Harrison would rely on working experience to guide him as Manassas Treasurer

Potomac Local News October 17, 2016 at 8:55am

Manassas residents will head to the polls November 8, 2016, to vote for a new City Treasurer.

Current City Treasurer Robin Perkins served in the position for the past 18 years and decided not to seek reelection.

Russell T. Harrison is the Republican on the ballot, and Patricia Richie-Folks is his Democratic opponent.

We sent a questionnaire to Harrison and Richie-Folks. Harrison’s responses are below:

Find your polling place

We sent a questionnaire to Harrison. His responses are below:

PL: What are the top three major issues facing Manassas residents?

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: As treasurer, I will ensure that the treasurer’s office continues to be staffed by the most professional, well-trained and skilled people possible. Additionally, we will be utilizing the City’s new accounting system (which should be in place by early January) to make paying your bills easier, more secure and more transparent. Doing so will save the city money while improving the already high level of service provided by the Treasurer’s Office.

PL: From your perspective, what is the job description of the office you’re seeking?

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.

I am also a senior staff member within IEEE, helping to run the $450 million global corporation. As part of this work, I have had to build, maintain and lead a high-quality staff of professionals. Moreover, I have directed my department to set and accomplish our agendas, serve our members and promote the objectives of the IEEE.

I have developed and managed multi-million dollar budgets, been entrusted with significant financial authority, become an expert in budget policy, and demonstrated a mastery of accounting and financial management principles. I have, in short, the education, experience, and record Manassas needs from its Treasurer.

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?

Harrison: The Treasurer’s Office, like most parts of our government, remains mostly invisible. To the few citizens give the office much thought beyond tax day. But in a Democracy, citizens should play an active role in their government and should be at least familiar with how it operates.

I intend, as Treasurer, to continue to be a vocal and visible leader in Manassas. It is important that our citizens know who I am, and feel comfortable speaking to me if there are problems. Our City has not grown so big that Citizens can’t feel comfortable speaking with their elected leaders.

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.

Rather than just sit in my office blasting our emails, I have personally visited over 220 of our sections across the country for the purpose of ensuring that our member knows who is running their association. You just can’t establish the level of trust needed for a thriving organization without meeting face-to-face. I have enjoyed these meetings enormously, but am looking forward to my meetings as your Treasurer being much closer to home.

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.

PL: Have you ever made any mistakes in your public life? How have they affected you?

Harrison: Good question. I think anyone who has ever tried to do anything has made mistakes and those who haven’t tried made a mistake by not trying. To list just one, when I began serving on the Planning Commission, I made the mistake of trying to figure things out on my own. Because I didn’t have as much experience as the rest of the Board, and hadn’t taken Virginia tech’s certification class yet, I was reluctant to ask for help.

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.

PL: Our readers want leaders in local government. Why should they vote for you?

Harrison: The citizens of Manassas should vote for me because I am the most experienced and best-prepared candidate. City Treasurer is not a job for the faint of heart. It is an intellectually and emotionally difficult job. It requires long hours, attention to detail, mastery of several laws, professionalism and diplomatic tact.

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.