SIDNEY — The Shelby County treasurer’s seat which is on the Nov. 8 ballot is being contested for the first time in 14 years.
Democratic incumbent Linda Meininger, of Sidney, has worked for the Treasurer’s office for 32 years and served as county treasurer for the past 14 years. She said among other things, she would like to see the new land bank initiative, that she helped to organize, through to completion. As treasurer, she sits on the land bank committee. The project calls for demolition of vacant, deteriorating houses.
Her opponent is Republican John Coffield, a Sidney native who is retired from the banking business after 36 years.
When Meininger was asked why she is best for the job, she said, “I am passionate about my job; it is the heart of who I am.”
Among her accomplishments, she said she helped a lot of taxpayers through “some difficult situations by having an open-door policy” while also protecting and investing the county’s money. She also said she has saved the county money by outsourcing the printing and mailing of real estate bills rather than buying new equipment when an upgrade was necessary.
“I don’t think you can do this job unless you do both,” Meininger said of working for both taxpayers and the county.
Also, she told the Sidney Daily News the State of Ohio audits and financial records have been kept “extremely good,” and that she has a willingness to try and help people.
Meininger pointed out that when things went bad in 2009, following the financial crisis of 2008, the county remained financially solvent, was able to save money and borrow from themselves when time came to remodel the Shelby County Courthouse.
“My work ethic is something I cannot thank (my parents) enough for. My father said, ‘you go in there and give that man a full day of work because he is giving you a full day of pay,’ and I’ve done that every since,” Meininger recalled upon the commencement of her first job. “He said, ‘Do the right thing everyday; do it well — and you’ll never have to worry about your job,’”
Coffield hopes to bring a “fresh set of eyes” to the office. He began seeking election for the treasurer seat after being approached by members of the Republican party.
He graduated from Lehman Catholic High School and Miami University, and retired from Chase Bank. In 1992 he transferred from the Sidney office to Bank One Corporate in Columbus. In 2009, after his father developed health issues, he moved back to Sidney.
Coffield said his years working in various departments within the banking business will be an asset as county treasurer.
“I am confident I can do the job because of my background in accounting and working in the financial services industry my entire life.” Coffield said. “I’ve always liked working with numbers. I think I have a pretty good analytic mind that allows me to think through problems logically and come up with good solutions.”
Coffield’s goals for the treasurer’s office are to maximize returns of invested money, protect the principal, collect real estate tax delinquencies, and to bring on a new perspective.
“Based on my background, I’d like to bring some fresh ideas into the department,” said Coffield. “I think it’s good sometimes to bring some new blood in there and take a new way of looking at things. I don’t think change is necessarily a bad thing. I know some people are resistant to change, but no matter how well run a department is, I think there is always room for improvement.”
