Republican candidate for Tama County Sheriff Casey Schmidt pictured alongside his daughter Maecy as they stand behind one of the yard signs she designed as part of his election campaign. ‘Schmidt for Sheriff: The Man, The Mith [sic], The Legind [sic],’ the sign declares. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

DYSART – She may be just nine years old, but Maecy Schmidt harbors some big dreams including one day becoming the first female sheriff of Tama County. While she waits on achieving that milestone, however, she’s started helping her dad, Tama County Sheriff’s Deputy Casey Schmidt with his election for sheriff by creating one of the most important parts of any candidate’s campaign – their yard signs.

“This is his first campaign,” Maecy explained last Sunday afternoon of her dad as she stood in the yard of Dysart residents Wendy and Mike Wieben where one of the signs she designed was on display. “He’s a really good guy and he would be a good sheriff.”

Sometime before Christmas last year, Maecy decided to design and paint a canvas sign for her dad who is running for the Republican nomination for Tama County Sheriff to replace longtime Sheriff Dennis Kucera who is retiring.

The artistic fourth grader actually designed three different signs including the yellow and green ‘Schmidt for Sheriff: The Man, The Mith [sic], The Legind [sic]’ that is currently on display in several Dysart residents’ yards including the Wiebens.

In addition to Maecy’s sign, the campaign also has professional signs designed by RubLine Marketing in Traer. And while those have proven popular – particularly in the northern half of the county – it’s Maecy’s signs everyone wants, Deputy Schmidt explained.

Maecy Schmidt, 9, stands next to a campaign sign she designed for her dad, Tama County Deputy Casey Schmidt as part of his race for county sheriff. The Dysart-Geneseo fourth-grader – whose great-grandpa Stan Brown served four terms as the mayor of Marshalltown beginning in the mid-1980s – said she’d like to run for office herself someday. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“Everybody wants one. We’re working on getting more.”

When asked to explain what a county sheriff does, Maecy doesn’t hesitate.

“Tells people what to do, but in a good way. Also gets to do stuff that other people don’t get to do.”

Running for office and interacting with the public appears to be a Schmidt family trait as Maecy’s great-grandfather (Deputy Schmidt’s grandpa), the late Stan Brown was mayor of Marshalltown for four terms beginning in 1984.

Part of the reason Maecy said she supports her dad running for county sheriff is because he’s already “the most popular person in town.”

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

But Maecy also admitted that sometimes her dad’s popularity can get a little bothersome, particularly when they’re out in public as a family which also includes her mom Cady Schmidt, older sister Natalie, and younger brother Everett.

“I do want him to win but I also want him to be with us.”

Next week Friday, nomination papers are due for all county races in Iowa including for the office of sheriff.

As the campaign season races toward the June primary, Deputy Schmidt said he plans to keep Maecy and her siblings by his side as much as possible in keeping with his family-oriented campaign.

And since Maecy’s going to be the first female sheriff of Tama County – or, possibly, a veterinarian, she added later in the interview – it seems there’s no time like the present to learn the family trade.