Longtime legislator Matt McCoy to run against John Mauro for Polk County supervisor

Longtime legislator Matt McCoy will forego seeking re-election to the Iowa Statehouse and instead run for a seat on the Polk County Board of Supervisors.

McCoy made the announcement Wednesday afternoon during a news conference at the south-side hardware store his family owned for more than 50 years.

"It's exciting and a little bit nerve-racking," McCoy, 51, told the Register. "Leaving the Senate is a big step for me."

McCoy has spent 26 years as an Iowa legislator.

The Democrat is serving his seventh term in the Iowa Senate, where he represents portions of Des Moines and West Des Moines. He previously served two terms in the Iowa House.

He will take on another longtime Des Moines politician.

John Mauro plans to seek re-election to the Board of Supervisors' Fifth District seat, which represents Des Moines' south side.

Mauro, 76, has spent 24 years on the Board of Supervisors, serving from 1990 to 1998 and again from 2002 to the present.

The two Democrats will face each other in a June 5 primary. The general election is Nov. 7.

A sharp critic of the state's move to privatize Medicaid, McCoy said as Polk County supervisor he would explore new ways of providing mental health services at lower costs, especially in the county jail system.

He also wants to see the Board of Supervisors hold evening meetings to accommodate the public. The board currently meets Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m.

"If you're a working family, is it really accessible if you have a Board of Supervisors meeting on a Tuesday morning when everybody is at work," McCoy said.

The county should also take a leadership role in expanding access to public transportation and encouraging the development and preservation of affordable housing, he said.

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"It should not just be concentrated in the city of Des Moines," McCoy said.

Mauro said Wednesday that his biggest motivation to run again was a desire to end hunger in the county. Mauro has raised $5 million to expand the county's existing food pantry network.

Polk County supervisors earn a $115,438 annual salary, whereas state senators make $25,000 a year.

If elected, McCoy said he'd give up or pass on his business, RDC Resource Development Consultants in Des Moines.