Candidate Questionnaires: Allamakee County Auditor

Please provide some background information about yourself.

Benjegerdes: I was born and raised in Waukon and am a lifelong resident of Allamakee County. My parents are Gene and Joyce Knox of Waukon and I have one brother, Steve Knox of Decorah. I am the proud mother of Brent (25), Britany (24), Brea (20) and Brooke (18) and grandma of four. I graduated from Waukon Senior High in 1986 and attended NICC in Calmar for accounting. I am a member of Zion United Church of Christ in Waukon and have served on various committees. Along with working as your Auditor, I also enjoy helping out at the City Club and Vet’s Club on occasion. I enjoy spending time with my family, cooking, reading, softball, bowling, camping, fishing and basically anything outside in the warm weather months.

Beyer: I was born and raised in Waukon. My parents are Bob and Shirley Schulze and I have two siblings, Krista (Brian) McKee and Jim Schulze, both of Waukon. My grandparents are the late Marvin and late Helen Schulze and Norma and the late Jim Bloxham. I lived away from Waukon from 1991-2000 while I went to college and worked in Des Moines after college in banking and insurance.
My husband, Brent, and I moved back to Waukon in 2000. I worked at Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank for 6.5 years mainly as a teller and bookkeeper. I then was the Finance Manager at Kitchen Krafts and have most recently worked at the Waukon Wellness Center, where I teach group exercise classes. I am ready to return to full-time in an accounting related job and want to be the next Auditor of Allamakee County.
I have been very involved with Christian Education and Praise Band at my church, First Presbyterian in Waukon.  Also, I have been den leader for my son’s Cubscout den for four years. I also served as the Waukon Nursery School Treasurer while my kids were in preschool. I enjoy volunteering at school where I read with students.

Deeney Snitker: My name is Lana Deeney Snitker.  I am running as a Republican for Allamakee County Auditor.  I am ambitious, outgoing and self-motivated. I am honored to offer my time and talents for public service.
I grew up in Waukon. My parents are Tom and Diana Deeney. I have six siblings, Leah, Charles, James, Joey, John and Matt. I have been married for 12 years to Dustan Snitker, son of Kay and Darrell Snitker. We have four children, Kaedan, Meridian, Kyrie and Jared.
I enjoy volunteering my time and staying active with my children. I’ve enjoyed being involved with many community service projects with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. We are also involved with sports activities offered through Waukon Park and Recreation and Waukon Swim Club. I truly enjoy what the community has to offer my family and me.
I am an active member of St. Patrick Catholic Church. I have led the St. Patrick Parish and School in fundraising events allowing me to apply my strong organizational and excellent communication skills for a very worthy cause.  I enjoy the time I spend at the Christian Experience Weekend. I enjoy being the Secretary and Treasurer for the St. Patrick Thrift store as well.  I appreciate the diverse groups of individuals I’ve encountered throughout all of my life experiences.

What are your reasons for seeking the office of Allamakee County Auditor?

Beyer: I decided to run for Auditor because the duties of this job are in line with my education and the duties I have had in previous jobs. I enjoy working with accounting, budgets, payroll and working with the public. This job has all of these duties and more. I visited with some people about the role of the Auditor, the job responsibilities, and the campaign process and decided I would like the job, so I decided to run. I want to be able to serve the people of Allamakee County with confidence.

Deeney Snitker: My background and education motivated me to run for Allamakee County Auditor.  One of my favorite subjects in college was Auditing.  Therefore, when I graduated from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) in Cedar Falls, I was fortunate to start working in public accounting assisting with governmental audits.  I was also responsible for assisting with the preparation of financial statement reports.  I grew to like the complexity and uniqueness of governmental accounting and decided to pursue a career in government.

Benjegerdes: I have been employed in the Auditor’s Office for nine and a half years, including the last three years as Auditor. I enjoy serving the residents of Allamakee County and strive to run the office as efficiently as possible while keeping the taxpayers and their dollars in mind. I feel my experience and knowledge of the office, and the county as a whole, will bring the continued courteous, efficient service you have come to know and expect from your Auditor’s Office.

What skills, education and experience do you possess that you believe make you qualified to serve as Allamakee County Auditor?

Deeney Snitker: I have a desire to continue learning and expanding my knowledge. After graduating from Waukon Senior High School in 1988, I attended college at UNI, Cedar Falls, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting with a Minor in Spanish. Part of my education included a study abroad program in Valladolid, Spain. I am currently licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (Inactive) in Minnesota and Iowa. I aspire to activate my license and take continuing professional education courses in governmental accounting.  This is so important with the changes that occur.
I’ve worked in public accounting in Iowa and Minnesota for eight years and the private sector for seven and a half years. I have eight solid years of governmental auditing experience. I’ve assisted with County, City and School audits. This not only involves auditing and accounting for the entity but preparing numerous financial statement reports. I am willing and able to prepare the annual financial statement report required for the County. I’ve obtained strong analytical skills through my auditing experience. I strive for accuracy and efficiency in whatever I do.
I work well with others. I am dependable and reliable. I am currently a second deputy for the Allamakee County Treasurer’s Office. I have obtained excellent verbal and written communication skills through my work experiences, especially the past six years in the Treasurer’s Office interacting with the public on a daily basis.

Benjegerdes: Along with my nine and a half years in the Auditor’s Office and being your Auditor for the past three years, I have also been working with the public since my first job at age 14. I attended NICC in Calmar for accounting, where I also took Government Accounting courses. Before joining the Auditor’s Office, I was co-owner in Benjegerdes Machine and handled all the bookkeeping, payroll, A/R and A/P. I am hardworking and not afraid to put in the extra hours needed in the Auditor position.

Beyer: I attained my Accounting degree from Simpson College and have 12 years of work experience in accounting, banking and finance. My work experiences, from larger corporate environments to small businesses and banking, have given me a variety of experience, including researching accounting errors, balancing ledger accounts, preparing annual budgets, paying commissions, customer service and payroll and disbursements/payables. At Kitchen Krafts I worked with a budget and reported monthly to management on the variances between budget and actual amounts. Through my college, work and community involvement experiences I have learned how to research problems and errors, work professionally with others, communicate effectively, and how to develop good working relationships with others. I learn quickly and look forward to learning the job of Auditor.

What do you feel you can contribute to the office of County Auditor and/or the residents of Allamakee County if elected?

Benjegerdes: If re-elected, I will bring the knowledge and certifications needed in the Auditor position without a training period, along with the continuation of service you have come to know and expect from your Auditor. In addition, with the graduation of my youngest daughter, I will have more time to put into additional training, meetings and volunteering to better the service to our residents.

Beyer: I feel I could contribute professionalism, organization and communication, and commitment to doing my best. My interpersonal skills would be very helpful when working with the public and other offices in the courthouse. I would also bring a good work ethic and a commitment to accuracy to the job. As opportunities arise for training and education pertaining to the job, I would be eager to learn and better myself for the duties of the position.

Deeney Snitker: I feel it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to run for political office. I am organized and efficient, self-motivated and aspire to learn, and I have strong analytical and communication skills that I’ve acquired through my work experiences. My strongest contribution will be eight solid years of governmental auditing experience with financial statement preparation. I’m committed to doing the best job possible. I respect others and will continue to assist the public with requests and inquiries. I believe I have the qualities it takes to be the Allamakee County Auditor and am looking forward to serving the public.