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Area residents will have a chance to hear from candidates for the state House of Representatives and Webster County recorder during a forum this evening.
The forum will begin at 6 p.m. in the Bioscience and Health Sciences Building at Iowa Central Community College.
The forum will begin with remarks by state Rep. Wendy Larson, R-Odebolt. She is seeking her first full term representing House District 7, which includes Calhoun, Pocahontas and Sac counties plus western Webster County.
Her opponent, Democrat Rachel Burns, of Odebolt, is reportedly unable to attend.
Larson defeated Burns in a December 2025 special election to replace former state Rep. Mike Sexton, who resigned to become the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s director of rural development for Iowa.
At about 6:10 p.m. state Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, and her opponent, Democrat Kristofer Williams, of Fort Dodge, will answer questions.
Meyer is seeking her fifth term representing House District 8, which includes Fort Dodge and eastern Webster County..
At 6:45 p.m. Webster County Recorder Courtney Bender Balkenende, a Democrat, and her opponent, Republican Tina Eldal, will take questions.
Balkenende, who had been the deputy recorder, was appointed to the position by the Board of Supervisors on July 29, 2025, to replace Lindsay Laufersweiler, who resigned to take a job in the private sector.
The forum is scheduled to conclude at 7 p.m.
The forum is sponsored by the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance and Iowa Central Community College.