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Less than a decade ago, then-Iowa Sen. Matt McCoy and Rep. John Forbes worked jointly to pass a bill to restore affordable, public health care options. The health care plan was meant to end the state's Medicaid privatization, reverting it to a state-run program.
"You know, and we worked well together," Forbes recalled, sitting next to McCoy as they met with members of the Des Moines Register's editorial board on May 18.
"I thought so, too," McCoy responded.
Now, the two Democrats are facing each other in the June 2 primary election for the Polk County Board of Supervisors' District 1 seat, which includes Des Moines' southwest side, West Des Moines, Clive and Windsor Heights.
McCoy, who served two terms in the Iowa House and six terms in the Iowa Senate, unseated longtime Polk supervisor John Mauro in the 2018 Democratic primary. He is currently the supervisor board's chair.
He said he views elections as an opportunity to talk about the future.
"It's important to talk about the results achieved in the past, but also what the goals are moving forward," he told the Register.
Forbes, who announced in March he would challenge McCoy for his seat, said he never imagined running against an incumbent Democrat.
The six-term Iowa House representative said he decided to retire from politics after his failed attempt to get elected to the Polk supervisors board in 2024, when he ran against Republican Jill Altringer to represent District 2. Forbes and his wife, Cindy, are moving into a residence he owns in West Des Moines to represent District 1, he said.
Ultimately, he was encouraged by other Democrats to run because of the board's "dysfunction," he said, pointing to costly lawsuits, disagreements and alliances among board members. If elected, Forbes, 69, said he wants to bring civility and trust back to the board.
"What I've seen here recently is unfortunately Matt (McCoy) is basically teamed up with the two Republicans and have shut out the two Democrats on the board when it comes to a lot of the decision-making," he told the Des Moines Register. He said he wants to make sure that all five members' voices are heard, regardless of party affiliation.
The clashing policy choices and personalities led veteran supervisor Tom Hockensmith not to run for reelection for his District 4 seat. Long-time supervisor Angela Connolly also is stepping down as District 5 representative.
Democrats Joe Gatto and Heather Jones-Brown are vying for the District 4 seat in the upcoming primary, and Democrat Izaah Knox is running for District 5.
McCoy, 60, told the Register's editorial board he ran as a change-maker when he announced his election bid for Polk County office eight years ago.
McCoy, who announced his reelection bid in November, said undoing a "political patronage system" — one where no-bid contracts were commonplace and landing a job in the county's government was about who you knew — inevitably creates strife.
The resistance to making the county transparent and accountable has created a perception of division, he said.
McCoy told the Register he's unclear about his opponent's agenda for the future because much of the rhetoric seems to be about attacking him and not advancing a positive agenda.
"It's a grievance tour. And I don't have time for that," McCoy said.
McCoy raised $81,027 in cash contributions to run his campaign, according to filings with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. Forbes raised $35,030.
Campaign reports, which cover fundraising and spending from Jan. 1 through May 14, were due May 19.
McCoy: 'We need to be a community for all'
McCoy said his priorities include improving water quality, building more affordable housing and continuing to be a strong social services provider for marginalized community members, including individuals who are homeless and residents as they age.
"We need to be a community for all, and so we will have succeeded if we are a community for all by how we care for the least among us," McCoy said.
During his time as board chair, McCoy said the board released the Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment, a comprehensive water quality analysis of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers, which highlighted a link between Iowa's agricultural practices and widespread water pollution. The study began in 2023. Last summer, Central Iowa Water Works imposed its first-ever mandatory lawn-watering ban affecting 600,000 customers due to nitrate pollution.
Threatened by federal and state budget reductions, Polk County invested $200,000 to help keep 60 water monitoring sensors active in rivers across the state, including Raccoon, Des Moines and Cedar. The county pitched in amid concerns over the quality of central Iowa's water to ensure there would be no lapse in data collection.
In the Register's candidate questionnaire, McCoy said he plans to pursue greater public-private collaboration to leverage local, state, federal and private dollars to build sustainable watershed infrastructure.
McCoy said the board is also focused on how to invest limited dollars to solve large community problems, especially given the property tax-cutting legislation Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law on May 18. The new law implements a 2% growth cap on local governments' general fund levies, with exceptions for new construction.
The law's limits are prompting Iowa cities and counties to consider budget cuts and service reductions.
When McCoy became Polk County board chair in 2025, the county implemented a review process for every new position, he told the Register's editorial board. The county also eliminated eight positions in 2025, and eliminations will likely continue through retirement and vacancies, he said.
The county implemented a 1% across-the-board reduction to every department in anticipation of the new legislation, saving just under $3 million, he said.
"We'll be doing more of that, and we'll be, again, very focused on what is it that we need to do to provide those essential services and where can we find cost savings," McCoy said.
He also said approving handing off the Des Moines-based Polk County Medical Examiner's office's autopsy services to the state's office in Ankeny will save millions of dollars, adding the county will likely have to find more ways to regionalize and consolidate services to save costs.
Forbes wants to restore 'respect' to Polk County government
Fairness and transparency are attributes Forbes said have informed his career as a pharmacist and politician, first as an Urbandale City Council member from 2004 to 2012, then as an Iowa House member from 2013 to 2025.
"I like to listen more than talk, and by understanding an issue that a person has, that allows me to better make a decision that is in the best interest of everybody involved," he told the Register.
Forbes said that, in observing the county supervisors over the past few years, his biggest disappointment was a delay in releasing the water quality study. The report should have been released in March 2025 while the Iowa Legislature was in session, but it was published in July, he said, alleging board members delayed the report's release.
Polk County should lead by example through supporting public research, wetlands restoration, in-field ag practices like cover crops, and streambank stabilization measures, he wrote in the Register's candidate questionnaire.
McCoy told the Register any allegations of board members suppressing or delaying the report's publication are false.
Forbes also criticized what he calls a "no-bid contract" with Des Moines-based ad agency Flynn Wright to promote the county. The campaign, called Centered on Progress, is meant to be an economic development tool to attract new residents to the county, Polk County Administrator Frank Marasco said at a supervisors board staff meeting in April. The campaign is estimated to cost about $400,000 by September. Forbes said funds could've been better spent on affordable housing or food insecurity.
On the county's budget, Forbes told the Register's editorial board the state's 2% growth cap will have a devastating impact on communities across Iowa, and with inflation rates at 3% to 4%, it will be hard to avoid service cuts.
It will be crucial to protect core services such as public safety and emergency services, he said. He agreed with McCoy that it would be important to work with area cities and counties to consolidate services.
Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at