Unsure who to vote for Maricopa County treasurer? Hear from the candidates

The upcoming state primary will likely determine who serves as Maricopa County treasurer.

Whoever ends up holding the seat will act as the county tax collector and safeguard the county's money.

They will be responsible for disbursing money from the county treasury and pursuing those who have not paid their county taxes. They will receive all county revenues, manage credit accounts and invest county funds with guidance from county supervisors. They will also serve as treasurer for all schools and special districts within their county.

Two Republicans are running for the position: Incumbent John Allen and challenger William Lichtsinn.

Arizona election: Read our full coverage of county races

Allen, elected in 2020, hopes to hang onto his seat. He previously served as a state lawmaker and majority leader of the Arizona House of Representatives. Lichtsinn, a certified public accountant and a U.S. Navy veteran, is making his first foray into politics.

No candidates of another recognized political party are in the race, so whoever wins will essentially take the seat outright.

The Arizona Republic asked each candidate questions about their bid for office and how they would handle key issues if elected. Here's what they had to say. Answers may have been slightly edited for clarity and brevity.

Experience: How can voters trust that you are prepared to lead the Treasurer's Office?

The Treasurer's Office is responsible for collecting property taxes and managing government funds. How does your prior experience prepare you for that role?

John Allen: I have a business degree from Arizona State University. Although this is an elected position, most of the work is similar to any business today. Having served as the majority leader in the Arizona House of Representatives, I have a good understanding of the letter of the law, how it must be upheld and how to do it in a way that reflects the will of the voters — how do the right thing, the right way.

As the incumbent, I have managed the Treasurer’s Office the past three years. My management philosophy comes from my upbringing. My father ran a heavy equipment sales business — Sam Allen’s Modern Machinery — and I run your County Treasurer’s Office like a family business, with respect and well-defined goals. We try to help each taxpayer individually.

William Lichtsinn: I am a certified public accountant who has extensive experience managing accounting and finance departments. I have overseen substantial and complicated accounts receivable operations as well as large investment portfolios, including some with governmental agencies with their own technical reporting framework.

As part of a CPA’s base of knowledge, we must have a thorough understanding of governmental accounting procedures.  Having a CPA in this role is critical for ensuring accuracy, accountability and maintaining the public’s trust.

Efficiency: How will you improve operations at the Treasurer's Office?

How do you propose to improve customer service and efficiency in the office?

Allen: Before I go into what I want to do next, I would like to demonstrate some of the improvements we have already done in just my first three years. We have totally revamped the cashier and research counters. You come in and every cashier can assist you no matter what your question is. For really complex issues, we have subject matter experts always available to come and help. We try very hard not to send customers away without a complete answer.

When I took over the office, every bit of extra space was filled with filing cabinets and research was manually done and very slow. In the last two years and with the help of some very special equipment, we have digitized 350,000 documents that are searchable by name, address and parcel number. These are just a few of the positive improvements.

The next big thing is new software. We still work too long answering questions, fixing errors, doing accounting, making address changes and the like. In our culture, we want things as quickly as possible and accurate to that moment. The new software will give us that.

Lichtsinn: I have heard numerous stories of dissatisfaction with the customer service that people receive when trying to bring issues or problems to the attention of the Treasurer’s Office. Our primary duty is to serve the public, and improving the customer service experience is a main priority for me upon taking office. We will reduce wait times and improve the promptness of responses, and I will use my previous experience in a variety of financial institutions to ensure we are keeping up with industry best practices.

Government relations: How will you work with other county offices?

How would you work with other county offices — including the Recorder's Office, Assessor's Office and Board of Supervisors — to accomplish the primary functions of the Treasurer's Office?

Allen: Throughout my time in office, both at the Arizona Legislature and Maricopa County, I’ve always worked well with my peers while upholding the conservative principles I run on. The office I work most closely with is the Assessor’s Office, and we get along very well. Neither of our offices can do our core functions without the other.

Next is the Recorder’s Office. It is so important for us to get accurate changes in ownership and we are constantly improving our interdepartmental communications.

The Board of Supervisors is different than the Assessor's, Recorder's and Treasurer’s offices. We do certain things by law over and over. They oversee and fund what they think is working. I spend quite a lot of time making sure the county manager and the board know what I am doing and why, and I want them to understand my vision for the future of this office. So far, this has been working well.

Lichtsinn: Given the gross negligence in our county’s recent property tax lawsuit that is decimating our public schools, community colleges and fire districts, it is evident that we need our leaders to champion a culture of collaboration in our county government.

Many internal county government processes touch multiple departments, which provides us with opportunities to verify and double-check the accuracy of calculations and documents. This is standard practice in many industries but is seriously lacking in our county government. I have already engaged in multiple discussions with other candidates for office about how we can use each other as a resource for cross-departmental feedback on important financial decisions.

Financial planning: How would you approach county investments?

The Treasurer's Office works in conjunction with other county leaders to maintain the county's investment portfolio. What approach would you take to investments?

Allen: I was hoping you would ask about the portfolio. When I took office, it was a mess. The accounts had not been fully balanced in years and after a full reconciling, we had to claw back $15 million in wrongfully distributed interest.

Now, we reconcile cash accounts daily and the portfolio monthly. We have increased interest income from $64 million in 2020 to $210 million last year, and it is still improving. Our investments are also far less risky than they were before, so more income and less risk.

We have improved our cash flow monitoring system, that being the amount of money needed on hand on any given day to meet the county’s financial obligations. My office used to keep about $1 billion in our checking account to meet the expenditures. Through real-time cash management we have reduced that amount to $200 million and feel safe to do so because we always know what we need and when we will need it. This freed up significantly more money for investing.

In the near future, I would like to explore the corporate bond market. To do well in that market takes expertise that we don’t currently have. I have been exploring the options available, and I’ll keep you posted.

Lichtsinn: Our county has an abysmal investment performance history, although optically we have a high dollar figure return due to the size of our portfolio. We are far below comparable standards in other agencies.

Other governmental entities have the ability to invest funds into opportunities that yield higher returns. I propose we lobby the state Legislature to permit investment opportunities that yield better returns while, above all, preserving liquidity and maintaining a very conservative portfolio.

The county’s investment portfolio is the people’s funds, and it is imperative that we have our assets work for us in a safe and productive manner that will allow us to keep property taxes low while being able to fund essential governmental services.

Elections: How will you ensure ballots are secure in your office?

The Treasurer's Office is tasked with safeguarding election ballots during a storage period following each election. How would you manage this responsibility and ensure ballots are secure during an era of increased political polarization and voting conspiracies?

Allen: I think you will like what I have done with the ballot vault. When I was sworn into office, on that first day, I went to see the ballot vault. It was a bit of a joke. It was a big room down in the basement with two big steel doors. There were two keys for the room, one on the key ring of one of the managers and the other in a drawer in someone’s office.

Today, there are cameras inside and out with motion sensor alerts, an alarm system and keys that are controlled by two managers, with the keys kept in two different, secure places. There is a written log sheet for anyone who goes in and out, and no elected official, including myself, can get in by themselves.

Lichtsinn: TRANSPARENCY. The single most important aspect of ensuring the public's trust in the treasurer's responsibility for safeguarding historical ballots is transparency with our citizens.

Our country’s recent elections have been a betrayal of the American people's trust in our voting process, and I will ensure that the Treasurer’s Office will do its part to maintain transparency and accountability so that every citizen can have confidence that their voice is heard, their vote is counted and accurate records are maintained.

On a personal note: Who do you admire?

What person in public life, past or present, do you most admire, and why?

Allen: Billy Graham. He was a godly man who lived with integrity and purpose.

Lichtsinn did not respond to this question. He said: "I don't believe that this lends itself to being useful for our voters as a means to judge a candidate's suitability for an administrative office."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Maricopa County treasurer candidates answer questions on key issues