The scandal that resulted in former Pinal County Manager Stanley Griffis going to prison is a common topic in most of the county's contested elections.
Nowhere is that more prevalent than in the race for Pinal County Treasurer, where Democratic incumbent Dolores "Dodie" Doolittle faces Republican challenger Rayna Palmer.
Doolittle's husband of nearly 15 years is current Pinal County Manager Terry Doolittle, who was tapped in 2006 to replace Griffis after Griffis was indicted and later sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for stealing more than $400,000 in county transportation funds.
That relationship served as a motivator for Palmer, who is president and CEO of the Apache Junction Chamber of Commerce, to decide to run for treasurer.
"I'm not accusing anyone of anything, but there is clearly a conflict of interest," Palmer said. "It was very easy for the previous county manager to steal money that should have gone into the treasury."
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Someone speculating on how her marriage affects her job performance is nothing new, said Doolittle, who has worked for the county treasurer's office in various roles for 17 years.
But, Doolittle said, her office has no say in how Pinal County spends its money. That is the job of the county manager and the county board of supervisors, with whom she says she has no financial interaction.
"It's important that people know my husband works for the board of supervisors," Doolittle said. "The only work he does for me is at home, on the pool and in the yard."
Doolittle said her office's main responsibilities deal with collecting and dispersing the property tax levies for the county's many special districts, such as fire districts and school districts.
"We act as the bank," Doolittle said. "When those tax dollars go in, the money goes into each of the accounts."
Doolittle said her office has no involvement in setting tax rates. That's the same procedure used by Pima County, county treasurer Beth Ford said.
It's necessary to keep collection and disbursement of the tax levy separate from the people who set the rates, Ford said.
"If you had the tax collection function or the assessing function under the board of supervisors or the county manager, you'd have all the taxing power and authority under one body, which is not a good thing for taxpayers," Ford said.
When it comes to money Pinal County uses in its day-to-day operations, Doolittle said her only responsibilities are in terms of handling how those public funds are invested when not being spent.
"That's a very important job, especially with everything that's going on with the economy," Doolittle said.
How that money is being invested is something Palmer said she wants to know, and thinks should be public knowledge. So far, though, she said she's been unsuccessful in finding answers to her queries.
"I have not been able to find anywhere on the treasurer's Web site what our return on investments are," said Palmer, whose bio on the Pinal County Republican Party Web site lists her as having 30 years of experience as a management professional, with a focus on economic development.
Palmer said Pinal County should be looking to maximize its assets through investments with banks or investment firms, or some of the county's funds should be invested with the state treasury department.
Palmer also said, if elected, she would establish a voluntary investment advisory board. She said the board would serve as another layer of oversight, similar to the internal audit program Pinal County established in January.
The Pinal County Office of Internal Audit is slated to review a handful of different county departments each fiscal year, with the 2008-09 plan calling for audits of Pinal's fairgrounds, fleet services, housing and public works departments.
An audit of the treasurer's office should be high on the list, said Palmer, noting that no review of the department has occurred since Doolittle was appointed treasurer in January 2004.
"I don't know an instance when leadership is transferred and you don't do an audit," Palmer said.
It's important that people know my husband works for the Board of Supervisors. The only work he does for me is at home, on the pool and in the yard.
Dolores "Dodie" Doolittle, Pinal County Treasurer
