The incumbent county treasurer is being challenged by a certified public accountant.
Jane Spoerl, a Republican, has 30-plus years of experience in retail and commercial banking after working at Mid-Am, Sky and Huntington banks before joining Modern Woodmen of America.
She had experience with government banking and investments when she was elected Wood County treasurer in 2016.
“All those things give me a good background for this office,” Spoerl said. “The knowledge you need, I have. …”
“I knew going in it was going to be a big learning curve,” she said. “That’s partially because I didn’t want to come in as a head (of office). I wanted to get down in the weeds, I wanted to make certain I understand all the jobs.”
Spoerl, who lives in Weston, said she’s enjoyed her time in office and wants to continue working for the residents of Wood County.
Since taking office, she has upgraded the real estate and financial software programs in conjunction with the auditor’s office.
“We work very closely together,” she said, adding that both deals will taxes.
“None of us like to hand over any money to anybody. … People do have a lot of questions of how (their property taxes) are calculated, where is the money going,” she said.
Spoerl said there are more than 75,000-plus taxable parcels in the county.
She said she asks all her staff to be patient with people, to educate them and give them as much information as they can and make sure to hand them over to someone else if they can’t answer a question.
“I’m really big on customer service and educating people and I’m hopeful one of the things that people see in my office is more friendly and educational service,” she said.
Spoerl said one of her long-term goals is to begin emailing and texting tax bills and receipts, but at this point, the state has not approved that practice.
“There’s always room for improvement. But I’m always networking with the treasurers in other counties to see if we could do anything better to save the taxpayers or the county money,” she said.
Democratic challenger Sean Elliott has spent 15 years in accounting, finance and auditing, learning skills he thinks will mesh well in the treasurer’s office.
“My skills are a good fit and I think I could do a good job as your treasurer. I want to be of service and serve,” he said.
Elliott has lived in Bowling Green since 2010.
He said he would focus on education and outreach if elected.
In particular with the recent reassessment, taxes are complicated – like a foreign language — and might be hard for everyone to grasp, he said.
He said the treasurer has a part to play in getting into the community and attending council, township trustees and school board meetings.
“I believe when we have that understanding … it takes a lot of fear out of it and it helps you make better informed decisions,” he said.
He said he would help residents understand which taxes they are responsible to pay and why.
He maintains his CPA license, which he earned in 2009, and said he has experience understanding accounting rules and regulations, including tax laws.
He said he expects to spend a lot of time learning what each job is in the treasurer’s office and how what is done in the office impacts other areas.
“Information is power,” he said.
