degree in Accounting, with minors in Math/Computer Science and Business Management. I also have passed the CPA Exam. I am running for Marshall County Auditor/Recorder for another term because I feel like we have just come through the tornado, pandemic, and derecho, and implemented an upgrade to our Tyler Financial system to Incode 10 during that time. I feel like now I would be able to really focus on projects and not reconstruction or communication during a crisis.

Joel Oliva: I am running for Marshall County Auditor/Recorder to better serve our community while improving our county’s real estate, tax and election processes and procedures. On a personal note, family is important to me — we love Marshalltown and are embedded in the community. My stepfather is a manager at Iowa Premium and my mother is an assistant librarian at MHS. They both enjoy volunteering through company events and through our church, St. Francis. Two of my younger brothers are also working at Iowa Premium, and my youngest sister is an 8th grader on the volleyball team at MMS. Regarding my professional experience, I was a cybersecurity consultant for three years after my graduate studies. During this time, I was able to help hundreds of companies recover from ransomware attacks where I managed numerous projects simultaneously while successfully meeting strict deadlines in a demanding high-stress environment. My educational background is a journey I am highly thankful of, as I attained a Master of Science in Information Security Policy and Management from a top tier institution known as Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to that, I graduated from Weber State University, receiving my undergraduate degree in management information systems, alongside a minor in accounting. With my personal, professional, and educational experiences, I know I am the right candidate to lead the office of the Marshall County Auditor/Recorder to serve our community with care, efficiency, and efficacy.

2. In your view, what are the most important functions of your position, and what would your biggest focuses be if elected?

Benson: The functions in the Auditor/Recorder’s office are a long list which includes Elections (Registrar of Voters, Custodian of Election Records), Clerk to the Board of Supervisors, Financial Officer for the County, Budget Central, Real Estate Taxes, Custodian of Courthouse/Facilities (including Lost & Found), Insurance, Licenses, Other Reporting (Census, Labor, OSHA, Job Service, etc.), Oversee County Plats – Real Estate Transfers, Platting Subdivisions, Payroll, Human Resource Manager (Personnel Policy, Job Descriptions, General Employee Training), Drainage Districts, Recording of Legal Documents (Deeds, Mortgages, Condemnations, Affidavits, POA, Trade Names, Articles of Incorporation, etc.), DNR (ATV Licenses, etc.), Vital Records (Births, Deaths, UCC, DD214-Military Discharges), so to say something is more important than another is difficult. It depends which customer has a question or a need, then that function is the most important to them.

If reelected, I believe the streamlining of our systems and creating efficiencies is a top priority. Prior to coming to Marshall County, I worked at Emerson in the HRIS Department which is an IT Department. My position ran Projects for Training Software and HR/Payroll Software worldwide including the training on utilizing the various software.

At Marshall County we use DevNet for our Real Estate software vendor. We are the only county utilizing this program in Iowa; however, it is used in many other states. We are working closely with one of the company owners to improve this program and implement the many legislative changes.

We are in process getting the Auditor and Recorder land records available online using Cott which was one of the ARPA projects. This will be a great benefit for patrons who are researching who do not live locally as well as our frequent visitors of the surveyors and abstractors if they need something before or after business hours. I feel this could provide a great opportunity to expand searches for many patrons.

The Marshall County Real Estate Team and the City of Marshalltown is working to build teamwork and to improve the communications for patrons. This will also keep folks from trying to get different information from different sources. If we can combine forces, we can truly do some great things and do them efficiently.

Oliva: Managing processes. As the office handles multiple moving parts that all require attention to detail and timeliness, process management is critical. This proper management is not only in terms of business processes, but also in terms of systems processes and how said systems are managed, playing a crucial role in accurately calculating taxes and valuations efficiently. Additionally, fostering relationships and working in synergy with other offices, state agencies, software developers and the Auditor and Recorder Associations will be key. One thing that can happen in focusing on managing processes within government is that said processes become the focus while the taxpayers are forgotten. Under my watch, the taxpayer will never be forgotten. They will always be on the forefront of my mind in all my decision making to make local government be cost effective and a good customer service experience for the people I vow to serve.

3. Ms. Benson, why do you feel that you deserve another term as auditor/recorder, and Mr. Oliva, why do you believe that it’s time for a change?

Benson: I have worked hard for the patrons of Marshall County and do not plan on changing that. I always want to listen to anyone who has concerns or questions about any topic and want my staff to do the same. I feel we have the right team in place to really get some projects accomplished. If I was asking for a status quo, I would not feel good about asking for another term, however, I am hoping that the focuses in #2 you will agree that I would be the right person for the job.

Oliva: I do believe it is time for a change. We have heard of the mismanaged processes and delays to our communities with the valuations and tax calculation process. If there are issues in these processes, what other areas of management might have had attention to detail missed to the detriment of the taxpayer where the department could have been ran more efficiently? I believe it is in the best interest of our county to elect a new auditor/recorder. There is room for improvement, and I know a fresh perspective such as my own can assist with these improvements. By streamlining inefficient processes with tech-savvy approaches, we can avoid delays to our communities while prioritizing transparency and communication for quicker, informed decision-making. In addition, I understand the need for a unified staff, trained up for success, that is skilled and diverse in its capabilities. This will allow our office to focus on fiscal/record-keeping responsibilities and leave room for innovative solutions to combat any unnecessary budget increases in the future.

4. In a press release announcing his campaign, Mr. Oliva expressed concerns about delays in property valuations being provided to the county’s taxing entities. For both candidates, how do you feel that situation was handled, and what, if any, changes would you propose for the future?

Benson: The valuations were delayed, however, DevNet, our real estate programmer, was not informed of a change to the file layout for the upload file format. We did have some personnel changes, and when I ran the job a few days into January, there were 3 missing fields in every row. When I contacted our programmer regarding the issue, he reached out to the state to find out the updates. This of course took the programmer a bit over two weeks to complete the rewrite of the program, then there were additional items for us to review prior to finalizing. Anyone who has worked around IT or the systems side of things knows this is a good turn around. We have implemented safeguards to ensure this type of thing does not happen in the future with myself and another Marshall County employee attending software developer meetings since this event occurred.

Oliva: State code states “the auditor shall make an annual report not later than January 1 to the governing body of each taxing district in the county of the assessed valuations of taxable property in the taxing district as reported to the department of management.” Marshall County’s report was completed 22 days late and was 97th out of 99 counties. Iowa code changes, not receiving communications or software issues are the exact same types of challenges every other auditor in the state has to deal with. It is important, and the expectation, to do the job right and on time. I have had many experiences managing systems, processes, and multi-million-dollar projects. I am constantly looking for the up-to-date and novel ways to train myself and my team, powered by open communication on team dynamics and needs. In addition, it is paramount to work closely with key stakeholders such as state agencies, programmers, and IT departments — upholding these relationships is a must. You also need to be well versed in the new State Code to ensure our team is always prepared.

5. Do you believe faith in Marshall County elections is currently strong, and what, if any, steps would you take to improve election integrity and oversight?

Benson: I believe Marshall County and Iowa Elections are strong and have good integrity. There are many things going on behind the scenes at the local and state level in preparation for “what if” scenarios. I truly hope that none of those things occur, however, if they do, I can feel confident in our preparations in our contingency. The great thing about living and working in Marshall County is the great network of people we have here that will assist if needed.

The one thing I hope will change legislatively in the future is to allow us to mail out the Absentee Ballots a few days prior to the In-Person Absentee Voting. This will come, in my opinion, there are just so many other important topics for our legislators to discuss, this has not made it to the top yet.

Oliva: Currently, yes; thanks to the Iowa Legislature, Governor Kim Reynolds, and Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate. They have put the rules in place to keep our elections safe, secure, efficient, and effective. Just like buying a new computer, at times the software required to run it is outdated as soon as you get it home and requires periodic updates. We must be vigilant at all levels to keep our elections secure. I’m the only candidate with this background to stay on top of this. The threat landscape of a governing body is made up of various risks and vulnerabilities that span from data breaches to fraud and beyond. I will be sure to leverage my background in threat intelligence in order to pinpoint and triage inherent risks, avoiding negative impacts that would otherwise cost time and resources if not managed properly. Lastly, I will ensure our voting locations are in compliance with state and federal laws. The key is to have the polling locations be user friendly and consistent for a simplified voter experience.

6. Why are you the most qualified candidate for this office?

Benson: When I was appointed to Auditor/Recorder in October 2017, I felt like my many roles over the years had prepared me for the many hats that are needed as you see all the duties in #2 above. For example, here in Marshall County this is the 14th payroll system I have utilized over my career. I have utilized so many different systems over my 35 plus years in my industry that assists in my understanding in how modules fit together and what results should be expected.

My final note would be that I would be honored to serve another term as the Marshall County Auditor/Recorder, and I humbly ask for your vote. I would like to thank the patrons of Marshall County for their past confidence in me and hope this continues into the future.

Oliva: Some might say a CPA is the most qualified. However, I would not consider a CPA who does not complete their work on time to be the most qualified. I am qualified because I bring a robust background in cybersecurity and project management, highlighted by a Master of Science in Information Security Policy and Management backed by extensive experience in managing complex systems successfully. I am a fresh voice to the budgetary table to save taxpayer dollars and help promote growth for our communities in Marshall County. Moreover, I truly care about our community and show it through my dedication to volunteering opportunities and community service – I want to be a servant of the people. Lastly, I have a passion for improving process efficiency, enhancing transparency/communication, and ensuring election integrity through my technical expertise. I sincerely ask for your vote for me, Joel Oliva, for Marshall County Auditor/Recorder.