Nash, Bourne vie to be Augusta County treasurer
VERONA — The race for Augusta County treasurer will be contested this November. Jackie Nash, the current treasurer, is being challenged by David Bourne. Nash, who was previously deputy treasurer, took the office this past spring following the retirement of Richard Homes.
The News Leader sent questions to both Nash and Bourne. Below are the questions and the candidates' responses. Answers were lightly edited for clarity and to eliminate as much as possible redundant responses.
Early voting is already underway at the Augusta County Government Center in Verona with the general election set for Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Nash was appointed chief deputy treasurer in 2000 and was master certified in 2004 through the University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. She has worked in the treasurer's office for 25 years. She also has work experience in banking.
Nash has been married to her husband for 31 years and the couple have lived in Augusta County since 1995. The couple has one daughter. Nash is a member of Epsilon Sigma Alpha International for 25 years and has been involved in fundraising for St. Jude’s Children’s research hospital and Wounded Warrior Project. She's a member of Memorial Baptist Church in Staunton.
"I am able to take office on Jan. 2, 2024 with no transition or training period necessary," Nash said. "I know and currently perform the duties of the Treasurer’s Office and am the only candidate who has already proven their ability to serve as Augusta County Treasurer."
She has been accredited with the Treasurer’s Association of Virginia Office since 2004.
Bourne and his wife, Karen Morris Bourne, will be married 25 years later this month. They have two children and three grandchildren.
"Grandchildren give life a whole new perspective," Bourne said. "They are my purpose for continuing to influence change in our government. After all, we are responsible for the quality of government that we hand down to them. Therefore, you can be assured that I will leave a tight ship behind for everyone’s children and grandchildren."
He said his faith in God is important to him. His interests include hiking, backpacking and camping with his dogs in the warmer weather. In the winter months, Bourne enjoys woodworking and cooking.
"Everything has a season, and cooking season coincides with college football, and I’m a college football junkie," he said. "However, I’ll take time with my children and grandchildren above all else."
What do you see as the primary role of treasurer?
NASH
The role of Augusta County Treasurer is multi-faceted as prescribed by Code of Virginia. Collecting; Safe Keeping; Investing and Liquidity.
It is my duty as an elected treasurer to collect all monies due to Augusta County. I recognize that our County budget is reliant on the collection of taxes. Taxes are integral in the operation of our school system, emergency services, and law enforcement to name a few. I take my responsibility seriously and strive to collect all taxes owed to the County. I am also responsible for all monies coming into Augusta County. Examples of those are state funds for schools, and grant funds.
I am also responsible for the safekeeping of all funds due to the County. I ensure that the banking institution affiliations are following the Virginia Security for Public Deposits Act per the Code of Virginia.
Once payments are approved by the Board of Supervisors, I am responsible for ensuring that the funds are available to make these payments.
Classes in customer service, internal controls, roles and responsibilities of the treasurer, delinquent collections, bankruptcy and many others are what sets me apart from any other individual running for the office of Augusta County Treasurer.
BOURNE
There is a list of duties on Augusta County’s website with great detail of what the treasurer is responsible for.
In summary, the primary role of the treasurer is to assure the county residents that the office is well staffed with qualified and productive people who work in harmony (including the treasurer) to achieve a desired result that coincides with the other working mechanisms of the county's offices such as the commissioner of revenue, the finance department, county school systems, county administrator etc.
The treasurer is also responsible for financial oversight such as billing and collection for taxes on real and personal property of county residents, managing the revenue and cash flow of the county, banking, receipts, reporting, investment or disbursement of county funds.
What qualifies you to serve as Augusta County Treasurer?
NASH
During my 25 years of tenure in the Treasurer’s Office, I have gained extensive working knowledge serving the citizens of Augusta County. I began my career with Augusta County in 1998 and was appointed as Chief Deputy Treasurer by Ellen Maddox in 2000. I also served in that role under the previous Treasurer, Richard Homes. I was appointed as Treasurer on March 31, 2023 upon his retirement.
I have kept my certification by attending meetings to stay informed of new laws and issues affecting Treasurer’s offices and by participating in the Treasurer’s Association of Virginia.
My day to day working knowledge of the Treasurer’s office, completing the requirements to obtain my certification as a Master Governmental Deputy Treasurer as well as being a member of the Treasurer’s Association of Virginia is what sets me apart from any other individual currently running for the office of August County Treasurer.
Before I began my career in the Augusta County Treasurer’s office, I also worked in the Culpeper County Treasurer’s office for a year. I came from the banking industry where I worked for approximately six years with my last position as Head Teller over three branches for Second National Bank.
As Chief Deputy Treasurer, I have stepped up in the Treasurer’s absence many times and made decisions, invested funds, collected taxes, and performed all duties that the Treasurer is responsible for. I am the most qualified candidate on the ballot. Augusta County residents can be assured that with my continued service, the Augusta County Treasurer’s office will be in capable hands.
BOURNE
I’ve been a General Agent in the Property Casualty Insurance Industry for over 30 years, with a specialty in underwriting criminal appearance bonds. This included, but is not limited to, deeds of trust, liens on personal property, and debt collections.
As the General Agent I have:
Supervised as many as 45 agents in multiple states with differing regulations.
Accounted for the required premiums due per the regulations set forth by the state departments of insurance.
Submitted to and passed required audits.
Conducted agent audits, and taught agents how to eliminate their mistakes in financial data tracking.
Served two terms on an advisory board for the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, where we would review different pieces of legislation or regulations to determine their effect on an industry that they regulated.
I have served four years in law enforcement where we were trained not to develop tunnel vision. To this day I see details that most people miss. I also received training in de-escalation and crisis management. I’ve continued to sharpen these skills as a business owner.
Over 30 years of private sector experience as a business owner in an ever changing environment has led me to be proficient in many more areas of management than the average business owner. Since 2018 I’ve worked among Virginia’s legislators to get legislation passed to protect consumers and save tax payer dollars.
I’ve worked with governors, legislators, judges, and lawyers. But I’ve also sat with the broken, and that is where our true spirit is tested — How we sit with the broken speaks volumes about who we are. I communicate well with people in all walks of life.
I’ve served as the Augusta County GOP Chairman for the last four years. It’s a full time job that requires one to be elected by the people, but we serve as volunteers. In the four years that I’ve been Chairman:
I’ve demonstrated my ability to lead by being the first chairman to negotiate the trials of a pandemic and society shutdown.
I demonstrated my ability to lead the committee through a crisis when my immediate vice chairwoman suddenly lost her life. An event that shattered our community and left our committee grasping for answers. We were all devastated. Leaders must compartmentalize harsh circumstances, and step up to take on additional responsibilities while sparing the pressure on others who are suffering. Leaders grieve alone.
We restructured the Committee’s Executive Board, and I’ve organized and motivated them to operate effectively.
We implemented a strong Voter Integrity Unit – August County’s first!
We increased our number of volunteers, which resulted in the highest percentage of votes for Republican Candidates within the boundaries of the 6th Congressional District in 2020, 2021, 2022, and we’ll do it again this year.
We’ve also fostered unity among our core and offer a more welcoming environment for the members of our party, while encouraging a spirit of cooperation among our peers.
My background is very diverse and complex. Augusta County needs a fresh set of eyes in the treasurers office. A treasurer who promotes unity and excels at getting people to work together to accomplish great things.
What are the most important issues facing this office and how do you plan to address them?
NASH
Collection of delinquent taxes is one of the important issues that this office faces. This issue is a challenge every Virginia Treasurer faces.
I strive to implement collection procedures that help Augusta County keep the tax rate low for everyone. I will continue to seek the most efficient and effective ways to collect delinquencies utilizing the resources available to me.
Educating the public on the duties of the Treasurer (collector) vs. the Commissioner of Revenue (assessor) is always a challenge. I hope to be able to work collaboratively with the new Commissioner of Revenue, to educate the public on our segregated duties, which will go a long way in easing any frustration our citizens may have when paying their taxes.
BOURNE
1. The treasurer is a constitutional position and must be elected. The most important issue facing the treasurer’s office right now is getting a treasurer that is elected by the citizens of Augusta County, who is committed to first class customer service. I’m working diligently to solve that issue by having the people elect me on November 7, 2023, to serve as their treasurer.
2. The one thing that I have heard repeatedly while talking with people in the county is that there seems to be either a lack of communication or abrasive communication between the treasurer’s office and the people. That falls on the type of leadership that currently exists. The interim treasurer was appointed by the court, not elected by the people. Elected officials tend to be more compassionate with their constituents. I’ll solve that problem like any business owner would. When people come to the counter we see them as customers. We want them to return, so we do all we can to accommodate them. That doesn’t mean we have to break the rules. The use of finesse is sometimes necessary to come to a mutual understanding. We have to keep in mind that it’s their money we are taking. I don’t know of one person that is satisfied with giving up their hard earned money for taxes and fees. I will use a common sense approach to solving all issues. I can’t promise that every person will walk away pleased with the outcome of their challenge, but what I can promise is that they will walk away satisfied that we did all we could to help, and they will have a positive impression of their treasurer’s office.
3. As far as the lack of communication, it’s my understanding that there are software upgrades that are needed to improve written communication. I’m committed to working with all county stakeholders to implement a system that is conducive to a productive environment. It has been my experience, when dealing with two different regulatory entities within the state government, duplication of efforts by the tax payer are often required. i.e. if two professional licenses were needed for an industry, that was regulated by two government regulating entities, each requiring a criminal history report, the tax payer must submit a separate criminal history report to each entity. Why? Because they aren’t allowed to share it with the other entity, or the computer systems don’t communicate with each other. Either way, it’s typical government bureaucracy. Software enhancements must be implemented.
4. Citizens have conveyed to me that there is a failure on the treasurer’s office to return calls. My policy is to return a call no later than the end of business the following day. I will be at the service of the people of Augusta County, and I will serve them well.
5. With any election of a new constitutional officer, there is always mention of employees being terminated and replaced with the newly elected constitutional officer’s own people. Let’s lay that to rest right now. The average cost of hiring an employee is around $4,000, and it takes about 30 days. It consumes taxpayer resources for recruiting, interviewing, onboarding and training. Taxpayer resources are much better spent on improving employee retention to keep turnover low. We do that by providing a positive atmosphere, where workers are motivated because of the importance of their role and rewarded for their performance. I have proven my ability to get people to work together. I can assure you that the staff at the treasurer’s office will have the opportunity to stay employed, while at the same time, I will have the opportunity to earn their trust and respect. I often use the words of Ken Blanchard: None of us are as smart as all of us! There will be a harmonic team effort in the treasurer’s office.
More: Housing Summit to explore spectrum of housing issues in Staunton, Waynesboro, Augusta County
More: Churchville Elementary School student found with 2 grams of cocaine
— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Nash, Bourne vie to be Augusta County treasurer
