The Johnston Brief
A school board vote, a rezoning near your street, a bill at the statehouse: it all runs through people you can actually reach. Here is who holds each office for Johnston right now, how to contact them, and which seats are on the ballot next. We keep this current, and we flag the seats that change with the November 2026 election below.
Johnston's mayor is Paula Dierenfeld, in office since 2008, working with a five-member city council elected at-large. In Congress, your U.S. Representative is Zach Nunn (Iowa's 3rd District). At the statehouse, much of the city is in Iowa Senate District 22 (Matt Blake) and Iowa House District 43 (Eddie Andrews); because lines can split a city, look up your exact district by address.
Johnston's mayor is Paula Dierenfeld, who has served since 2008, and the five city council members are Jim Evans (Mayor Pro Tem), Bryan Burkhardt, Tom Cope, Rhonda Martin, and Suresh Reddy. Johnston runs on a mayor-and-council system. The five council members are elected at-large (there are no wards, so every member represents the whole city) to overlapping four-year terms. As of 2026:
The council meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays, with a work session at 6pm and the regular meeting at 7pm, at City Hall (6221 Merle Hay Rd). Meetings are open to the public and include time for public comment. Agendas post ahead of each meeting; you can reach the mayor and council through the city's Mayor & City Council directory.
Johnston's county supervisor is Jill Altringer, who represents Polk County District 2 (Johnston, Urbandale, Grimes, Polk City, and more). Johnston sits in Polk County, and your county supervisor handles the things above the city line: the county roads, the sheriff and jail, elections, public health, and the assessor.
Altringer was elected in 2024, succeeding longtime supervisor Robert Brownell, who retired. See the Polk County Board of Supervisors.
For much of Johnston, the state senator is Matt Blake (Iowa Senate District 22) and the state representative is Eddie Andrews (Iowa House District 43). District lines can split a city, so your neighbor a few streets over may have a different senator or representative. Much of the city falls in these:
To be sure of yours, look up your legislators by address on the Iowa Legislature site. Sen. Blake, a Johnston-area Democrat, flipped this Senate seat in 2024; Rep. Andrews ran in the 2026 Republican primary for governor and continues to represent District 43.
Johnston's U.S. Representative is Zach Nunn, who holds Iowa's 3rd District seat, and Iowa's two U.S. Senators are Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst.
Senators represent all of Iowa, so both are yours. Contact info is at grassley.senate.gov, ernst.senate.gov, and nunn.house.gov.
The general election is Tuesday, Nov 3, 2026. On the ballot for Johnston voters:
• Governor and other statewide offices.
• U.S. Senate: Sen. Ernst is not seeking reelection, so that seat is open.
• U.S. House (Iowa's 3rd District) and the Iowa Legislature, including the two-year Iowa House seats.
• County races.
There are no Johnston city council or school board races in 2026; those run on the city's odd-year cycle, next up in 2027. We will update this page after the results are certified.
The Johnston Community School District Board of Education has seven members elected at-large, plus two non-voting student representatives. As of 2026, the president is Jennifer Chamberland and the vice president is Soneeta Mangra-Dutcher; Rexford Davidson, Kaycee Schippers, and Justin Smith were newly elected in November 2025. The board sets the district budget, hires the superintendent (currently Nikki Roorda), and votes on boundaries and buildings.
Board meetings are held at the district office (6510 NW 62nd Ave) and are open with time for public comment. For the full roster and meeting schedule, see the district's Board of Education page.
The Johnston Brief is a free weekly email. When a rezoning near you, a big spend, or a real ballot decision is coming, we say so, with the packet linked so you don't have to dig. Local, useful, no spam.
You do not have to run for anything to have a say. A few doors in:
Paula Dierenfeld, who has served as mayor since 2008. Her current term runs to January 2028, and she presides over a five-member city council.
Five, elected at-large (no wards) to overlapping four-year terms, with one serving as Mayor Pro Tem. As of 2026: Jim Evans (Mayor Pro Tem), Bryan Burkhardt, Tom Cope, Rhonda Martin, and Suresh Reddy.
In the U.S. House, Zach Nunn (Iowa's 3rd District). In the U.S. Senate, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, though Ernst's seat is open in the November 2026 election.
Much of Johnston is in Iowa Senate District 22 (Matt Blake) and House District 43 (Eddie Andrews). Because lines can split a city, look up your exact district by address on the Iowa Legislature website.
Jill Altringer, who represents Polk County District 2, covering Johnston, Urbandale, Grimes, Polk City, and more. She was elected in 2024, succeeding Robert Brownell.
The Johnston Community School District Board of Education has seven at-large members plus two non-voting student reps. President Jennifer Chamberland and Vice President Soneeta Mangra-Dutcher lead it; Rexford Davidson, Kaycee Schippers, and Justin Smith were elected in November 2025. Nikki Roorda is superintendent.
The next general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026, with the governor's race, the open U.S. Senate seat, the U.S. House, statewide offices, the Iowa Legislature, and county races. Johnston's city council and school board are next up in 2027.