Anne Lawler has worked in the Park County Treasurer’s Office since 2014 and has been first deputy the last four years. 

Her opponent to take over the job of treasurer currently held by Barb Poley, Powell Councilman Troy Bray, said at a June forum in Powell that while he has nothing against Lawler personally, “This isn’t a monarchy. We live in a representative republic, an outgoing office holder doesn’t get to anoint their replacement. 

“I don’t have anything against my opponent,” Bray said. “She probably does an excellent job, and our current treasurer has done a good enough job. I think we need a little more transparency, a little, make it a little easier for people to view the books, but I don’t think there are any huge surprises in there.”

Lawler had set out during the course of her answers to prove she is best suited to take over the top spot in the department.

“These years of hands-on experience, leadership and operational knowledge have prepared me to serve effectively as the Park County treasurer,” she said. “I am committed to continuing the tradition of professionalism, accuracy, fiscal responsibility, and serving Park County with integrity and dedication.”

Transparency

Bray said transparency is at the heart of being involved in government. 

“I believe in open, honest and transparent government,” he said. “The only way to have that is to see where every dime that’s been taxed went.”

He said he’d seen corruption in government “on scales that most people have no idea exists” and said he once discovered a county embezzling $2 million from the government during a situation which, he said, “turned me off a little bit on politics and on law enforcement, because those county commissioners are still out there.”

He said the way he discovered it was looking at the books, and  that’s the same goal he would have as Park County’s treasurer, though he noted he didn’t know if there would be any issues to find. 

Lawler said the office is already transparent, although she shared ideas to make it more so, such as an improved website. 

“I am directly involved with integrity, transparency and accountability of public funds, all central responsibilities of the treasurer’s role,” she said.

Lawler said as far as transparency is concerned, there is a monthly audit done, and a daily balancing of the books. 

“We have very good transparency with clean audits every year,” she said. “You can come in and look at our books if you’d like.”

Use of taxpayer money

Both candidates addressed the treasurer’s role in the county budget process, which could get tight next year if a ballot measure to reduce residential property taxes by 50% is passed this November. The looming potential revenue shortfall has been a big issue addressed during a number of political forums this election season. 

Lawler said in recent years she’s become better acquainted with the financials of the county while working under Poley — now running for commissioner — and the importance of investing funds to grow county reserves. 

“We do invest quite a bit of money,” she said. “The current treasurer has done a very good job in doing that, and I’ve learned that, and that wasn’t something I was very good at until I got to work really close underneath her. And we do invest quite a bit, you know, and which is very good for the county.”

Bray said the county is not only in good shape, but in “better shape than it appears to be.”

“There’s plenty of money there,” he said. “There’s money in reserves that at all levels of government in the state that in my view are overtaxation, but it is authorized in the Constitution to invest that and to earn interest on that money. I think that being able to do that effectively with the goal of reducing the tax burden on the average person in Park County should be a high priority for the treasurer.”

He reiterated that as the county budget is “bloated, we can do with a little less government.”