DES MOINES, Iowa – This week State Auditor Rob Sand announced a three-day-long town hall tour that will stop in 13 cities across Iowa.
Sand, a Democrat elected in 2018 after defeating Republican incumbent Mary Mosiman, is the first state auditor to schedule open town hall meetings. When this was mentioned to him on Twitter, he replied, “Sad. I’m not sure I can think of a better way to have elected officials accountable and citizens being formed.”
On Thursday, Sand announced details for the first day of his tour on April 26th which is a swing through western and northwest Iowa.
- Council Bluffs: 9am-10am (Council Bluffs Public Library, 400 Willow Ave, Council Bluffs, IA 51503)
- Holstein: 1pm-2pm (Lohff Schumann Community Center, 301 Lohff-Schumann Dr, Holstein, IA 51025)
- Sioux Center: 4:30pm-5:
30pm (The Fruited Plain Café, 172 N Main Ave, Sioux Center, IA 51250) - Le Mars: 6pm-7pm (The Family Table Restaurant, 511 Hawkeye Ave SW, Le Mars, IA 51031)
- Sioux City: 7:30pm-8: 30pm (The Delta Hotel-Sioux City, 385 E 4th St, South Sioux City, NE 68776)
On April 27th, he will stop in Storm Lake, Ft. Dodge, Waterloo, Independence, and Makoqueta.
- Storm Lake: 9:30am-10:
30am (Better Day Café, 518 Lake Ave N, Storm Lake, IA 50588) - Ft. Dodge: 11:30am-12:
30pm (Iowa Central Community College, Biological Sciences Building, Room 203 -2nd floor, 1 Triton Cir, Fort Dodge, IA 50501) - Cedar Falls: 2:30pm-3:
30pm (University of Northern Iowa, Rod Library, Room 287 – 1st floor, 1227 W 27th St, Cedar Falls, IA 50614) - Independence: 4:15pm-5: 15pm (Independence Public Library, 805 1st St East, Independence, IA 50644)
- Maquoketa: 7:00pm-8:00pm (Maquoketa Public Library, 126 S Second St., Maquoketa, IA 52060)
On the final day of his tour, April 28th, Sand will stop in Muscatine, Ottumwa, and Indianola.
- Muscatine:10:00am-11:00am (Muscatine Community College, Student Lounge, 152 Colorado St, Muscatine, IA 52761)
- Ottumwa:2:00pm-3:00pm (Hotel Ottumwa, 2996, 107 2nd St E, Ottumwa, IA 52501)
- Indianola: 5:00pm-6:00pm (County Administration Building, 301 N Buxton Street, Indianola, 50125)
Some Republicans were skeptical of his tour.
Nevada City Councilman and Story County Republican activist Dane Nealson speculated he’s using the tour to promote prospective challenge to U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, in 2020.
Sand has publicly criticized Ernst on his personal Twitter account.
Republican activist Todd Henderson from Urbandale criticized Sand’s lack of a CPA certification.
Democrat activist Ryan Dierks, from Dubuque, pointed out holding town hall
He added other officials, like Secretary of State Paul Pate, should hold town hall meetings.