A community leader in north-central Iowa’s Hamilton County died unexpectedly today.Longtime county supervisor Dick Barkema of Jewell died this morning at age 58 of unknown causes. The funeral is tentatively scheduled for Thursday in Jewell. Barkema was elected to the county board in 1995 and has since served on several panels including Hamilton County’s Solid Waste Commission, Friends Forever, the economic development office and others. It’ll be up to the county auditor, treasurer and recorder to decide on appointing a replacement or to hold a special election in the coming weeks.
