Editor,
I was surprised that the current city treasurer has an annual budget of over $6,000 for conferences, professional associations and reimbursement for her certifications required for maintaining her CPA. The elected, part-time treasurer position does not require a CPA, has no taxation duties and is budgeted 25 hours per week, a lot more than most cities with similar work loads. The elected city treasurer position was never meant to be a full-time career. Instead, the position has been expanded over 17 years to the point that the council has had to vote to restrict the hours.
It’s time for voters to assess whether to elect a candidate who has a proven ability to handle the investments, assessment districts and banking functions on budget. Anne McGraw has served the banking and bookkeeping needs of large, local clients for 18 years. Prior to that she was a bank manager and has years of experience working with regulators and small business people. Laguna Beach voters are financially literate and understand that the state-required annual audits and internal checks and balances of the city’s investments go beyond one elected official.
Vote for Anne McGraw for change that makes sense.
Beth Renner, Laguna Beach
