We interviewed Ronda Williams, who is seeking the position of County Treasurer
She held five town hall forums, with another coming up at the end of October. She said that there have been questions about whether or not people of any political party could vote for her. Williams said that she can receive votes from anyone and will be running on the Conservative Party line.
Williams said that her experience is key. She has 30 years of experience in tax collection, tax laws, and handling financial matters. She said that 80% of the treasurer’s duties are tax preparation and collection.
“I will be ready on day one,” she said.
Williams said that she could relate to the 19 town tax collectors through her experience. She was president of the Delaware County Tax Collectors Association and aided tax collectors over the years.
Williams argued that her opponent Carli Pinner has “no experience” with tax collection and argued that Pinner does not currently pay property taxes and may not fully understand how the process works or how to train tax collectors.
She called experience a “huge factor in the race.” She cited experience both the financial part of the job, as well as knowing about the taxpayers and “what they need.” This includes the collection of monies for local municipalities, including taxes not paid during the immediate tax season. The Treasurer would have to know each individual element within the tax bill, and making sure that “taxes are posted and collected properly,” and when not, to create payment agreements with taxpayers or foreclosure proceedings.
“The failure to do that can have a huge impact on taxpayers for subsequent years,” she said.
She said that her experience collecting taxes for 30 years is “so important to have the understanding to understand what a tax bill is” and to explain the different elements.
The candidate said that she has worked with other municipal officials to create the different elements in the assessment roll, which affects taxes themselves.
Williams said that her experience has given her knowledge of audits and collections, with more than 20 years of the financial end of the job.
She said that she has been “welcomed door to door,” including by residents in Walton from her experience as town clerk. While other towns did not have the same initial contact, going door to door has allowed her to gain traction, saying that a number of voters have been “supportive” and that “she had a good feeling about it.”
The candidate further said that she had support of Town Supervisor Joe Cetta, the Walton Republican Committee, and the Walton Town Board. Williams said that she has significant support from members of the general public. One cited one from Gary Grayson, who said that “her people skills are legendary. She listens with empathy, clarity, and acts with integrity.” She referenced another from the Walton Town Assessor Penny Haddad, who said she “deeply respect[s} Williams, intelligence, efficiency, and commitment to excellence.” She referenced Gladys Jacques, former Deputy Town Clerk, who wrote that she was “more than a boss, you are a friend.” Jacques worked with Williams for 20 years.
Williams said that her top priorities would include transparency and monthly reports to the County Finance Committee and Board of Supervisors. She said that through a Freedom of Information request she found that this was not a normal practice and should be by state law. These reports would “not only provide important and needed information” for the board to make important decisions, but also give taxpayers “an idea of how their money is being spent.”
She also cited “leadership” from years of running a town office and cited herself as the first and only tax collector in Delaware County who implemented partial taxpayers. Williams said that it was “important to make the tax burden easier on them.”
The candidate also said that she wanted to “offer accountability,” including improving the Treasurer’s website and to make it easier for individuals to do research and have information be more “readily available.”
Williams said that there are a number of issues that the average taxpayer may not know. Part of the duties of the Treasurer had been previously replaced by the Office of Fiscal Affairs run by the Board of Supervisors, taking on the financial aspect of the Treasurer’s duties. The office, she said, does not have a “good handle” of these duties, and sought them to be brought back under the responsibility of the Treasurer’s Office. She was able to visit nearby offices, including in Schoharie County to get ideas, and cited Schoharie County’s Treasurer’s Office as particularly well run and got ideas to make Delaware County’s operations smoother. Williams said that if the average person searches for the Delaware and Schoharie County budgets online, the Schoharie County one is easier to read information like “night and day.” She sought to make the information more accessible for the average person. The Delaware County budget, she argued, had elements that made it difficult for the average person to follow.
Williams decided to run for County Treasurer after retiring last year from the Walton Town Clerk’s position after 20 years of service and 10 years as a tax collector for Walton Central School and also served as district treasurer. The candidate had previously worked at Sidney Federal Credit Union She realized that “retirement was not for me.” After current Treasurer Bev Shields announced her retirement, Williams spoke with her family about running.
She said that her experience has allowed her to try to spend “every tax dollar wisely.”
The candidate said that taxpayers should know that the Treasurer’s Office “not just about finances,” but also the “personal experience with the taxpayers.” Williams said that there could be a difference between herself and her opponent Carli Pinner, stating that homeownership includes certain understanding about tax policy. This includes certain reactions when taxes are delinquent and a lot of “emotions involved” included when paying local taxes.
Williams said that her more than thirty years of financial experience and focus “priority of accuracy and trust would be a benefit to taxpayers.”
“I’m running to put my financial experience and proven leadership to work for the citizens of Delaware County. Hardworking citizens deserve hardworking elected officials. Let that person be me, I’d be honored to earn your vote on Nov. 4,” she said.
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