TO:     Iowa Media

FR:     Carolyn Haugland

DT:     November 5, 2007
 

Urbandale, IA – Fred Thompson’s campaign today announced the names of a growing list of key county volunteers who will help Senator Thompson organize for the Iowa caucuses.

Robert Haus, Iowa Executive Director of the Friends of Fred Thompson, stated, “Building an organization in Iowa is critical, and Senator Thompson’s campaign is building every day. We are honored to have the help of local leaders and activists, who agree with Senator Thompson on the key issues facing Iowa and America. Grassroots activists, who are motivated by issues and solutions, are the backbone of this campaign.”

Those who have volunteered as county chairs are as follows:

Adair County - Honorary Chair, Representative Clel Baudler from District 58, is a member of the Agriculture, Government Oversight and Natural Resources Committees as well as Chair of the Public Safety Committee.

Adair County – Chair, Candy Vandewater is a medical sales representative for a small bio-technology firm.  Her husband is a deputy sheriff for Adair County and they are the proud parents of two children.

Black Hawk County - Chair, Marv Dillavou is an enthusiastic supporter of Senator Thompson. He is retired but owns his own business.

Boone County – Chair, Tom Rosenbaum has been a member of the Boone County Republican Central Committee since 2001 and served as Secretary-Treasurer in 2005 and 2006.  For the past forty years, he has worked in television stations around the country as a news manager and is currently a television news consultant.

Bremer County – Chair, Bob Brunkhorst, former State Senator from District 9, was a member of the Agriculture, Education, Judiciary and State Government Committees as well as being Co-Chair of the Economic Growth Committee.

Cass County – Honorary Chair, Mike Cormack is a former four term Iowa State Representative.  Cormack served as Chairman of the Iowa House Economic Development Committee and also the Ethics Committee while in office.  Cormack was the first Republican in forty-two years to be elected to the Iowa House in Fort Dodge, serving from 1994-2002.

Clarke County – Chair, Joyce Neal is involved in local politics and currently serves as the president of the Republican Women’s Club and as the Secretary of the Republican Central Committee of Clarke County.

Davis County – Chair, Howard Hubbard has lived in Davis County since 1999 and is proud to have served five years in the U.S. Army Infantry.

Des Moines County – Chair, Sean Cockrell is a correctional officer at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Ft. Madison, has served as a volunteer on a local fire department for almost ten years and is also a seven year veteran of the United States Air Force where he served during Operation Desert Storm.

Emmet County – Chair, Connie Alvarez is a retired member of the Department of Corrections in the Emergency Response/SWAT team unit.  In addition, he is the Former Chair of the Emmet County GOP.

Fayette County - Co-Chair, Jim Kirkpatrick has been a delegate to the state convention on multiple occasions and presently serves on the Fayette County Republican Party Central Committee.  He formerly served on the Blackhawk County Republican Party Central Committee.

Fayette County - Co-Chair, John Walker has been involved in politics for many years and is currently running for county auditor in Fayette county.

Hardin County – Chair, Gary Warman was an active part of Hardin County’s Bush-Cheney effort in 2004.

Ida County – Chair, Gloria Leonard is a lifelong resident of Ida County with a history of participating in public service endeavors.  In addition, she recently chaired the Holstein Quasquicentennial Celebration and has been actively involved in the cattle industry.

Iowa County – Chair, Ray Garringer has served on the Iowa County Board of Supervisors for nine years.  He has been employed with the Williamsburg Police Department since 1980, and is currently the Assistant Chief of Police.

Jasper County – Chair, Randy Caldwell is an attorney who has held numerous Jasper County Republican positions, including Chair of the Jasper County GOP.

Johnson County – Chair, Tim Hagle is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Iowa.  He is currently the Faculty Advisor for the UI College Republicans and the Iowa Federation of College Republicans.  Professor Hagle recently returned to Iowa following two years of service working in Washington, D.C., at the Department of Justice for the Bush Administration.

Lee County – Chair, Matt Green was the Treasurer for the Lee County Republican Party for four years, ran three County Supervisor campaigns and was an activist on both the local and state level on many issues.  Mr. Green received his degree from Western Illinois University.

Lyon County – Chair, Gerry Brandimarte owns the Brandimarte Group, an insurance agency specializing in senior citizen products.  He is also a Senior Technician for GRG Mechanical.

Madison County – Chair, Mike Jackson is a former Army Officer who also served as the chair of the Madison County Republican Central Committee.  Mike has been involved in many campaigns including previous George Bush and Greg Ganske runs.

Mahaska County – Chair, Melanie Wooten has been active in Republican politics for decades.  She volunteered in the Maryland Republican Party for many years and has helped many Iowa Republican candidates as well.

Muscatine County -  Co-Chairs, Joe and Christy Meyers, are active volunteers for Senator Thompson’s campaign.  Joe is a Mechanical Engineer while Christy is a home-school teacher and 4H leader.

O’Brien County – Chair, Representative Royd Chambers has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2002 for House District 5.  He is a member of the Appropriations, Education, Labor and Veterans Affairs Committees.

Palo Alto County – Chair, Lannie Miller is the Chair of the Palo Alto County GOP, a former Chair of Iowa’s Mental Health Board and a County Supervisor for twelve years.

Plymouth County – Chair, Al Gates has been employed by Mid-American Energy for over thirty years.  Mr. Gates has been active in Republican Party politics since the 1970’s and was the Former Precinct Chair in Kingsley, Iowa.

Poweshiek County – Chair, John Tomasek has been active in Poweshiek Republican politics for many years, most recently serving as county chair for Jeff Lamberti’s 2006 congressional bid.

Story County – Chair, Tom West was part of the Phil Graham campaign, Co-Chair of the Republican Party in Story County and head of Steve Forbes campaign in Story County.

Tama County – Chair, Rich Vander Mey is currently employed as a prosecuting attorney in Tama County.  In addition, he was the legislative assistant and legislative director to Congressman Charles Grassley from 1976-1982; a member of the Story County Central Committee from 1983-1999 and Chairman from 1991-1994; and a member of the Tama County Central Committee from 1999-2007.

Warren County – Chair, Jeff Johnson is the business manager of Des Moines RV and a lifelong conservative who was inspired by his wife’s fifteen year career in the U.S. Army to become more active in politics.

Webster County – Chair, John Kastendieck has been active in Webster County Republican politics for several years.  His wife, Tina, was recently chosen to serve as the Webster County Republican Chair.

Woodbury County – Chair, Michelle Ringgenberg is employed at Wells Fargo and has worked in the banking industry for ten years.  She has previously volunteered on the Nussle/VanderPlaats campaign for Governor and the Barbara Blanchard campaign for the Iowa Senate.

In addition, many new city chairs here in Polk County have been added to Senator Thompson’s campaign. The names of those volunteers are as follows:

Ankeny - Chuck and Cheryl Ellis

Des Moines - Lori Tiancgo

Johnston - Katie Stout

Mitchellville - Chuck Verheul

West Des Moines - Greg Ivory

Windsor Heights - Dan Evans