First, I want to assure everyone I do not want to be the Athens County Auditor. As an attorney, if I choose to run for office anytime in the future, I would find a position that would be more suitable for an attorney, not for a financial person. I find it amusing that our current auditor has chosen to make me the central theme of her campaign.
Second, Patricia Sikorski is not some fill-in candidate as the current county auditor has suggested. Patricia Sikorski is her own person and made the decision to run because of her contact with the current auditor and her poor performance. It is an insult to suggest some other reason.
Third, the reality is that the current auditor has done a poor job. She has left us all hanging in suspense for the past three years as to when we might get our tax bills. The Sikorski campaign very carefully and conservatively estimated the loss at more than $400,000 in lost interest revenues. You can go to her Web site at www.Sikorski2006.com to see how it was computed.
Fourth, the current auditor wants everyone to think that there is something evil about Patricia Sikorski being supported by myself, the Democratic Party and people like Ted Strickland. I might note that she has used her connections to the Republican Party when she thought they would be helpful to her. In the summer of 2004 when her office was struggling to get out the tax bills our current auditor thought it more important to go to the Republican National Convention and be on television. She served as Frank Cremeans campaign chair for Athens County against Strickland when Strickland was down and out. She had Congressman Bob Ney read a commendation about her great job as auditor in the congressional record last year. In 2004 she worked on the Republican agenda to stop voting by threatening not to pay the employees of the Board of Elections a couple of weeks before the election over a minor bookkeeping error. And it is no secret that if Padgett wins and Stewart wins, she hopes to move to the Statehouse.
Finally, I would not be putting my heart, soul and personal money into this race if I didn't think that Patricia Sikorski could do an outstanding job as County Auditor. Patricia Sikorski is well-qualified and won't be looking to the next job. In fact this last Sunday when I needed to talk to Patricia, I found her at her workplace, working at 8:00 p.m. because her employer needed her. That is the kind of County Auditor I want.
' Susan Gwinn is the chair of the Athens Democratic Party.
17 Archives
Letter to the Editor
