When Tooele County commissioners eliminated two elected offices for 2015, they set the stage for an historic county election this fall.
In January 2014, Commissioners Shawn Milne and Bruce Clegg voted to combine the offices of clerk and auditor effective on January 2015.
Marilyn Gillette, two-term Republican county clerk, is in a battle to keep her clerk’s job along with absorbing the duties of the county auditor.
Democrat Sam Woodruff is also seeking the county clerk/auditor job.
Gillette or Woodruff will become the county’s first clerk/auditor since the county commission separated the two jobs in 1984.
Current Tooele County Auditor Mike Jensen chose to seek the county treasurer post and faces Democrat challenger Rachel Hester in the general election.
The commission also eliminated the separate elected office of a part-time county surveyor. The surveyor’s duties were assigned to the county recorder’s office by the commission. The county recorder will be the recorder/surveyor.
Doug Kinsman, currently the Tooele County surveyor, did not file to run for any position this fall. Incumbent Tooele County Recorder Jerry Houghton is unopposed in his race to become the first county recorder/surveyor.
Other county officials running unopposed for re-election are Tooele County Assessor Wendy Shubert and Tooele County Attorney Doug Hogan. Both are Republicans.
This will be Hogan’s third election without an opponent in the general election, but he may be a short-timer. Hogan has been nominated by Gov. Gary Herbert to fill an empty judicial seat on the 3rd District Court, which includes Tooele, Salt Lake and Summit counties. Hogan faces a Nov. 6 Senate confirmation hearing. If confirmed as a judge, the county commission will appoint a new county attorney.
The Tooele Transcript-Bulletin presented four questions to all candidates in contested races for the clerk/auditor and treasurer offices. They were: Who are you? Why are you running for office? What differentiates you from your opponent? And what will you do if you are elected?
Each candidate was allowed a maximum of 125 words per answer. The responses are included below in alphabetical order.
Clerk/Auditor
1. Who are you?
Marilyn Gillette: I have been married to David Gillette for 39 years. We have four children and 11 grandchildren. I graduated from Tooele High School in 1973 and attended Brigham Young University from 1973 to 1975. I have worked for the county for 24 years, 11 as chief deputy clerk and seven years as clerk. I have also worked for Walmart in the cash office, balancing tills, deposits and auditing differences; the Tooele County Board of Realtors as their executive officer; and for Tooele City as recorder. I am certified as county clerk and auditor by the Utah Association of Counties, a certified business licensing officer, risk manager, passport administrator and records manager. I was honored by UAC as Clerk of the Year in 2014. I have been active in the Tooele City firemen’s auxiliary for 33 years, UAC clerk/auditor association vice president, UAC clerk’s legislative committee chair, Kiwanis club president, and a member of the Tooele Chamber of Commerce board of directors.
Sam Woodruff: I am running for county clerk/auditor. I am a 49-year resident of Tooele. I have been a licensed certified public accountant since 1987. I received an associate’s degree from LDS Business College in 1983. I last attended the University of Utah in the fall of 1988, and I am three general classes away from a bachelor’s degree in accounting. A calling as an LDS bishop seemed more pressing at the time. I worked seven years at Tooele County in the auditor’s office and with the computer systems and I have also worked nine years as the finance director for Tooele City. I have worked the last 10 years in my private tax practice.
2. Why are you running for office?
Gillette: I love Tooele County and have considered it an honor serving as your county clerk. I took an oath and work to uphold that oath in everything I do. Integrity, dependability and transparency are very important to me. I want to make the county a better place to live, to work and to play. We have suffered tough times these last couple of years. It’s time to bring the pride back. I have made it easier for voters to cast their ballots and have confidence in the machines and the results. I have been instrumental in reducing insurance claims paid from $130,000 to $60,000, and I have returned money to the general fund every year. My mentor is Dennis Ewing, former Tooele County clerk.
Woodruff: I am a believer in fiscal responsibility. The over-spending that led to the county’s near bankruptcy, exacerbated by inadequate budget policies and the cut-expenses-at-all-costs remedy of the last year, was enough to raise any governmental accountant from the dead. Add in tax increases in two successive years, and all taxpayers should be looking for a well-planned and functional alternative. I propose three- and five-year budgets to restore the confidence of both taxpayers and county employees. Long-term planning also protects the public from well-meaning commissioners’ abrupt deviations. We need a solid plan for the future and the best way to start that plan is to assess our current financial situation and determine future revenues.
3. What differentiates you from your opponent?
Gillette: There are three facets to the clerk/auditor office: elections, audit and everything else we do. I have proven my ability to run elections with integrity. Since the combining of offices, I have been certified as an auditor with UAC. I currently perform the accounting/auditing functions in my office; the combined office will require the same audit functions on a larger scale. I have plans to streamline the office requiring more accountability while making it more efficient. I’ve created policies and procedures for handling/auditing public funds, including creation of a three- to five-year plan which is awaiting approval. My chief deputy is retiring in the spring, allowing me to hire someone with an accounting background.
Woodruff: The major difference between me and my opponent is that I am an educated, licensed and very experienced accountant. I have three years’ experience in the Tooele County auditor’s office. I have four more years managing the Tooele County computer system, which gave me a concrete understanding of the entire county process, to include all of the existing offices. My nine years as Tooele City finance director provided me with a very well-rounded accounting experience. I understand generally accepted accounting principles and adhere to the statements from the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. I know governmental accounting. I am prepared to provide an upgraded accounting service to Tooele County managers and Tooele County citizens.
4. What will you do if you are elected?
Gillette: I will continue the excellent work Tooele County citizens have come to expect with elections, voter registration, and the other functions of the clerk’s office. I will continue to serve on the clerk’s legislative committee to pass legislation that will protect our citizens, their rights and their safety. I will continue to seek ways to work more effectively and efficiently to reduce tax dollars. In my capacity as auditor, I will have checks approved before they are printed, eliminate the late fees we are accumulating, keep department heads apprised of where they are on their budgets, and work with them to never go over their budget. I will bring problems to the commission in a public meeting before money is transferred between funds.
Woodruff: First off, my chief deputy will also be a degreed accountant. Nearly $200,000 of taxpayer money is allocated to these two positions and I believe that both people should be qualified to do the work and earn their salary. Times of financial stress require more accounting, not less. I will immediately provide three- and five-year budgets to establish trust and restore confidence. I have provided independent observation for prior elections and I am fully capable of completing all of the clerk duties as well. Current staff is well trained and highly effective and will make the transition smooth and seamless. With effective financial controls, the future needs of Tooele County can be planned and pursued.
Treasurer
1. Who are you?
Rachel Hester: I am running for Tooele County Treasurer. I earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s degree in human resources, both from Utah State University, while raising my children, working full-time and maintaining a home. I have 11 years of accounting experience, including government, cost, grants and contract accounting, financial analysis and five years in customer relations. I have worked inside Tooele County at Utah State University and Tooele County Health Department, and for the past year commuted to Salt Lake City for work as a financial analyst with the University of Utah. I understand the struggles, priorities, and decisions of the regular citizen. For my full resume, please visit my Facebook page at facebook.com/hester4treasurer.
Mike Jensen: I am the Republican nominee for Tooele County Treasurer. I grew up in Tooele and have lived here for all but five years of my life. My wife, Marjie, and I have three wonderful children of whom we are very proud. I graduated from Weber State College in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. I have been serving as the Tooele County Auditor for the past 14 years. Prior to working for Tooele County, I worked for ZCMI where I was the assistant controller. I had the opportunity to work in all aspects of finance, including internal audit, payroll, and general accounting. I love being with my family, camping, hunting, fishing and golfing.
2. Why are you running for office?
Hester: Shortly after I began working for the county, the layoffs started. The more I learned, the more troubled I was with the direction our county was headed. As a county employee, I spoke up in many county commission meetings, voiced my concerns and offered different options. Speaking up in the midst of layoffs was a scary thing to do as a single parent, but I felt a moral obligation to do so. I am running because citizens deserve better from elected officials than we have received the last few years. I have the experience, education and dedication to succeed as treasurer. More importantly, I believe citizens deserve someone who will truly look out for their tax dollars and have the courage to report to them directly.
Jensen: I decided to run for the office of treasurer when the county auditor’s office was combined with the clerk’s office. I felt the experience and knowledge I have gained from the years serving as county auditor would be beneficial to the county serving in this new office. I had a great number of employees and citizens encourage me to use my experience, knowledge and leadership in this office. I have enjoyed serving the people of the county and want to continue my service. I enjoy helping others and being a part of the community. I wanted to continue being a part of the success of the county and be a part of what I think is a bright future for the county.
3. What differentiates you from your opponent?
Hester: I am not part of the current administration nor am I a career politician. I am a regular citizen with the skills, knowledge, ethics and passion to do the job right. I provide a fresh set of eyes that adds new perspective, energy and innovation and promotes an environment of continuous improvement. I am already familiar with the county’s accounting software and my experience in multiple types of accounting has allowed me to become proficient at data analysis. I will be able to provide monthly as well as three- and five-year cash projections in addition to cash analysis by fund. Finally, I will be available for citizen concern, input or suggestion and be willing to speak up and report to citizens.
Jensen: I feel the greatest strengths I have to offer the citizens of Tooele County are my experience and knowledge. With the 14 years that I have served Tooele County, I have a knowledge of the financial and tax roll software being used along with years of institutional knowledge. I will be able to pick things up from day one with no training necessary. I have a great working relationship with the employees and the department heads and other elected officials. I will be able to offer my knowledge and understanding to the newly elected commissioners and clerk/auditor in order to help them. I am a proven leader as I have served in many leadership positions in the community, one of which is the current Tooele City fire chief.
4. What will you do if you are elected?
Hester: Ultimately, the county needs an ongoing long-term plan that includes legitimate projections of revenues/expenses and does not deviate drastically based on who is in office. Additionally, the lack of transparency, or even the appearance of such, is extremely devastating in the building of the public’s trust. As such, in addition to the statutory requirements of the treasurer, my goals would be to: create cash controls and implement an official cash handling policy; carry out regular cash handling training; execute random spot cash audits at cash collection points; year-over-year analysis of cash flow by fund; monthly-, three-, and five-year cash flow projections by fund. In addition I will be available for citizen concern, input or suggestion and be willing to speak up and report to citizens.
Jensen: If elected, I will serve the citizens first. I believe this office is theirs and we are there to serve them. I will make sure that all statutory duties are completed and make sure the treasurer’s office needs are met. The need to have correct and timely cash reconciliations is a must to allow the necessary work of the county to move forward. I will enhance the cash control procedures already in place to ensure the safeguard of the county’s money. I will work to improve morale with the employees, department heads, and elected officials, and most importantly, the citizens. I will reinstate the pre-printed payment coupons for the citizens to make monthly payments on their taxes. I will work for Tooele County citizens.