Published: October 31, 2008 10:20 am         

Behr, Van Lancker square off for County Auditor

Dan Behr — Republican

Age — 60.

Residence — Grand Mound.

Occupation and tenure — Insurance Audit Services Inc., 10 years.

Family — wife Cindy and son Danny, 26.

Education — attended Clinton Community College.

Religious Membership — Immanuel Lutheran, Grand Mound.

Three words that best describe you — Honest, dedicated and reliable.

Main issue — The main issue is experience and preparation for the auditor position. I feel my career in auditing, years as a business office manager, and years in public service set me above my opponent’s qualifications. As stated by Jill Davisson, Clinton County Supervisor, “County government has become a complex business. It is important that we entrust the tasks of the auditor’s office to an individual who will be fiscally responsible and committed to the citizens. The people of Clinton County need Dan Behr as their next auditor.”

Why are you running? — I enjoy government in general. I feel I am qualified and capable of extending the legacy of (current County Auditor) Mr. (Charlie) Sheridan, and others before him.

What attracts you to the position? — The responsibilities of the auditor, at least in part, combine my career experiences in auditing and public service.

What experience or strengths would you bring to the position? — Over 30 years in the auditing field, over 10 years as a business office manager, over 20 years in public office

What are the three most important issues or challenges facing the county and how would you approach them? — Budget, economic development and jail needs. Specific action is not within the responsibility of the auditor. This is not a legislative position.

What are your three most important goals? — 1. To make the transition from the current auditor to me as seamless as possible. 2. To serve the Supervisors and the public, earning their trust in my management and leadership ability. 3. To operate the department efficiently and with budgetary discipline.



Eric Van Lancker — Democrat

Age — 39.

Residence — Clinton.

Occupation and tenure — Assistant Superintendent of Collection Systems for the City of Clinton Water Pollution Control Plant, four years.

Family — wife Tanya and children Caitlyn, 11 and Jackson, 7.

Education — Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Northern Iowa.

Civic or religious memberships — Vice-President of the Clinton Baseball Club (Clinton LumberKings) Board of Directors, Secretary of the David Hartmann Foundation Board of Directors (fundraising foundation for Community Care, Inc. in DeWitt,) member of Zion Lutheran Church in Clinton.

Name the one issue that defines your campaign — An important aspect of being a county auditor is serving the role of Commissioner of Elections for that county. That responsibility includes conducting all public elections in the county.

It is vital that the county auditor conducts all elections with integrity and fairness. If elections are not carefully conducted, voters lose confidence in their electoral system, which is the base of our government. When voters lose that confidence, voter turnout declines and our process fails. As county auditor, I promise I will run the auditor’s office with integrity, fairness and respect for all Clinton County residents.

Three words that best describe you — Honest, fair, respectful.

Why are you running and what attracts you to the position? — I have always respected the fact that we as Americans are allowed to choose our leaders in a fair election process. I have been interested in the election process since before I could register to vote. The opportunity to provide fair and honest elections to the voters of Clinton County is one I look forward to with honor and respect.

What experience or strengths would you bring to the position? — The retirement of Clinton County Auditor Charlie Sheridan gives us a chance to review the county auditor’s responsibilities. I have spent a lot of time getting to know the auditor’s obligations from Mr. Sheridan, the man who has done this job for the last 20 years. The term ‘auditor’ in government can be a bit misleading, as the position exists primarily to oversee elections, not the books. The auditor actually has three major responsibilities:

1. The auditor is commissioner of elections. This involves conducting all of the elections in Clinton County. The experiences I bring to this responsibility include my large-event coordination that I learned while planning major fundraisers for Community Care, Inc. I also bring with me an ability to meet deadlines with accuracy through my 12 years as a journalist.

2. Clerk for the Clinton County Board of Supervisors. I have been in and around government my entire professional career. As a journalist I covered many government activities, including County Supervisor meetings. I am familiar with the county government structure and I currently work for a municipality. I am comfortable with the governmental process and know how to get things done within that environment.

3. Managing the County Auditor’s office. I have a vast array of management experience dating back to before I graduated from college. While in college, I ran the student-operated radio station where I was responsible for 40-volunteer students. Since then I have run a newspaper newsroom, worked with several volunteers for Community Care’s annual golf benefit and managed municipal sewer maintenance and solid waste collection crews.

What are the three most important issues or challenges facing the county and how would you approach them? — 1. The changing electoral process. As county auditor I will make sure that residents of Clinton County will be able to vote in the most convenient manner possible with regard to the sanctity of your vote. I will not implement a new voting system in Clinton County without making sure that all votes can be counted and that it includes providing a safety net. Our current voting process in Clinton County provides a safety net. Our process of utilizing paper ballots creates a paper trail of votes that can easily be recounted if the need should arise. The county auditor, along with 98 other auditors in the state of Iowa, gets a say in state laws that rule our election process. I will be active in that process to make sure that all votes properly cast will count.

2. Recruitment of poll workers. One of the difficulties of a county auditor as commissioner of elections is recruiting poll workers. This is a matter I have discussed with retiring Clinton County Auditor Charlie Sheridan and with Iowa Secretary of State Michael Mauro (a former county auditor). I would like to see how we can get young, registered voters involved with these duties. I would like to expand on a program Mr. Sheridan has recently started. That program partners with area high schools and colleges to encourage those at least 18-years-old and registered to vote to work at the polls. This will help increase the pool of poll workers while encouraging our young neighbors to participate in the voting process.

3. The auditor’s office under the direction of Charlie Sheridan during the last 20 years has run very well. A change in leadership, however, will allow a natural transition to review current processes. As an example: The auditor’s office currently makes contact with all nursing homes in Clinton County before an election to find who is eligible to vote and how many would like to vote. The auditor’s office then sends out a team (one Democrat and one Republican) to deliver and administer those ballots accordingly. I would review with those nursing homes how this process is working. If it appears to be running flawlessly, we will continue as the office has in the past. If there appears to be concerns, I will review them and make the appropriate change. I would propose to do this with all procedures in Auditor’s Office.

What are your three most important goals? — 1. To make sure all properly cast votes by Clinton County residents are counted.

2. Maintain the integrity of our election system. If voters lose confidence in the system, then voter turnout declines and our government is then no longer run by representatives of the majority of our community.

3. Continue to run the Clinton County Auditor’s Office in the fair, honest and respectful manner that Clinton County residents have come to expect.

     

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