Although elections are more than a year away, talk about
fundamentally changing the duties of one of the county’s elected
officials is already afoot.
Hollister – Although elections are more than a year away, talk about fundamentally changing the duties of one of the county’s elected officials is already afoot.
Specifically, county officials are mulling over restructuring the county’s elections department, which has been headed by John Hodges for more than two decades.
Hodges, who holds the cumbersome title of county clerk/registrar/auditor, has said his decision to run for reelection in 2006 after 23 years in office is up in the air at this point. But whether he runs or not, he’s sure about one thing: He wants to split up his position, so the county auditor is separate from the clerk and registrar of voters.
“I’m just waffling all over the place. I’ve been in here so long I’m just about as old as dirt,” the 65–year–old department head said. “My options are open, but for the good of the county you split the office.”
Hodges, who first got elected to the position in 1982 and has kept it ever since, concedes the finance department duties he’s technically in charge of are a little over his head. The county’s finance director, Dan Vrtis, takes on the lion’s share of the auditor duties. They include preparing the county’s financial statements, including the budget, overseeing payroll and ensuring mandatory audits are performed periodically.
“Dan Vrtis comes in when I need that kind of assistance,” Hodges said. “He got us up and running and is doing a good job.”
And due to the host of changes concerning local elections – the most recent is a new touch–screen voting system the county will be implementing in 2006 – Hodges said it’s imperative the registrar be able to concentrate solely on his or her electoral duties.
But Hodges isn’t the only one who believes things may run smoother if the position is divided.
The three positions of clerk, registrar of voters and auditor have always been held by one person, which worked fine when the county was much smaller, said Supervisor Pat Loe. However, with the county’s continual growth she believes the duties should be split into three individual positions, with an elected clerk and an appointed registrar and auditor.
The county clerk oversees passport registration, marriage license, birth and death certificates and several other duties, while the registrar oversees the elections department and the auditor is in charge of the county’s finances.
The former Board of Supervisors talked about making Hodges’ position an appointed one but never followed through with the idea. But Hodges said he would “fight that one all the way” because he believes the registrar and clerk should be responsible to the people instead of the board.
However, any and all possible changes within the department are just talk at this point. County Administrative Officer Susan Thompson said she has had limited conversations with Hodges about separating the position and has yet to take the idea before the board as a whole. She was unable to give a timeline of when talks could begin, if they materialize at all.
“I’m willing to facilitate conversations with the board, and I don’t have a problem either way it goes,” Thompson said. “There isn’t any magic as far as how it should be.”
Splitting the position would require a vote by the board, which has the ability to combine or un–combine those type of positions, Thompson said.
Supervisors Reb Monaco and Anthony Botelho agreed the idea of splitting the position has merit, however both men said keeping the registrar position an elected one would be the way to go. Out of the 58 counties in the state, 46 have an elected registrar of voters position, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
Botelho believes the position should be split due to the gaping differences in job duties and expertise needed between a registrar of voters and auditor. But unlike Hodges, who believes the auditor position should be an elected one, if it’s split Botelho would prefer it be appointed and the person accountable to the board.
“I would like to make sure the experience level is extremely high for that position,” he said.
Vrtis echoed Botelho’s sentiments that the auditor should be independent of the registrar and report to the Board of Supervisors, not the County Administrative Officer.
And while Hodges said the county would incur some additional costs if the position was divided, he believes they would be minimal. However, Supervisor Don Marcus believes there’s no way the county could fund two full–time department heads’ salaries with benefits on Hodges’ current salary of approximately $102,000 a year.
“It would have to be well–warranted in my mind,” Marcus said. “The first thing we’d have to look at is costs.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
