Independent candidate Joel Oliva of Marshalltown officially announced his intention to run for Marshall County Auditor/Recorder in a press release issued Wednesday evening.
“Safe, secure and fair elections are imperative to the people of Marshall County and our great nation. I have a long proven history working to combat mass cyber-attacks on computer systems, and I will take my experience to Marshall County to keep our elections secure while working closely with the County Auditor’s Association and Secretary of State of Iowa to keep all our elections protected,” he said.
In the release, Oliva, a 31-year-old Idaho native who moved to Marshalltown in the past year, said he submitted his petition for candidacy after the June primary. He holds a Master of Science degree in Information Security Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems with a Minor in Accounting from Weber State University. He has served as Director of Incident Response at Ankura Consulting Group, LLC in Washington, D.C. and as a Threat Intelligence Analyst for Kimberly-Clark Corporation in Irving, Texas.
He believes those experiences will translate well to the office he is seeking.
“I’ve read in the newspaper of delays in the Auditor’s Office completing valuations for our cities in a timely and legal manner in addition to delays in the tax calculations process,” Oliva said. “I’ve managed several projects and systems that I can easily hit the ground running in managing the mandatory property tax processes, collaborating with vendors and state agencies, while becoming more efficient and accountable to the local taxpayer.”
Oliva said he and his family have “fallen in love” with the Marshalltown community since moving here.
“I’m very excited about this opportunity to serve the people of Marshall County. I’ve been blessed with my abilities, education and work ethic and there is no better way to give back to your community than by putting your talents to work as a public servant,” Oliva said.
Oliva will face incumbent Republican Nan Benson, who was appointed to the office in 2017, won election to serve out the remainder of her predecessor’s term in 2018 and then won a full term running unopposed in 2020.
“I believe that having an opponent is part of the process in all levels of government. It will be interesting to learn the qualifications of my opponent and why he wants to represent the taxpayers of Marshall County. I feel that I have worked very hard for Marshall County during my nearly seven years in office as Auditor/Recorder,” Benson said. “There have been many challenges with two natural disasters and a worldwide pandemic, and working as a team with the Departments has helped us come out on the other side of these challenges. I hope to continue to serve the patrons of Marshall County into 2025 and beyond.”