My RTB Mesa County Treasurer Candidate Questionnaire Answers

Restore the Balance Colorado recently invited me to participate in its candidate questionnaire and evaluation process. I chose not to participate in their scoring and editorial process, but I do believe the questions they asked are fair questions that voters may be interested in hearing me answer.

My concern was not with answering the questions. Rather, I was uncomfortable turning my responses over to an outside organization to be scored, rated, selectively quoted, or editorialized. I believe voters are best served by seeing my answers in their entirety and making their own judgments about where I stand.

So, in the interest of transparency, I am publishing the questions and my complete responses directly. Nothing has been scored or interpreted for you. These are simply my answers, in my own words.

Why do you want to serve as Mesa County Treasurer?

My interest in the Treasurer’s Office really began after participating in Inside Mesa County and learning more about how county government operates. Through that experience, and conversations with then-Treasurer Sheila Reiner, I gained a much better understanding of the important role the Treasurer plays in county government.

The more I learned about the office, the more I realized that my background in business, finance, leadership and public service aligns well with the responsibilities of County Treasurer.

This is not a policymaking office. It is an administrative and fiduciary office entrusted with collecting, safeguarding, investing and distributing taxpayer dollars. I believe my experience and temperament are well suited for that responsibility.

I want to bring strong leadership, excellent customer service, transparency and sound financial stewardship to the office while continuing to build on the good work already being done there.

What education, qualifications and experience will you bring to this position?

I hold both a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate and have spent the past 23 years owning and operating a healthcare practice in Grand Junction. Running a small business requires managing budgets, employees, payroll, contracts, regulatory requirements and long-term financial planning. It also requires providing excellent customer service every day.

I have also served for more than a decade on the board of my statewide professional association, including serving as its president. That experience involved organizational leadership, budgeting, legislative issues and working with people who often had differing viewpoints.

In addition, I have served on my church’s finance board and on the board of the Pregnancy Center, along with other community and civic involvement.

Those experiences have taught me the importance of accountability, attention to detail, working collaboratively with others and remembering that the money entrusted to an organization does not belong to the person managing it.

As County Treasurer, that principle becomes even more important: these are taxpayer dollars, and they should be managed accordingly.

What in your view are the main responsibilities of a County Treasurer in Colorado?

The County Treasurer is primarily a statutory administrative and fiduciary office. Its responsibilities are established in Colorado law, particularly Titles 30, 38 and 39 of the Colorado Revised Statutes.

Among the Treasurer’s primary responsibilities are collecting property taxes, accurately accounting for those funds and distributing them to the taxing authorities entitled to receive them.

The Treasurer is also responsible for safeguarding and investing county funds. Those investments should prioritize safety, liquidity, compliance with Colorado law and an appropriate return for taxpayers.

The office also administers delinquent property taxes and the annual tax lien sale.

In Mesa County, the elected Treasurer also serves as the Public Trustee. That adds responsibilities involving deeds of trust, releases and the foreclosure process established under Colorado law.

It is equally important to understand what the Treasurer does not do. The Treasurer does not determine property values, set property tax rates or decide the county budget. Those responsibilities belong to other elected officials and taxing authorities.

The Treasurer’s job is to administer the law fairly, accurately and transparently while protecting the public funds entrusted to the office.

Are you willing to follow the laws and regulations governing County Treasurers?

Yes, absolutely.

The Treasurer takes an oath to uphold the Constitution and laws governing the office. Those laws are not optional, and I would administer them faithfully and consistently.

There may be laws I personally agree or disagree with, but an elected Treasurer does not get to substitute personal preferences for Colorado law.

When changes are needed, they should be pursued through the proper legislative and democratic processes.

Are you planning to join and participate in the Colorado Treasurer’s and Public Trustee Association and follow their recommended practices?

Yes.

I intend to actively participate in the Colorado County Treasurers’ and Public Trustees’ Association and take advantage of the training, institutional knowledge and collaboration it provides.

There is tremendous value in learning from experienced Treasurers and Public Trustees throughout Colorado and sharing best practices among counties.

Recommended practices can be extremely valuable, but ultimately the Treasurer’s responsibility is to follow Colorado law and make decisions that best serve Mesa County taxpayers.

I have already spent considerable time learning from current and former Treasurers and Public Trustees, and I intend to continue doing so if elected.

Do you disagree with any of RTB’s eight principles, and if so, please elaborate?

I agree with a number of the principles Restore the Balance has identified, particularly concepts involving fiscal responsibility, limited government, individual liberty, transparency and accountability.

At the same time, I do not believe candidates or elected officials should pledge allegiance to the platform or principles of any outside political organization.

Organizations can change. Their leadership can change. Their priorities and even their stated principles can change over time.

I govern my life and my campaigns according to my own principles, and voters should evaluate me based upon those principles, my record and how I conduct myself in office.

If elected Treasurer, my responsibility will not be to advance the agenda of Restore the Balance, the Republican Party, or any other outside organization. The Treasurer’s Office should be administered according to the Constitution, Colorado law and the responsibilities assigned to the office.

My allegiance is to God, country, the Constitution, and, if elected, to the oath I take and the citizens I am elected to serve.

That independence is important to me. I am always willing to listen to organizations and individuals across Mesa County, including Restore the Balance, but ultimately I will make decisions based on the law, the responsibilities of the office and what I believe constitutes faithful stewardship of the public trust.

For additional context, below is the response I sent to Restore the Balance explaining why I chose not to participate in their candidate questionnaire and scoring process. I think it’s important to be transparent about both my decision and the reasoning behind it.

Dave Murphy,

Thank you for reaching out and for giving me the opportunity to participate in Restore the Balance’s candidate questionnaire.

After giving it some thought, I’ve decided not to participate in the questionnaire and candidate scoring process.

This isn’t because I’m unwilling to answer the questions. In fact, I think many of the questions are fair and worthwhile, and I’m happy to publicly answer them. My concern is with submitting my answers to an outside organization that will then interpret, score, rate, selectively quote, or editorialize those responses.

I’ve made a conscious decision during this campaign to let voters evaluate me based on my own words, my qualifications, my record, and my understanding of the Treasurer’s Office rather than through a score or rating assigned by a third-party organization.

I also don’t believe elected officials should be expected to pledge themselves to the principles or platform of any outside organization. While I agree with many of the principles Restore the Balance advocates, organizations, leadership, priorities, and even stated principles can change over time.

If elected, my obligation will be to the Constitution, Colorado law, the oath of office, and the citizens of Mesa County—not to a political organization or its scorecard.

For transparency, I do intend to make my answers to the questions publicly available so voters can read them in their entirety and decide for themselves whether they agree with me.

I appreciate what you and others are doing to encourage voters to become informed and engaged, and I hope you understand and respect my decision.

Greg Haitz