By Clark Kauffman | Iowa Capital Dispatch
A former Guthrie County sheriff who collected unemployment benefits after losing his bid for reelection will now have to repay those benefits, a judge has ruled.
State records indicate James “Marty” Arganbright served as Guthrie County sheriff for 16 years before losing his bid for reelection in November 2024. Arganbright became unemployed when his successor, who is now suing Arganbright in federal court, took office in January of this year.
Arganbright subsequently applied for, and received, unemployment benefits from the state.
Guthrie County appealed that decision, and the matter recently went before Administrative Law Judge Daniel Zeno for a hearing.
At the hearing, Arganbright argued he was a full-fledged employee of Guthrie County as evidenced by the fact that he was subject to county policies and training requirements. He also noted that he had collected employment benefits through the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System and through Guthrie County itself.
In a decision rendered earlier this week, Zeno ruled Arganbright’s loss of employment, since it resulted from the 2024 election, did not qualify him for unemployment benefits.
Zeno noted that under Iowa’s unemployment-benefits law, the term “employment” does not apply to services performed as an elected government official. While Arganbright may have fit the definition of a county employee for purposes such as training and health benefits, Zeno ruled, he did not meet the state’s definition of a county employee with regard to unemployment benefits.
Iowa Workforce Development overpaid Arganbright $2,408 in benefits for the period from Jan. 5, 2025, to Feb. 1, 2025, Zeno ruled, adding that Arganbright must now repay IWD for those benefits.
The ruling is subject to appeal to the state’s Employment Appeal Board, although there’s no indication such an appeal has been filed.
Decision follows civil lawsuit
Last September, Arganbright was sued by the current Guthrie County sheriff, Matthew Harmann, who was then a county deputy.
In his lawsuit, Harmann alleged that “rather than accept the rather common occurrence of a subordinate seeking to unseat the sheriff,” Arganbright and Guthrie County Attorney Dana Minteer, along with Chief Deputy Jeremy Bennett, had “engaged in an unconstitutional and coordinated campaign to impugn Harmann’s sterling reputation in an effort to undermine his political campaign.”
Harmann alleged the defendants tried to knowingly and falsely accuse him of misconduct in office. When an independent investigator cleared Harmann of any wrongdoing, his lawsuit alleged, they launched an effort to have Harmann decertified as a law enforcement officer, which would render him ineligible to serve as Guthrie County sheriff.
As a result of the litigation, the investigative report that concluded Harmann hadn’t interfered with a criminal investigation and had been “essentially” honest with investigators, was made public. It was then ordered sealed by the court but was unsealed earlier this month after the county argued it was a public document.
In addressing the county’s motion for a dismissal, U.S. District Judge Stephen H. Locher recently ruled that Minteer had absolute immunity with regard to her alleged actions in the matter, adding that “the court understands, of course, that this holding might permit an unscrupulous prosecutor to disseminate unfavorable false information about a law enforcement officer with impunity. So be it. The Supreme Court has recognized that prosecutorial immunity ‘reflects a balance of evils’ in which it is better ‘to leave unredressed the wrongs done by dishonest officers than to subject those who try to do their duty to the constant dread of retaliation.’”
Judge Locher, however, allowed some of the claims against Arganbright and Bennett to proceed. A jury trial is currently scheduled for March 30, 2026.
