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Harrison: The Top three challenges for our City Treasurer are: Maintaining a professional staff within the Treasurer’s office, protecting the City’s stellar reputation for fiscal competence, and making the office accessible to all citizens.
PL: What concrete solutions do you propose to address these issues?
Harrison: The City Treasurer is a full-time senior staff person within the City government. He/she is responsible for leading the Treasurer’s Office, overseeing the collection of almost all revenue owed to the city, ensuring that collected funds are accounted for properly, and then monitoring the City’s financial assets. It is one of the most difficult jobs in the Manassas government, requiring leadership, diplomacy, a mastery of financial law, discretion and hard work.
PL: What expertise will you bring to the office?
Harrison: In addition to the leadership role I have played in the City, I bring 20 years of experience working for nonprofits in Washington. Thirteen of those years have been spent working for the world’s largest technical society, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). I currently run IEEE’s Government Relations office, supervise six professionals and directly control a $7 million budget.
PL: Do you feel that the average citizen is well informed and understands the workings of city government? If not, how do you intend on improving communication with your constituency?Â
By getting out of my office and engaging the community on your terms, I will give you every opportunity to get to know me, and by extension, my office. I have used this approach effectively at my current job, where I represent 200,000 technology professionals across the U.S.
In addition, I currently maintain a strict open-door policy for my staff and members. Anyone who works for me, or for whom I work, is always welcome to drop by my office if they have a problem. I believe in this policy, and will continue it as your Treasurer.
I didn’t want to seem unprepared or un-knowledgeable. My reluctance to reveal what I didn’t know made it harder for me to learn, made me less effective for the first several months on the Board, and cost me opportunities to contribute to Manassas.
I think it is natural for people to want to avoid looking foolish, and so to avoid pointing out when they don’t know things. But it is also a lost opportunity.
The Treasurer’s job is very hard, and it requires extensive knowledge of financial, budget, personnel, and tax law. I’ve worked in all of those fields, but am not yet an expert in any.
In my career, I have frequently had to master complicated policy areas quickly, and am good at it. But I can’t do it on my first day. You can be assured that I will be asking for help the first few months I am your Treasurer, especially from our current Treasurer, Robin Perkins, who has already offered to help.
The Treasurer’s job is too important, and difficult, for me to do anything less.
But is isn’t that dissimilar to being Director Government Relation at the world’s largest technical society, which I have done successfully for the past several years. I have the formal training and professional experience to lead our staff, handle our budgets, manage our money and guide our City government into the future. More importantly, I have earned a reputation throughout Manassas for honesty, my work ethic, and integrity.Â
Read more Project: Election 2016 candidate profiles.
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