Incumbent faces rare challenge for Whitman County treasurer

COLFAX — Two Whitman County employees face off Nov. 6 in the county’s first contested treasurer’s race since 1998.

First-term incumbent Mark Clinton, 47, said his experience with government finances at the county and local level make him the top choice for the position. Challenger Chris Nelson, the county’s IT director, said her leadership skills and familiarity with county government give her the edge.

One thing both candidates agree on, though, is that there’s not much wrong with the office as it stands now.

“I have a great deal of respect for Mark. I think he’s done a commendable job,” said Nelson, who moved to Whitman County in 2009. “(But) Mark is a different kind of leader. I think I could bring a leadership style that’s a little more assertive. I see some processes and technology that could improve things further.”

Nelson, 63, grew up in Oklahoma. After earning a psychology degree from the University of Oklahoma, she was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps.

During her eight years in the military, Nelson served as an administrative officer, trained recruits, handled personnel issues — at one point she was even in charge of a post office.

While “very proud” of her time in uniform, she said there came a time when she had to decide whether to stay in for the full 20 years or branch out in a new direction. She chose to move on.

Nelson worked for the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma for the next decade, serving as a reporter and photographer and working for a time in the finance office. She then headed to Washington state, spending another decade or so in various county IT positions before being hired by Whitman County in 2009.

Although she doesn’t have a financial background, Nelson noted that she worked on a joint project with the Treasurer’s and Assessor’s offices, looking for process improvements that could benefit the two departments, as well as the public.

“I learned a lot about what both offices do,” she said, adding that she also helped implement the county’s new accounting software system.

“While I’m not necessarily a finance person, I think my knowledge is pretty significant,” Nelson said. “I’m experienced in county government and have the leadership style to review what’s going on and make changes that benefit the citizens of Whitman County.”

Clinton, who has a business administration degree from Eastern Washington University, has lived in Whitman County for 30 years. He worked as the Colfax city treasurer for 14 years before running unopposed for the county position in 2014.

He said the Treasurer’s Office “is really the banker for the county and for all the other taxing jurisdictions.”

Besides collecting property tax receipts for all the different taxing jurisdictions, he said the office also invests the money and, most importantly, keeps track of which dollars go to which entity.

Last year, the office handled about $104 million in total receipts. That includes $58 million in county and local property taxes, Clinton said, as well as federal and state grants, sales taxes and fees.

The office has five employees and an annual budget of about $390,000, he said. Most of that goes for payroll; the operating budget is only about $35,000, which covers training, office expenses and whatever changes need to be made.

After he was first elected, Clinton said, he spent several months learning what each person in the office does and then focused on cross-training and making improvements. Should he be re-elected, his goal for the next four years is to continue to focus on customer service and to increase the training budget.

Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.