Leslie Clukey

(Editor’s Note: The Express is re-running questions and answers from candidates for the Clinton County Treasurer’s office that were previously published before the Primary Election, to offer voters a refresher before the General Election.)

LOCK HAVEN — Leslie Clukey, who punched her ticket for the General Election through a write-in on the Democratic ballot in the Primary, is seeking election to be Clinton County Treasurer during the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

After incumbent Michelle “Mick” Kunes, won the Republican ballot slot in May, Leslie chose to run under the Democrat ballot slot.

“I am not a politician. I consider myself a public servant candidate who will use my decades of financial experience, bookkeeping knowledge, organizational and management skills to competently serve as County Treasurer. When elected, I will be in the office fulltime every day to reorganize the office to ensure that good, efficient financial practices and procedures are put in place to get the County Treasurer’s Office operating in an accurate and timely manner and to its fullest potential,” said Clukey.

The Express previously asked Clukey 10 questions related to her background and goals if she were to be elected General Election:

Q: What motivated you to run for office?

Clukey: I have worked for 38 years at my current job and I have been extremely dedicated to my career. Over the past couple of years, I have been looking outside of the box for some type of change or challenge while still working with finances and serving the community. When the Clinton County Treasurer’s position was coming up for re-election, I knew that with all my experience and skills, I would be the right person for the job.

Q: What qualifications or experiences do you bring that make you a strong candidate?

Clukey: Thirty-eight years of financial experience. Balancing budgets. Investing large dollars for individuals, businesses and government funds. Problem solving. Effective Leadership, Managerial Skills, best level Customer Service and a very Strong Work Ethic.

Q: What would be your top three priorities if elected?

Clukey: I will be involved with the County Department Budget meetings to be another set of eyes and will provide full transparency by providing monthly reports at Commissioner meetings.

Ensure that all staff can perform their duties, are cross-trained to perform other job duties when needed and will have staff attend available external training to help make the Treasurer’s office highly efficient and solid.

Effectively manage Taxpayer-generated dollars and other county funds to obtain the best returns and thereby add funds to the treasury. I will accomplish this by sending out multiple Requests for Proposals (RFP’s) to search for the best interest and dividend rates.

Q: What do you believe is the most overlooked issue in our community?

Clukey: Confining my response to the County Treasurer’s office community, I would say communication with all county tax collectors. My plan would be to communicate with each of them on a regular basis.

Secondly, communication with the public. Just as I operate in my current job, I love to be customer facing and helping anyway I can.

Q: Where do you think new ideas or innovation could help save money, improve services or strengthen the community?

Clukey: In all fairness, I would wait until I have the position to evaluate what is working and what isn’t before making any changes or advancements. What I can say is that being in the private sector is much different than the public sector. I know that change is hard sometimes, but I also know in order to grow a business or a department, operating the same way without any change or improvements definitely is not always the best path moving forward.

Q: How would you approach budgeting and prioritizing spending in a tight fiscal environment?

Clukey: Since the commissioners ultimately create the budget for the county, my hope is to work closely with them and the fiscal staff in the commissioner’s office to understand their priorities and goals. In addition to that, my goal as Clinton County Treasurer will be to utilize my banking and investing experience to garner the best return on the county finances.

Q: How do you plan to keep residents informed and involved in decision-making?

Clukey: I watch the Commissioner meetings online and haven’t seen any type of treasurer reports. I believe that with any organization, the treasurer should always provide some type of update. Therefore, I will participate in monthly meetings and will also work with local media to keep the public informed.

Q: What do you believe transparency in government looks like in practice?

Clukey: I have always had and will continue to have an open door policy. I’ve spent my career meeting with people, returning phone calls and emails and have a proven track record of doing everything that I can for customers. I will do the same for the taxpayers and residents of Clinton County.

Q: Have you ever had to make a difficult decision that went against popular opinion?

Clukey: Almost weekly. First step is to have empathy and understanding. Next step is to explain that the decision is based on facts and circumstances and by no means is ever personal.

Q: What do you see as the ethical responsibilities of someone in this role?

Clukey: To be honest, fair, accurate, timely and work reasonably to benefit the taxpayer and county. To make any decisions based on what the effects will be on Clinton County and its future.

Q: What would you do if you saw unethical behavior among your colleagues?

Clukey: That would depend on who was performing the unethical behavior. If it was within my office, I would immediately reach out to the Human Resources Office to discuss the issue. If it were in any other county department, I would talk with the Commissioners as well as Human Resources. I do not tolerate unethical behavior.