Citing a loss in trust with the Board of Supervisors, county Treasurer Bill Cherry said Monday he won’t serve as budget officer next year.
Mr. Cherry accused the board of becoming too close to the Chamber of Commerce and charged three supervisors, as current or former Chamber directors, with conflicts of interest.
In addition, Mr. Cherry claimed supervisors essentially cut him out of the loop with a “behind-the-scenes deal” when discussing funding for tourism promotion in the 2009 budget.
“I cannot and will not be a front man for the Board of Supervisors” in making budget decisions, Mr. Cherry said.
But the supervisors he blasted countered that there was no conflict of interest or back-room deal.
The budget officer drafts the following year’s county budget each fall, and during the year he coordinates budget amendments and transfers.
Mr. Cherry said he’ll continue as budget officer––it paid $9,450 in 2008––through this year but won’t accept the post when supervisors hold their organizational meeting in early January. He’s been budget officer for 13 years.
His complaint stems from controversy over the request from the Chamber, as the county’s tourism promotion agency, for $140,500 in the 2009 budget. Mr. Cherry initially recommended $10,000, the Board of Supervisors’ Finance Committee raised it to $30,000, and supervisors upped that to a final figure of $85,000.
Three supervisors––board Chairman Earl Van Wormer, Seward’s Larry Phillips and Wright’s Sue Loden––were instrumental in getting the tourism money raised to $85,000, Mr. Cherry claimed.
Mr. Van Wormer is a former Chamber director and is still a member. Ms. Loden is a director, while Mr. Phillips is first vice president.
The full Board of Supervisors approved the $85,000 at their November 21 meeting.
“Every one of the supervisors who voted ‘yes’ on the motion to increase the Chamber tourism funding seemed to have the same exact number [$85,000] in mind,” Mr. Cherry said.
“I believe that a behind-the-scenes deal was agreed to relating to increased funding. . .”
He further accused supervisors of becoming lobbyists for the Chamber.
“There’s obviously an incestuous relationship,” Mr. Cherry said. “That’s not to say the Chamber is a bad organization, but the two should be separate and distinct.”
Mr. Van Wormer said there were no backroom deals.
“General discussions, sure. But there was no concrete plan or deal-cutting,” he said.
And if Mr. Cherry felt ignored, he could have initiated talks himself, Mr. Van Wormer added.
“I don’t know that he’s gone out of his way to talk with supervisors,” he said. “It’s kind of a two-way street.”
Mr. Phillips––he and Mr. Cherry exchange blasts in letters to the editor on page 7––answered the conflict of interest charge by noting in a small county, leaders fill many roles.
“Look around the table at any meeting. You see the same faces,” Mr. Phillips said.
“As supervisor, I try to help the people of the county. If the Chamber is the vehicle, fine.”
But Mr. Cherry answered that elected officials acting on spending––and they are members of groups receiving the money––should hold to a higher standard.
Ms. Loden argued that the tourism promotion agency is separate from the Chamber even though it’s run through the Chamber office.
Therefore, there’s no conflict of interest, she said.
“If the county wanted to, it could be the tourism promotion agency,” Ms. Loden said. “My role as a Chamber member has nothing to do with it.”
The dispute led Mr. Cherry to believe there’s “a total breakdown in trust and cooperation between the present leadership of the Board of Supervisors and me as their designated budget officer.”
Elected Treasurer by voters, Mr. Cherry said he’ll keep that post but step down as budget officer.
“I will continue to speak out on behalf of the 32,000 people that I am elected to serve,” he said. “Since I am forced to choose, I choose to serve 32,000 employers, not 16 [supervisors].”
Mr. Van Wormer said he didn’t want Mr. Cherry to quit as budget officer and would talk to him about it.
“We’ve had our disagreements, but I thought we moved beyond them,” he said. “I’m not looking for a fight with Bill.”