By John Forbes is a former state representative and candidate for Polk County Board of Supervisors

Polk County belongs to all of us. That’s the idea at the heart of Heather Jones-Brown’s campaign for Supervisor in District 4, and it’s why I’m proud to support her.

As a fellow candidate for the Board of Supervisors, I’ve spent this campaign thinking hard about what it takes to do this job well. The county decides things that touch every family’s life: the water we drink, the roads we drive, the mental health services our neighbors depend on. Those decisions deserve leaders who listen first. Heather is that kind of leader.

Heather is rooted in the community she wants to serve. She grew up on Des Moines’ Eastside and in Pleasant Hill, graduated from East High, and currently lives with her husband on the Southeast side. She comes from a family of firefighters, Marines, PTA volunteers and union members, people who taught her to show up and take responsibility for her neighbors. Volunteers in District 4 will tell you Heather “always shows up,” and her campaign is a continuation of that record, not a false promise.