The Ankeny Brief
Somebody at a school board meeting, 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 Ankeny right now, how to contact them, and which seats are on the ballot next. We keep this current; a few of these change with the November 2026 election, and we flag those below.
Ankeny's mayor is Bobbi Bentz, the city's first female mayor, working with a five-member city council elected at-large. In Congress, your U.S. Representative is Zach Nunn (Iowa's 3rd District). Because the city is split across several state legislative districts, look up your exact statehouse district by address.
Ankeny's mayor is Bobbi Bentz, and the five city council members are Todd Shafer (Mayor Pro Tem), Matt Davis, Dustin Graber, Justin Hollinrake, and Jeff Perry. Ankeny 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, and they meet Monday evenings. As of 2026:
Council meets at 5:30pm on Mondays in the Council Chambers (1250 SW District Dr) or at the Kirkendall Library, depending on the week. Meetings are open to the public and include time for public comment. Agendas post the Friday before at the city's Agendas & Minutes page, and you can reach the mayor and council through the city's Mayor & Council directory.
Ankeny's county supervisor is Mark Holm, who represents Polk County District 3 (Ankeny, Altoona, Mitchellville, and Pleasant Hill). Ankeny 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.
Mark Holm is a familiar name here: he was Ankeny's mayor before moving to the county board, which is how Bobbi Bentz came into the mayor's office. See the Polk County Board of Supervisors.
For much of Ankeny, the state senator is Mike Bousselot (Iowa Senate District 21) and the state representative is Heather Matson (Iowa House District 42). This is the one that trips people up: Ankeny is split across several state legislative districts, so your neighbor two 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. Note that several of these seats are open in November 2026 (see below).
Ankeny'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.
Several seats are on the Tuesday, Nov 3, 2026 ballot as open races:
• U.S. Senate: Sen. Ernst is not seeking reelection. The seat is open, Ashley Hinson (R) vs. Josh Turek (D).
• Iowa Senate District 21: Sen. Bousselot is running for a different seat, leaving it open, John Hollinrake (R) vs. Rep. Matson (D).
• Iowa House District 42: With Matson moving up, the House seat is open, Heather Stephenson (R) vs. Amy Tagliareni (D).
Also on the 2026 ballot: Governor, other statewide offices, the rest of the Iowa Legislature, and county races. We will update this page after the results are certified.
The seven members of the Ankeny Community School District Board of Education are Katie Claeys, Stephanie Gott, Joy Burk, Shelly Northway, Amber Romans, Erin Lee Schneider, and Jeff Schumacher, elected at-large to unpaid four-year terms. They set the district budget, hire the superintendent, and vote on boundaries and buildings, the decisions that shape a fast-growing district. As of 2026:
Meetings are open with time for public comment. Schedules and agendas are on the district's School Board page. See our Ankeny schools guide for the district overview.
The Ankeny 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:
Bobbi Bentz, the city's first female mayor. She was appointed in December 2024 and elected in November 2025, 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: Todd Shafer, Matt Davis, Dustin Graber, Justin Hollinrake, and Jeff Perry.
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.
It depends on your address, because Ankeny is split across districts. Much of the city is Iowa Senate District 21 and House District 42. Look up your exact district on the Iowa Legislature website.
Ankeny's county supervisor is Mark Holm, who represents Polk County District 3, covering Ankeny, Altoona, Mitchellville, and Pleasant Hill. Holm was Ankeny's mayor before joining the county board.
The Ankeny Community School District Board of Education has seven members elected at-large: Katie Claeys, Stephanie Gott, Joy Burk, Shelly Northway, Amber Romans, Erin Lee Schneider, and Jeff Schumacher.
Several Ankeny-area seats are on the Tuesday, November 3, 2026 ballot, including the U.S. Senate seat, Iowa Senate District 21, and Iowa House District 42, along with the governor's race and county races.