Mary Burress
Address: 713 Deerfield Drive, Pekin
Age: 54
Occupation: deputy treasurer of Tazewell County, 21 years
Marital status/children: married, two children and four grandchildren
Education: Illinois Central College, business administration
Elected offices held: Republican Precinct Committeeman, Cincinnati Township trustee 2009 – present
Member organizations: Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce, Pekin Altrusa
What are the basic duties of the county treasurer?
The treasurer’s duties, authorized by state statute, are as follows:
The treasurer shall collect and safely keep all revenues and other public moneys of the county, and all money and funds authorized by law to be paid to the treasurer, and disburse the same pursuant to the law.
• shall appoint his/her deputies, assistants and personnel to assist in the performance of their duties. The treasurer will control the internal operations of his office.
• file a monthly report to the county board summarizing the financial status of the county.
• maintain necessary special funds from which the county board shall authorize payment by voucher between board meetings for all county expenses.
The county treasurer shall maintain proper books and records of all county expenditures and revenues in the proper form.
The county treasurer will collect all property tax revenue and make disbursement to the appropriate taxing bodies, which include but are not limited to schools, park districts, public libraries, towns, cities, villages and other taxing entities within Tazewell County.
Why do you want to be in this position and what strengths do you feel you will bring to this office that will benefit Tazewell County?
I have been privileged to serve with three treasurers for more than 25 years, 21 years as their deputy treasurer. For more than two decades, I have been the deputy financial and investment officer for the county. Training and learning from these treasurers has earned me the endorsement of current treasurer, Duane Gray and retired treasurer, Patricia Graham. I am the only candidate that meets and exceeds the qualifications to be a “full-time, hands-on” working treasurer. I have a strong and trusted working relationship with our partners in local banks, external auditors, county board members, township assessors and appointed and elected officials. The taxpayers of Tazewell County want and deserve an experienced, qualified, trusted, respected and full-time treasurer. The savings to the taxpayers by having an experienced treasurer that is ready to assume the duties of treasurer on day one are well documented. The financial security of the county’s schools, libraries, parks, townships, cities and towns should not be put at risk. I meet the requirements and the expectations of taxpayers and taxing bodies, and will continue as their next treasurer.
Are there any problems that need to be addressed in this office? If so, what are they and how do you plan to correct them?
I have listened to the taxpayers, county officials, the county’s partners at local banks, title companies and our own county external auditors to develop the following goals to bring the treasurer’s office into the 21st century. I see these ideas as added motivation to run for office. I have worked for positive change and now feel the time has come to seek the GOP nomination for treasurer. I want to bring fresh ideas, positive solutions and leadership to Tazewell County by becoming the next treasurer.
Communication: My office will work with the Tazewell County administrator, board chairman and members and standing committees to develop monthly, quarterly and annual reports on fund balances and investments. This will improve communication and transparency with county officials by creating timely financial reporting. I will meet with other local elected and appointed officials in townships, cities, towns and villages to improve communications. I will continue to work closely with the external auditors to operate the treasurer’s office with fiscally conservative values and best management practices.
Web site: We will continue to improve and enhance the current treasurer’s Web site to provide improved services for taxpayers, which may include, but is not limited to, forms, information on where to pay property tax bills, property tax guides for senior citizens, paying tax bills online and much more.
County offices cash management: I will budget and implement an electronic cash management system for county offices. This system will increase security, prevent fraud and give cost savings to the taxpayers. The cost savings from this system and the expediting of revenue to the banks will, over time, pay for the system.
Senior citizens: Our office will work with our partners at local banks and in cooperation with the supervisor of assessment, implement real estate property tax informational seminars for senior citizens, giving them updates and information on complicated real estate tax issues.
Russ Crawford
Age: 59
Address: 204 District Court, East Peoria
Former occupation: Caterpillar global strategic manager and 6 Sigma certified project manager
Marital Status/Family: married with one son
Educational background: bachelor’s degree from Knox College
Graduate school: Illinois State University and University of Virginia; 2009 graduate of the Illinois Department of Revenue Local Property Tax Assessment Course; 2009 graduate of the University of IL County Government Leadership Academy
Elected/Appointed Public Offices: Five terms (20 years) Tazewell County Board member, four years as chief fiscal officer and county board, delegate to the Republican National Convention (1988 and 1992), vice president of the Illinois Association of County Auditors and Finance Officers, Tazewell County Economic Development and Investment chairman, treasurer, auditor and chairman/administrator of Tazewell Senior Fiscal Management Team, treasurer and chairman of the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, United Counties Council of Illinois Board of Directors
Member organizations: Tazewell County Republican Central Committee (GOP precinct committeeman), Tazewell County Retired Teachers Association, Cursillo Spiritual Community Assistant Rector, Morton Rotary, Morton Chamber of Commerce/past East Peoria, Pekin and Washington chambers, Peoria Lakes Basin Alliance and Heartland Water Resources Council, Tazewell County Historic Places member and Peoria Historical Society trustee
What are the basic duties of the county treasurer?
There are two divisions within the Tazewell County treasurer’s office: the collector and the treasurer department. I’ve audited the treasurer’s office as chief fiscal officer. Within the collector department, there are the following functions: billing and collection of current taxes, disbursement of tax monies to the taxing districts, protested taxes, mobile home privilege tax, maintaining tax records and tax investments. Within the treasurer department, there are these functions: collect earnings, state and local revenue, record all county general funds, estate tax, register accounts receivable and payable and manage investments.
Why do you want to be in this position and what strengths do you feel you will bring to this office that will benefit Tazewell County?
Why treasurer? I was requested. My strengths are my record of accomplishment — Tazewell County leaders and Tazewell Republican leaders requested that I apply — and my conservative principles and leadership to the treasurer’s office. As the deputy treasurer acknowledges, there are deficiencies that currently exist within the office. These leaders approached me because these problems had not been corrected, despite the deputy treasurer having been in the same office for 25 years, 21 of which as the number two person-deputy treasurer. These problems must be corrected now to mitigate risk for Tazewell County taxpayers. I have the skills and experience necessary to be successful and a proven track record within both the public and private sector in fixing problems and saving money. I’ve cut $1.5M from the Tazewell County budget to achieve a balanced budget as chief fiscal officer for Tazewell County, which translated directly into a reduction of taxes for the taxpayer, earning my reputation as “the Taxpayers’ Watchdog.” This did not please some politicians (who now endorse my opponent), but I’ve always believed I work for the taxpayers rather than the politicians. I helped my team create and implement the Tazewell County centralized purchasing process, where we bought in bulk and joined state bids to reduce the expense by thousands annually for taxpayers. We also created and implemented the Tazewell County expense transfer policy and associated controls process to make sure department heads managed within the proper appropriations and accounting. Both the purchasing process and the transfer accounting processes are still in use today, providing 30 years of increased accurate auditing, accounting and financial reporting in Tazewell County. In the private sector at Caterpillar, I led project teams to save $1 million per year for five consecutive years as a 6 Sigma project manager, while also increasing employee engagement, safety and quality while improving efficiency and reducing waste and costs.
Are there any problems that need to be addressed in this office? If so, what are they, and how do you plan to correct them?
There are many problems, issues for concern and opportunities for improvement within the Tazewell treasurer’s office. Problems include, but are not limited to: safety risks, poor records management, lack of work process controls, improved investment tracking, lack of cross-training, insufficient accounting checks and balances, opportunities for improved teamwork with the supervisor of assessments office and the need for increased accountability and transparency for Tazewell County taxpayers. These problems have not been adequately addressed to reduce taxpayer risk. I will utilize my skills as a businessman and successful manager to mitigate the risk. Some tools that I’ve successfully utilized in both the public and private sectors include: 6 Sigma method, process improvement, waste identification and reduction, risk mitigation, lean initiatives, solution selection analysis matrix and the common sense lacking in government today. I will establish a Tazewell Treasurer’s Strategic Improvement Process Team including county leaders, successful business folks and representatives of the banking/financial industry among others to provide input and make recommendations for implementation. Leadership is the key to bringing folks together and collectively improving the processes that will manage risk and reduce cost for the taxpayers of Tazewell County. In these initiatives, I have a demonstrated and documented track record of success and look forward to implementation within the treasurer’s office.
