Richie-Folks: More online services need to make paying Manassas taxes simple

Potomac Local News October 21, 2016 at 11:06am

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.

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

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

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

Richie-Folks: N/A

PL: What concrete solutions do you propose to address these issues?

Richie-Folks: I am running for City Treasurer, and there are no issues that I will be addressing if elected. The City Treasurer is a Constitutional Elected Office and follows the rules and regulations of the State of Virginia for the Treasurer and the City of Manassas Charter.

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

Richie-Folks: I will be responsible for collecting the taxes for the city and making sure that they are deposited in the designated financial institutions. I will also be responsible for operating the city treasurer's office and managing the staff.

PL: What expertise will you bring to the office?

Richie-Folks: I have 35 years of experience in finance, accounting, managing over 30 employees, managing multi-million dollar budgets, investing $100,000 for [American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT)], owned my own construction company, I also developed procedures to bring delinquent accounts current, and I have received awards for providing excellent customer service. I was promoted to General Manager for a worldwide corporation [Sodexo] where I was responsible for managing the division's budget of $5 million.

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?

Richie-Folks: I feel that the citizens should be well-informed on what is going on in the treasurer's office. I will improve the communication to our constituency by updating the treasure's Office web page and always have pertinent information that is current with a FAQ section that will answer frequently asked questions and give this information out not only in English but in Spanish as well. I would also like to send a newsletter out to all citizens with their utility bills.

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

Richie-Folks: Yes, I have made mistakes in my public life, and I learned from these mistakes. By making these mistakes, I began to grow and became a better person for it. This helped me to be more observant and to realize that no one is perfect and I am always open to learning and trying out new innovative ideas and most importantly listening.

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

Richie-Folks: The reason the citizens of Manassas should vote for me is I will make sure that the City Treasurer's office operates effectively with efficiency, accuracy, excellent customer service and most importantly transparency. I will make sure that the City treasurer's office is in compliance with state laws and regulations and adheres to Manassas City codes and ordinances.

I have done research and spoke with other City Treasurer's around the Northern Virginia areas, and I have some innovative ideas that I would like to bring to the Manassas City Treasure's office. I would like to make it more accessible and have more online services to help make the process of paying taxes simple.

I know that there is a new system that is being installed and will become operational in January. If I am elected, I will be a part of the installation of this system and will be able to make sure that these services will be looked into and if cost-effective put in place.

I would also like to accommodate our senior citizens and make paying taxes easier and accessible for them and the disabled. We live in a world of technology, and everything can be done online, and I want our citizens to be able to take advantage of that when paying their taxes.