Greene County Attorney Approves 28E Agreement for November Election

Laehn says 28E agreement with Sac and Calhoun County Attorney is the best 'Plan B' option for a smooth transition.

Apr. 5, 2026 at 3:31pm

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The Greene County Board of Supervisors recently approved a 28E agreement that will allow Sac and Calhoun County Attorney Ben Smith to run for the Greene County Attorney position in the upcoming November election. Current Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn, who is not seeking re-election, says this agreement is the best 'Plan B' option after his top choice, Assistant County Attorney Laura Snider, declined to run due to residency and personal reasons.

Why it matters

The 28E agreement is an unusual move to address the challenge of finding a qualified candidate to run for the Greene County Attorney position, which Laehn describes as a difficult job to fill due to the long hours and lower pay compared to the private sector. The agreement aims to ensure a smooth transition in the county's legal leadership.

The details

Laehn says he had no involvement in setting up the 28E agreement, but believes it is the next best option after his preferred candidate, Assistant County Attorney Laura Snider, declined to run due to not being a Greene County resident and personal reasons. The agreement allows Sac and Calhoun County Attorney Ben Smith to run for the Greene County Attorney position. Laehn says Smith is a 'great prosecutor' and they have worked together well over the past eight years, sharing similar philosophies on the aggressive prosecution of crime.

  • The Greene County Board of Supervisors approved the 28E agreement on March 16, 2026.
  • The June Primary deadline for candidates to get the required 50 signatures was met by Ben Smith, who is running unopposed as a Republican candidate.
  • Thomas Laehn will continue to serve as Greene County Attorney until the end of 2026.

The players

Thomas Laehn

The current Greene County Attorney who is not seeking re-election after serving two four-year terms, but is running as a Libertarian candidate for US Senate.

Laura Snider

The full-time Assistant County Attorney who declined to run for the Greene County Attorney position due to not being a Greene County resident and personal reasons.

Ben Smith

The Sac and Calhoun County Attorney who will run for the Greene County Attorney position in the November election under the 28E agreement.

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What they’re saying

“No one else has expressed any desire to run for county attorney. It is not a coveted office. A person who works the number of hours a county attorney works could make three times the salary in the private sector, and there's a shortage of attorneys in rural Iowa to begin with. So, it's very hard to entice someone away from a lucrative private sector job to run for county attorney.”

— Thomas Laehn, Greene County Attorney

“He is also a great prosecutor (and) he's a great county attorney. He and I have been aligned in our efforts to ensure local control of the administration of justice. He and I have gone to battle together against encroachments from Des Moines, from the state. He and I share very similar philosophies regarding the aggressive prosecution of crime. I have great confidence in him.”

— Thomas Laehn, Greene County Attorney

What’s next

Ben Smith was able to get the required 50 signatures to be on the June Primary ballot as the unopposed Republican candidate. Thomas Laehn will continue to serve as Greene County Attorney until the end of 2026.

The takeaway

The 28E agreement between Greene County and Sac and Calhoun County represents an unusual but pragmatic solution to address the challenge of finding a qualified candidate to run for the Greene County Attorney position, which Laehn describes as a difficult job to fill due to the long hours and lower pay compared to the private sector.