As anyone with a passing knowledge of civics knows, Iowa has three branches of government, each with a different role. To put it in the simplest terms, the legislature writes the laws, the governor ensures that the laws are carried out and the courts decide if the laws are legal and constitutional.

The executive branch, led by the governor as the chief executive of the state, includes lots of boards and commissions that provide both insight and oversight. These panels do everything from guiding the care of state parks to determining who should be licensed to practice dentistry.

The Fort Dodge region will have a voice on some of those panels as a result of nominations recently made by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Webster County Supervisor Mark Campbell has been nominated for a second term on the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, which regulates casinos in the state. If there is ever any future expansion of gaming in the state, the commission would decide which projects would get casino licenses. Campbell is the vice chairman of the commission.

Two other area residents were nominated for seats on other state panels that are vitally important even if they don’t have the high profile of the Racing and Gaming Commission..

Gary Langbein, a Sac County farmer, was nominated for a second term on the Renewable Fuel Infrastructure Board. That board awards grants to help service stations and convenience stores upgrade their equipment to handle more renewable fuels.

Amanda Miller, of Pocahontas County, was nominated to the Board of Sign Language Interpreters and Transliterators. That board licenses sign language interpreters.

All of those appointees will make sure that our region will have a voice on boards that will impact our state across a wide range of issues and endeavors.

The appointments do require the approval of the state Senate. We call on the Senate to confirm these appointments without delay.

These three people are taking on additional burdens to serve their state. They deserve our thanks for doing so.

They are also setting an example of service to others that the rest of us should follow.