Opinion : Letter to the Editor: Words of Hope

October 30, 2023

Editor

Vinton Today

As the first Benton County woman ever to be elected as a Benton County Supervisor - and coincidentally one of the first six women county supervisors elected in the State of Iowa, I had a double reason for seeking the job.

In 1965 I had approached the Benton County Board of Supervisors, asking them to hire an activity director for the 50 mental patients who had been sent to the Benton County Home from the Mental Health Institute in Independence, Iowa, and given the brush off.

None of them said a single word to me or even gave me eye contact.

One of the Supervisors stared out the window. Another studied the ceiling light fixture. The third one rubbed his closed eyes and never did open them.

Returning to my law office job across the street, I said to my boss Don Boddicker, "Boy! If I ever run for public office, I'm going to run for county supervisor."

Don just laughed. "That's one position no woman can ever win," he said.

In 1971, my husband became disabled with heart attacks.

I knew I had to support us alone. We still had Tony and Mary in Jr. High. I had to get a higher paying job than secretarial work. In politics, a little desperation never hurts. It makes a candidate try harder to win and keep their jobs.

At least I knew I'd have to campaign 10 times harder than my opponent, and I did.

In 1972 I was elected by a slim vote margin of about 55 votes.

In 1976 I was re-elected by a whopping margin of about 600 votes.

I'm not for electing women to public office simply because they are women. They have to deserve the job.

Hope Rogers,

Benton County Supervisor, 1973-1980

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For several years I've had the privilege of talking with the daughter of our first woman supervisor. I can't remember the first topic that started the conversation, but I believe it was politics. The phone conversations and emails began on various topics, mostly about "mom" and the history of the county, and it finally led to finally connecting with her mother.

We lost her mom at the age of 99. God decided that for her 100th, He had a bigger party planned.

She had penned me her first and final letter the same day that she left us. Harkening back to her days as our first female supervisor, she referenced the way things were and the hows and whys of running for office.

Her words are those above.

For Hope, she found the nepotism topic entertaining. She had bucked the system when she served as a county supervisor and that piqued her interest.

A staunch supporter of shining the light on government and its actions also reminded her of why she had served. She had a heart for making things better. But she wasn't naive enough to believe that the job of County Supervisor would be handed to her. She knew the challenges that she faced in convincing the county that she could do the job.

In the 70s, it was odd for women to be considered for such a job, as she pointed out in her letter. She had a family and a desire to do the job right. And she did.

What most didn't know then is that she had struggled with her own health. At the time, the topic of mental health was a little more taboo than it is now. She knew that this would also be a stigma that she'd have to fight. And fight she did. But ultimately, she had fought for the care of others. The last straw for her was this seeming lack of concern for others. And that was the push that she needed to run.

She then took a shot at running for State Representative in 1980 and lost to Kyle Hummel, but it was not a good year overall to be a Democrat. It was the year for a landslide for Republicans who brought in Ronald Regan. Hummel, the Republican candidate, won against Rogers, I'm sure not because she was a woman, but that year, she had the wrong political label.

Switching parties sometime in her life, she went out as political as she ever was. One of her last conversations was about politics and the state that we're in. It still concerned her.

Her service wasn't a feather in her cap, but it had a purpose. She never forgot the days that she served. She never forgot why she served. She never forgot how she served. She had a desire to see the job done right and remembered that until the day she died.

She wasn't one to hide her thoughts. When the topic of nepotism came up, that triggered a response from her, which made me smile. Knowing that an older and wiser woman agreed with my take on it, made me smile. I was going simply off the rules in place. She was responding as one who helped to get those rules in place.

Even though I'd never had a chance to meet Hope in person, talking to her via her daughter was a joy. To hear her "that a girl" passed along always made me smile.

So Hope, you can rest now, we'll continue to keep an eye on things. You can read from there if you wish, but I doubt this stuff really matters a lot where you're at, after all, it is politics...and only good things can be found to heaven.