One of the candidates running for Jefferson County Treasurer this November doesn’t actually want the job. If he wins, candidate County Administrator Jeff Rasmussen plans to hand the role of treasurer to the finance director the county hopes to hire this summer. In January, Kate Knop left the finance director position, which included the job of treasurer, to become finance director for the city of Madras.
Rasmussen is running for treasurer as a place-holder.
Rasmussen also ran for treasurer, unopposed, in November of 2022 when Brandie McNamee left the finance director position.
This time, however, he has an opponent: Yoonsun Reynolds.
Opposition charges conflict of interest
“He’ll appoint whoever becomes the finance director to the treasurer position,” Reynolds said. “That’s why I’m running.”
Reynolds considers it a conflict of interest for county leadership to choose the county treasurer when state law says voters should elect the treasurer.
“The treasurer should be responsive to the people, not the county administrator,” Reynolds said.
History of fraud
Reynolds believes having two people play the separate roles of treasurer and finance director would prevent embezzlement like that which occurred in 2014 by then Treasurer Deena Goss.
In 2015, a Jefferson County jury found Goss guilty of 36 counts of financial misconduct.
In fact, in 2014 the roles were separate, with Kathie Rohde in the role of finance director.
Rasmussen says after that incident, the county instituted several checks and balances to protect against fraud, including merging the roles of finance director and treasurer.
“We’re going to have a competent finance director who has professional background in municipal investments and municipal budgeting do the work,” Rasmussen said, adding that the treasurer would then be a full-time employee under day-to-day supervision.
Merged roles
Before merging the two roles, the elected treasurer worked part time for an annual stipend of $8,913. If people don’t appreciate the treasurer’s performance, Rasmussen says, their only recourse is recall or electing someone new in the next cycle. An employee, however, answers to the board of commissioners, which gets regular reports and interacts frequently with the finance director who also serves as treasurer under this system.
In 2015, when commissioners decided to merge the positions, the report cited, “Citizens may voice concerns that it concentrates too much authority under the Board of Commissioners.”
Commissioner Kelly Simmelink doesn’t think the treasurer should be an elected position. “I don’t want some random citizen in here with zero understanding of how the county runs.” Simmelink thinks only one person should handle the county’s money. “Why wouldn’t you want your brightest mind that you hired to be your finance director to also be your treasurer?”
Qualifications
Reynolds and her husband own the Quality Inn in Madras. For the past six or seven years, she says, she has handled payroll and accounts payable for their business.
She has a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree, but neither degree involves finance. She says she’s studying about the job and hopes to attend a gathering of the Oregon Association of County Treasurers and Finance Directors in September to further prepare her for the duties of treasurer.
“To be county treasurer you only need to be 18 and bondable,” said Rasmussen.
The job description for finance director requires advanced degrees in finance or a related field and experience with municipal budgeting and investment.
The county will interview four candidates for the finance director position on Thursday, May 2. All of the candidates have said they’re willing to perform the duties of treasurer if hired as finance director. The finance director receives the stipend for the additional responsibilities.
Work load
The compensation scale for treasurer limits the pay to 200 hours a year. Knop, the outgoing finance director, says the job entails more like 1,200 to 1,500 hours a year.
“It’s a lot of work for one individual which is required if you’re hired as a finance director,” said Knop.
After Knop left, the Board of Commissioners decided to add a full-time employee to the finance office. “Moving forward, adding the FTE will alleviate the work load for the entire team,” Knop said.
Through November and beyond
The county expects to have a new finance director in place by mid- to late summer. Rasmussen will complete his campaign, hoping to win in November and turn the duties of treasurer over to the new finance director.
Unless Reynolds defeats him in the election.
While the state statute makes county treasurer an elected position, not all counties elect their treasurers. Nine counties have “home rule,” meaning they set up their own charter regarding which positions are elected or not. Rasmussen says until Jefferson County becomes a charter county, the current system of having the finance director, or its proxy, run for treasurer will continue into the future.
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