Candidates: Allamakee County Audtitor

Please provide some background information about yourself.

Pam 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 (26), Britany (24), Brea (20) and Brooke (18) and grandma of four.
I graduated from Waukon Senior High in 1986 and attended Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) in Calmar for accounting. I am a member of Zion United Church of Christ in Waukon, where I have served on various committees through the years and helped with Zion Youth Alive when my kids were growing up.
Along with working as your Auditor, I was co-owner of Benjegerdes Machine for 12 years and also enjoy working 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.

Denise Beyer: I am married to Brent Beyer and we have two children, Claire, 14, and Brady, 10. I grew up in Waukon, graduated from Waukon High School in 1991 and went to college and lived near Des Moines until 2000, when we moved back to Waukon. My parents are Bob and Shirley Schulze.
I have over 12 years of relevant job experience in accounting, banking and finance. Many people may recognize me from my six and a half years at Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank or from my years at the Waukon Wellness Center. I have been a Den Leader for my son’s Cub Scout den for five years and volunteer at the elementary schools reading with kids. I have also served as the elder for Christian Education at First Presbyterian Church and also led Praise Band and organized Vacation Bible School there.

Janice Thorson: I am the daughter of Lennie and Sherry (Fink) Mellick. As a lifelong resident of Allamakee County, I grew up in New Albin and graduated from Kee High School. I am married to Joel Thorson, son of Owen “Ole” and Carol Thorson. We have four children, Cassie, Josh, Callie and Jace, and live on the family farm in rural Dorchester. We have been a “farm family,” and I am grateful for the values of hard work, responsibility, respect, and reliability that farming instills.
My professional background is in Human Services. I worked for ten years with special needs clients at an agency similar to TASC. Currently, I am employed at Hartig Drug as a Registered Pharmacy Technician.
Giving to my community has always been something I have valued. I’ve served on the Allamakee Dairy Board and have been involved with the Dairy Ambassadors for years. I am an avid supporter and volunteer of the athletic and musical events at the Allamakee Community School District. As a member of the Big Canoe Lutheran Church, I have served on the Youth Education Committee, taught Sunday School, and worked with Luther League.

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

Denise Beyer: The job of Allamakee County Auditor is appealing to me because I want a job where I can work with the public, use my skills, my experience and also my degree. Working with accounting and with people are both passions of mine. I believe all of these things are great assets and would serve me well as the next Allamakee County Auditor. I have been fortunate to always work in Allamakee County since moving back to Waukon. Being able to have a job doing what I love, in the county where I live, would be very fulfilling.

Janice Thorson: When asked to consider running for Allamakee Auditor, I carefully researched the duties of the auditor and assessed my skills, training and experiences. The position of the auditor encompasses many responsibilities and involves much more than just accounting.  The auditor acts as the clerk to the Board of Supervisors, courthouse custodian, overseer of county plats, commissioner of elections, processes licenses and permits, handles budgets, and works with taxes.
Seeing that my skills and experiences are a “good fit” with the multi-faceted role of the auditor, I decided to run for public office. I have always had a commitment to serving others, whether it is as a human services worker or as a volunteer for my church, school and community, and I  would be honored to serve the people in the county as their auditor.

Pam Benjegerdes: I just celebrated my 10-year anniversary in the Auditor’s Office, the last four years as your County 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, training 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?

Janice Thorson: As mentioned, I have a background in Human Services and have had ongoing training and education in conjunction with my employment. Just as the role of auditor is multi-faceted, the Human Services field is also multi-faceted. I have worked with budgets, filed reports with governmental departments, worked with policies and procedures, managed, supervised and trained staff, taught problem solving and communication skills and helped coordinate services with other departments.
The interdepartmental experience has been quite valuable since the Office of the Auditor needs to coordinate and work with all departments in the courthouse. At its core is cooperation and good communication which I feel I also bring as an “applicant” for the job of auditor. My supervisory and management experience has certainly helped to prepare me to fulfill this role of the auditor.

Pam Benjegerdes: Along with my 10 years of experience in the Auditor’s Office, I have been working with the public since my first job as a waitress at age 14. I attended NICC in Calmar for accounting, where I also took Government Accounting courses. I have attained my SEAT (State Election Administrators Training) Certification, have the knowledge and training of  real estate legal descriptions used to check the land transfers recorded in Allamakee County and kept on record in the Auditor’s Office, I am a Certified Passport Acceptance Agent (Auditor’s Office took over this responsibility in May 2011) and work well with the other elected officials, department heads and employees. Before joining the Auditor’s Office, I was co-owner of Benjegerdes Machine and handled all the bookkeeping, payroll, A/R and A/P. I am hardworking and strive to keep the County working as efficiently as possible, all while keeping you, the taxpayer, in mind.

Denise Beyer: My degree in Accounting from Simpson College would be a great asset in performing the duties of the Auditor position. My job experience includes six and a half years at Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank as teller and bookkeeper, Finance Manager at Kitchen Krafts, and accounting at two insurance companies in West Des Moines. These work experiences and education helped me develop many other valuable skills that make me a strong candidate for the job.
I have strong interpersonal skills that would be put to use in working with the other offices in the courthouse, as well as with the Board of Supervisors and the public. I have developed organization and communication skills through my different work and volunteer experiences that would be beneficial in all areas of the position. I also work and act with a high level of professionalism and respect for others.

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

Pam 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. I know the privilege of being your County Auditor is not an 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. job and am willing to put in the extra time and effort to fulfill this duty to the best of my ability.

Denise Beyer: The office of County Auditor handles a variety of duties from keeping plat books current to elections to monitoring the budgets of the various county departments. If elected, I would be dedicated to learning all aspects of the job so I could perform all job duties in a competent manner.  I would also bring a good work ethic and a commitment to accuracy to the job. I would enjoy serving the residents of Allamakee County with confidence, professionalism and respect.

Janice Thorson: If given the privilege to serve as your auditor, one of the changes I would make would be to cross-train the employees in the Auditor’s Office. This would mean that all employees could assist a citizen seeking a service. At my past employment setting, I helped implement the cross training of staff and saw how essential it was in providing good care and good service.
Excellent “customer service” is a top priority, and I will always put the needs of the people first. High standards, particularly for accuracy and meeting deadlines, are vital and what the public can expect from me. In consideration of the fact that the Auditor’s Office keeps permanent records, accuracy is essential. When one considers the importance of elections and how votes must be tabulated correctly, accuracy is vital. Accuracy is the foundation for the public to have faith and trust in the auditor.
On a personal note, my values of respect for others, honesty and integrity will be put into practice every day.  People can count on me to be fair, independent, apolitical and to be trustworthy. My model for an exceptional auditor whom I would emulate is Mary O'Neill. Mary set the bar extremely high and I will work to follow in her footsteps.