As County Clerk, Melissa Percell Promises to Go Above and Beyond Call of Duty

Worth County Clerk Candidate Melissa Percell, running as a Republican, has a hectic schedule every day. Thursday was a good example. She got up early, went to Kansas City to give a talk before a business and their employees, and came back to her store in Denver, Nature’s Cure. Later, as Denver City Clerk, she and Charles Cissler were scouting out locations to plant tulips for the tulip festival she is trying to bring to Denver next year. While small town businesses have been closing right and left, she has started Nature’s Cure, and it has become a gathering space for people in the county. “People come here just to visit,” she said. “If I’m elected, I will bring the same work ethic to the Courthouse.”

For two years, in 2024 and 2025, she was laid up with eye issues that required surgery, but now, she is constantly on the move. “I didn’t ask for help or ask for a handout,” she said. “I own my own house and my own business.” Now, she is back and focusing on her family, including her daughters McKenzie and Megan, and her community.

“I’m here to help. If I’m elected, I want to go above and beyond the call of duty for the County Clerk position. I want to do the same thing for Worth County that I do for Denver,” she said to the Express Thursday.

Percell won the Republican Primary in August over Brandon Allee. Since then, she has drawn a write-in challenge from Scott Andrews. They will face off on November 3^rd.

She has worked in insurance, financial services, securities, travel, and business management, and she is still in demand as a consultant. Recently, she has turned to public service, becoming the City Clerk and fighting to make sure that taxpayer dollars are being properly spent.

While the county has not been targeted for a data center like Nodaway County has, there is growing concern about eminent domain. A massive power line has been proposed that would run from southern Iowa through eastern Worth County to Fairport (MO), located near Maysville, which would hook up with a substation down there. “People are coming to me asking about eminent domain and what they can do,” said Ms. Percell. “We need to look for ways to solve these challenges rather than cover it up.”

Another area of interest for Ms. Percell was the youth of the county. She recalled the years when she was growing up in the county. “We knew not to cross Terry Sheddrick, Randy Osborn, or Rex Wilson,” she said. She wants to bring back kids coming to the Courthouse. “That way, when kids grow up, they want to do what we’re doing,” she said. Back in the 1990’s, Worth County students would conduct mock trials, with then-prosecutor David Parman coaching the students. There was one such mock trial conducted at Northeast Nodaway once.

As for commission meetings, she said she wanted to see them more organized and professional. Typically, a Denver City Council meeting lasts around 30 minutes. “We get a lot accomplished,” she said. She wanted to get more insurance benefits for the county. “I want to be here to help,” she said. “In any situation, I want to ask how we can make things better.”

Ms. Percell pledged to operate with transparency if elected. “If I’m elected, I’ll be completely open,” she said. “In Denver, if someone wants to look at the minutes or records, we can show them.”

Worth County has been in a state of continuous population decline since 1900, when it peaked at around 9,600 people. Around 2020, the population dropped below 2,000 although that number may be low given that more people voted in the 2024 Presidential election than voted in 2020. “It’s really important to welcome new people to the county, even if they’re just hunting clubs who come for a short time,” she said. “I’ve had people tell me we’re not very welcoming as a county.”

If she is elected, Ms. Percell said that she will continue to serve both as Denver City Clerk and Worth County Clerk. She promised to play by the rules, reform the county, and get it current with the times. “I’ll always reach out and ask how other counties do things,” she said. “There will be no gray areas, free passes, or special treatment.”