To the editor:
It baffles me that the county treasurer and county clerk positions are elected versus hired by the commissioners, as are the other department heads. However that’s where we are.
You, the voter, are now responsible for hiring the best, most qualified persons for these positions.
Let’s start with the treasurer. This person is responsible for all accounting operations, all financial reporting, and investment of all county funds. The job requires someone with financial management experience, technical accounting and financial reporting knowledge for municipal organizations, and investment experience with financial institutions.
There are two candidates for this position:
Ana Maria Nunez, who is the existing senior manager, who is a CPA, with undergraduate degrees in biology and business administration/accounting, and a master’s degree in accounting/financial management. She has all of the necessary technical knowledge and experience, and has filled in for the county treasurer in her absence.
Shane Fortune, an unemployed teacher, with two undergraduate degrees with multiple majors in theatre arts, political science, history and international relations, and a graduate degree in education. His major employment experience is as a teacher. What is lacking is any education or experience in accounting or finance, any experience in financial management or financial investing. Shane, in his political signs has pledge to cut taxes, which the treasurer has no ability to do. A pledge that is either misleading or dumb.
Further, the Republican Party has refused to endorse Shane, a clear indication that they see him as an unqualified candidate for this position.
As a retired financial executive and CPA, I see extreme risk in putting Shane in the treasurer’s office. Finances are likely to get messed up. Commissioners won’t know what is going on, or will make bad decisions based on erroneous reporting. Also county funds are at risk, if improperly invested. We can’t afford to lose a penny in these difficult times.
Whether you consider yourself a Republican or Democrat, you need to set those labels aside, and vote for the best candidate. Clearly if you think it is important for the commissioners to make good financial decisions, or if you want the best investments of county funds you need to vote for Ana Maria Nunez. A vote for Shane Fortune could put county funds at risk.
Looking at the county clerk’s position we see similar concerns. The county clerk manages the county clerk’s office, and routinely provides technical service and deals with highly complex issues while serving attorneys, judges and the public. The office is responsible for maintaining all legal records for the court. We have two candidates:
Debra Van Pelt who has been the deputy clerk for the past five years, and has the technical education and experience for the job.
Carol Ann Fortune, a stay-at-home mother of five children, who has little or no work experience, has no education or experience in county government or a legal office; nor does she have any managerial experience in a business environment.
Again, whether a Republican or Democrat, you need to set aside those labels and hire the right person; in this case Debra Van Pelt. We do not need to have a clerk’s office in chaos, nor do we need to have a court that does not have the documents it needs.
Carol Ann, who is Shane’s wife, has also campaigned to cut taxes, however the county clerk does not set policy, and has no ability to influence taxes. Seems like a false promise.
R. Boehm
Greenbank
