Syracuse Clerk-Treasurer Race
Dear Editor,
My name is MacKenzie Taylor, and I am the clerk-treasurer for the town of Millersburg.
I have been following the race between Larry Siegel and Virginia Cazier closely. While I commend Larry on serving the town of Syracuse as a council member for 20 years, I am reluctant to believe he has a firm understanding of the duties and role as a clerk-treasurer and as a council member.
While I’ve enjoyed reading Larry’s answers to the questions given, he has been very redundant and unable to answer a direct question. Larry has spent more time making false accusations/statements against Virginia, which goes to show the residents in the town of Syracuse he is not a proper candidate for this position.
Larry, do you understand the seriousness in making false claims? To say the clerk-treasurer’s office is a mess/poorly managed is a devastating blow. Has the town of Syracuse had a proper audit since Virginia has been in office? No.
Larry claims money isn’t being spent wisely, but as a council member you approve/sign off on bills and expenditures for the town.
In a later response, Larry stated he would like to give fair compensation to town employees. Do you know the council is to approve and adopt the salary ordinance? Therefore, you (Larry) set and approve these wages for the employees. As a clerk treasurer, we can present you with wage increases, but we do not have the authority to adopt or even vote on the matter.
As a clerk-treasurer, you are required by the State Board of Accounts to have internal controls. Do you understand the severity in not having internal controls? Lack of internal controls tends to lead to theft.
You believe Virginia hired Local Governmental Services to complete her bank reconciliations? False. She hired them as an internal control process.
Larry, are the town’s bank reconciliations always balanced? Does it match your fund report? Do you even know how to read a fund report?
The duties of the clerk treasurer are listed in Indiana Code 36-5-6-6. After going through the duties, can you really confirm Virginia has been neglectful? From a clerk-treasurer’s standpoint, absolutely not.
You claim Virginia doesn’t follow the codes and regulations; you can’t even follow the codes for your election signs. You have not put a disclaimer on your signs and are putting signs in peoples’ yards without permission.
Do you know your role as a member of the legislative body? Have you inspired public confidence in your government? Is it okay for tax dollar monies to be spent on your HSA when you’re not even considered a full-time employee?
Larry, you don’t even meet the qualifications for a part-time employee.
After reviewing the answers from his article, I can see he clearly does not have the town’s best interest. This is the common goal that anyone should have when they’re running as an elected official. It always comes back to: we are to have the town’s best interest.
Larry has shown damning evidence of trying to restrict growth and economic development to the town of Syracuse. He’s shown a lack of professionalism in the way he interacts with the residents, developers and employees of Syracuse. He claims to want this job, to correct and fix the messes in Virginia’s office which is completely absurd.
He shows little to nothing of the duties of an elected official. The only reason I can fathom of him wanting to run for office is for his personal agenda, and he has a vendetta against Virginia.
Our duties are not to be taken lightly.
Sincerely,
MacKenzie Taylor