Whitman County: Clinton, Nelson spar for treasurer’s seat

Editor’s Note: This election, the Daily News asked candidates in contested races in Whitman and Latah County the same five questions regarding the position they are seeking. Candidates were given two minutes to answer each question. At the end of the interview, each candidate was offered three minutes to speak on anything they wish. The interviews will be used to profile each race. A complete transcript of each interview can be found at dnews.com on the day the profile is published.

After running unopposed in the 2014 election, Whitman County Treasurer Mark Clinton will face his first opponent, Chris Nelson, for the upcoming term. Nelson, a nine-year resident of Endicott, said although she has no prior election experience, her history as Whitman County IT Director has made her familiar with the treasurer’s office and its functions. Clinton, a resident of Colfax for 30 years, has held the seat for one term. He said continuing to provide training opportunities for the staff is one his biggest priorities.

1. What financial experience do you have that makes you qualified to be treasurer?

Clinton said he graduated from Eastern Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis on finance, and he minored in economics. He said after college, he worked for the Washington Mutual Bank for five years before taking the position as the city of Colfax Treasurer.

“All together, I have been doing government finance stuff for over 18 years,” he said.

Nelson said while her career as IT Director may not directly translate to being treasurer, she has worked in county government for more than 20 years.

“As a department head, I also have the financial experience with accounts payable, payroll, purchase orders and all of those types of things,” she said.

Nelson said she was also the project lead in implementing the financial software package Whitman County has in place.

2. What is your main priority as treasurer?

Clinton said efficiency is his top priority. “We receive the sales taxes and the property taxes that come in from the state and the citizens, and it is our job to get that out to the taxing districts as quickly as possible,” he said. Clinton said his goal is make sure the office gets the money distributed by the 10th business day of the month. He said he also pushes for the office to maintain a high level of customer service.

Nelson responded similarly.

“The treasurer functions as the bank for the special purpose taxing districts which are our fire districts, cemetery districts, parks and rec. We are responsible for handling all of the investments of those funds for the county and for the districts and how those are accounted for and tracked,” she said.

3. Are there different accounting practices you would like to implement?

Both Clinton and Nelson said the treasurer’s office is functioning within the bounds of the government.

Nelson said that she would like to apply her knowledge as the IT director to the current system and procedures the treasurer’s office is operating under.

“There is leeway to improve those processes,” she said.

She and Clinton both stated a good working relationship with the auditor’s office is essential to running the office efficiently.

4. How would you improve day-to-day operations in the treasurer’s office?

Clinton said since taking office he has increased the amount of training the staff members in the treasurer’s office attend each year, noting staff had not received trainings in years.

Clinton said in the past term his office has also changed the way it receives payments and makes deposits so they are made on the same day.

Nelson said she could not speak on changes she would make until she met with each of the staff and determined what their roles are in the office.

“As the treasurer, it is my responsibility to understand what it is that they do and then say ‘Okay, what can we do better?’ ” she said.

5. Are you aware of any issues in the treasurer’s office? How do you plan to address those issues?

Clinton and Nelson both said there are no issues they are aware of in the treasurer’s office.

Clinton said he has addressed most of the issues he saw when first taking office and even reimplemented a cash management training the county no longer required employees to take.

“We don’t have any issues in the treasurer’s office; like I said, we are working. The training budget is improving,” he said.

Nelson said while she was not aware of any issues in particular, she would like to see the treasurer build a better relationship with the auditor’s office and the county commissioners.

“Everyone needs certain pieces of information, and the treasurer can be a key part to that. And I want to make sure we are able to provide that information and that it is accurate and that it is timely,” she said.

Read each candidate’s full interview at dnews.com.

Katie Short can be reached at (208) 883-4633, or by email to kshort@dnews.com.