Mason City councilman, mayor pro-tem Adams to run for spot on Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors

MASON CITY — A second candidate has announced their intent to run for the Third District seat on the Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors.

Mason City city councilman and mayor pro-tem Paul Adams says he’ll be seeking the Democratic nomination for the position. The 38-year-old Adams has served on the city council since 2016 after he was elected to fill the at-large seat left vacant by the death of Alex Kuhn. Adams was appointed to be Mayor Pro Tem in January 2018 and has held that appointment ever since, and was elected to a full term in November 2019.

Adams in a written statement says it’s been a great honor to serve the citizens of Mason City as a councilman the last five years, and the opportunity to continue representing the city at the county level as well as having the chance to advocate for rural communities in Cerro Gordo County led him to the make the decision to run for the supervisors seat.

Last week, Don O’Connor told KGLO News that he intended to run for the Republican nomination for the Third District. That new district includes: in Mason City, all of the First Ward; the first and third precincts of the Second Ward; and the first precinct of the Fourth Ward; as well as the communities of Plymouth and Rock Falls; as well as the rural areas of Falls Township and Lime Creek-Mason North Townships. None of the three current supervisors live in that new district which was formed as part of the every ten years redistricting process, with the new districts going into effect in 2023.

Republican Casey Callanan of Clear Lake announced last week he was running for re-election, bidding to serve in the new District 2 that includes the communities of Clear Lake, Ventura, Burchinal, Portland, Rockwell, Swaledale, Thornton, Meservey and Dougherty and their surrounding areas.

Incumbents Chris Watts and Tim Latham currently live in what will be the new First District, which includes all of Mason City’s Third Ward, Ward Two Precinct Two, and Ward Four Precincts Two and Three. Neither has declared their intentions for the primary.