Warren to run for treasurer on pledge to abolish office
By Chip Drago
Mobile Bay Times
This is the campaign the "throw the bums out" crowd has been waiting for.
Mobile County Democratic Party chairman Brad Warren said he will run for county treasurer and, if elected, will devote himself to abolishing the office.
So not only does Warren aim to oust an incumbent, he vows to give himself the boot as well.
The county treasurer is an archaic post whose duties are easily and, in many cases, already performed by other departments, according to Warren.
The current Mobile County treasurer is Al Sessions, a two-term, incumbent Republican.
"It is an office that's time has passed," said Warren. "It serves a duplicating function; it shields the county commissioners from full accountability; technology has rendered it unnecessary; vastly improved audits from the State have made it unneeded; it costs the taxpayers $1 million every election cycle that it remains open and; it is the ONLY elected County Treasurer in the State of Alabama."
Warren is mistaken in his last assertion. Walker and Jefferson counties have elected treasurers. Ken Gomany, R-Birmingham, was recently sworn in to that office in Jefferson County. Annette Burton, D-Jasper, is in her third term as treasurer of Walker County, although she is under indictment on nine counts of second-degree forgery, two counts of first-degree theft of more than $2,500 from the County Commission, and one count of using her office for unlawful personal gain. Legislation is pending to abolish the office of Walker County treasurer.
Burton's legal woes are not the reason for his bill, according to state Rep. Tommy Sherer, D-Jasper. There simply is no need for the position, said Sherer.
Within 24 months after taking over, Warren said he would dismantle the office and have its employees reassigned to other county departments. He would have the office itself "removed from the ballot sometime during the legislative sessions of 2009 or after."
Warren acknowledged the 2000 campaign of former County Administrator W.C. Helveston who lost to Sessions under a similar platform.
"I am going to run on the same platform that W.C. Helveston ran on, and that is to shut the office down," said Warren.
The political planets are better aligned this year for Warren than they were for Helveston in 2000, he said.
"I believe Mr. Helveston would have won had it not been the year that George Bush swept Mobile County by a wide margin," he said.
Warren said he had sought the advice and assistance of a number of public officials, including Mayor Sam Jones who held office as a Democratic county commissioner for 18 years before assuming his non-partisan post at City Hall.
Warren said he had spoken with state legislators about a bill to remove the office from the ballot in 2012.
Warren said he had consulted with past county treasurers Carol Norris, a Democrat, and Vivian Beckerle, who held the position as a Republican, and both former treasurers favor discontinuing the office.
When contacted, Beckerle, who is now a Democrat, was ambivalent.
Sessions said he has been busy with the duties of his office and hasn't given his re-eleciton campaign too much thought yet. That would likely change next week though, he said.
"Next week we're going to start working on it," Sessions said. "I intend to continue the same as always, continue working to manage the monies and keep the office working well with the commission as I've always done.
"When I see his platform, I can respond to it," he continued. "But my plan is to stay in office and continue the service I've been doing. It is a valuable office and I do not think putting it under the commission would be wise. I have not changed my mind about that. I'm more firmly than ever convinced since I've been here (that the office is in the public's best interests)."
"Mr. Sessions stands in the minority," said Warren, a father of four and principal in Warren Adhesives.
The term of office is four years. Annual compensation is $38,096 which includes a monthly $216.67 car allowance.
"I think the Treasurer COULD be effective if allowed to be," said Beckerle.
"Scrapbooks kept by George Stone when he was treasurer many years ago indicate that the Treasurer actually played a role in budgeting and in financial discussions," she continued. "Along the way, the duties of the Treasurer were eroded by the County Commission when they hired techno-folk who sold them on 'streamlining' the processes. It MAY have been because of who was Treasurer, but more and more those responsibilities were shifted to others in the system who were/are under the control of the Commissioners and who answer to them."
"While I was there, my duties involved investing of county monies. I developed a policy and an SOP. I had a great relationship with several investment folk in town, especially Regions Bank and some of the brokerage houses. I felt that I had to do the best investing I could in order to get return on the public's dollars. That was a campaign issue every time I ran for the office. Even though there was criticism from many corners, I think I did a fair job of earning the best interest we could get. Since leaving that office, I haven't an idea what the Treasurer is doing. I don't know if he is aggressive or simply easy going on investment matters. I think that aspect of the office requires someone who is accountable to the people directly - an elected Treasurer.
"I contend that an elected Treasurer is more responsible and responsive to the public. If the Commission wants to protect their 'financial folk' they will simply turn a deaf ear to public complaints or inquiries. IF the Commission wants to get rid of an employee, they can hang that person out to dry whenever they want. An elected officer is a bit more of a challenge than an employee for the Commission, and could have a better voice regarding what s/he sees and knows about commission operations. In short, once the elected Treasurer goes, the Commission has it as they want it. The County Administrator can do whatever s/he wants via the finance office, and the public will not be informed beyond what the Commission and Administration want them to know.
"Do I sound negative? I have a little history with the operation that makes me skeptical of the motives for abolishing the office, however, for almost all practical purposes, the Treasurer is nonexistant now, does not get the respect that other electeds receive and is virtually unknown.
"One example I will share with you because there is no love lost by my telling this story -- When I was there, the County hired a computer consultant (you probably know the name very well). He was, I understood, a contract employee. He received pay via the disbursement system that ordinary contract employees were paid by, but one day, I discovered that he was on the PAYROLL as well!
"Investigation showed that he was not only receiving a regular salary (a handsome one at that) but that his retirement and healthcare coverage was paid just as though he were a regular employee. Further, I never recalled there being a renewal of his contract at any time during my tenure. He never had to re-bid to provide his services to the County. Other 'contractors' were required to bid competitively for the opportunity to feed at the public trough. This person was obviously the fair-haired child of the Commission and he strutted then (as he does now) around the courthouse and to my knowledge never did much of anything. He enjoyed expense-paid trips (I know, I signed the checks) to all kinds of events for technical folk (and those meetings were held as all are, in exciting locations). I don't think the County paid for other 'contractors' to attend similar events. A program he 'designed' was not much different from the one that was already in place, if it was different at all; he eventually caused the breakup of the department that originally had been responsible for computer programming, etc. (that was a sore spot for many folk who were sent to other departments, or retired out); and he is still there, building what will be one hell of a retirement because he is still a young person."
"How many of the county's citizens know about it? Of those of us who do, do you think we can do anything about it? I tried to reveal all this (to the media) at the time, but he was either transferred or he moved on his own to Birmingham, and the story was never developed.
"Another thing I was able to 'uncover' was that the public paid for three commissioners and a support staff person to attend a National Association of Counties meeting in (Washington) DC. I went to that one and searched all over the place for my fellow electeds. Never saw a one of them. So, they got a trip to an event that was supposed to inform and educate them to be better commissioners (I don't know what the female staffer was supposed to become as a result of the convention) and they didn't attend anything on the schedule. How effective can you be if you don't make the contacts with others in similar leadership roles from other places?
"So, maybe they should do away with the Treasurer, but they should definitely HIRE AN INVESTIGATOR to watch what goes on. That person should be paid by someone other than the County and should be able to expose whatever s/he finds that isn't quite kosher.
"I enjoyed my tenure as Treasurer, but I do not envy anyone in the position at this time because it is still the whipping boy of the commission," Beckerle remarked.
