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2006 ELECTIONS |
Related pagesLetters supporting candidates in upcoming elections Voters to choose Dan Gillespie or Joan White for county Clerk Candidates for positions up for election in November 2006 in San Juan County
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Supporting Milene Henley for county AuditorDear Editor, posted 10/30/2006 The success she enjoys has been earned by her hard work. She has always been straight-forward and direct. I’m glad she is a friend and a colleague whom I can count on for an honest answer. She knows how to do things right, so they don’t have to be done over. An auditor is accountable and an accountant, and Milene is both. I urge you to vote for the person who has the education and experience to qualify as County Auditor. Vote for Milene. Maggy Danley Dear Editor, posted 10/30/2006 Here's the rest of the story. Milene has also been a warm, supportive friend, the first person to give and guide our children in their first jobs, know many of us through our pets and even entertained us at the Community Theater. She will be a great human resource in the auditors office who will bring top shelf professionalism to our county. Bob, Yvonne, Ayanna and Arielle Mancuso Dear Editor, posted 10/27/2006 Jim and Judy Cumming Dear Editor: posted 10/16/2006 My vote for County Auditor is for Milene Henley. Ten years ago, Milene took me under her wing as an employee of The Computer Place. She instructed me step-by-step in great detail regarding accounting principals and procedures to make every penny count. Under her guidance, I learned all the skills I needed to be a full charge bookkeeper. I now manage The Computer Place, and I owe that job to the training I received from Milene. Milene is the right person for the job of Auditor. If you were to look at each candidate's resume side by side without names at the top, you would not hesitate to vote for Milene. As a taxpayer and a homeowner, I would trust Milene with my money. As an employee of Milene's for years, I know that if there were anything I needed to express to her, or if I just needed an ear to fill, she would stop and listen. And I know that if her employees in the Auditor's office, or any of the residents of San Juan County, have something to say, she will listen. With her advanced education and her accounting experience, Milene is more than qualified for the job. I choose Milene, my mentor and family by choice, for County Auditor.
Camolyn Armstrong Dear Editor: posted 10/16/2006 Pierrette Guimond To the Editor: posted 10/16/2006 Now, nine months into operating under our new system, I believe it is time to support some additional changes to our way of doing business. That is why I am supporting Milene Henley for the position of County Auditor and am asking you to do the same when you mark your ballot this November. A large part of the Auditor’s job is financial reporting. The Auditor is responsible for financial reporting to the County Administrator, to the County Council, to the State, and to the Federal Government, as well as to the citizens of San Juan County. Milene has a Stanford MBA and is an experienced public accountant. She is a long-time resident of San Juan County and has owned and operated her own business and provided consultant services to other business owners in the County. She understands the concept of the "big picture" and is respectful of the details. The newly elected Auditor will immediately need to step in and take over the reins of the finances of the County with seamless alacrity. The new County Auditor will also need to begin immediately overseeing a staff of County employees who have been doing their jobs, in some cases, for years, and will need the sensitivity and finesse to head the team as a leader the existing staff will respond to in a positive manner. I believe Milene is the person who can do all this and more. That is why I am voting for her on election day and encourage you to join me in doing so.
Linda Tretheway Dear Editor, posted 10/09/2006
Gene and Tish Knapp Dear Editor; posted 09/29/2006
Much has been written about Milene's education, skills, and experience in accounting - which are all exceptional. Those are certainly important in the Auditor's office, since the Auditor's duties are clearly accounting duties. Equally important, however, are Milene's business management skills and experience. Milene has successfully started and run businesses on San Juan Island. She currently advises others in the management of their businesses. She has managed large groups of people, both in her own businesses and at IBM before she moved here twenty years ago. Governments do not have to be efficient. If there are mistakes, everybody pays for them. In the private sector, there is no tolerance for inefficiency or for errors. Mistakes in judgment, in staffing, or in financial management all go straight to the bottom line. Through her private sector experience Milene will bring a much-needed business perspective to county government. The recent state audit findings have shown that we need that kind of perspective right now. For efficiency and "bottom-line" management in the Auditor's office, vote for Milene for County Auditor.
Elizabeth Barth Dear Editor; posted 09/27/2006
Milene is a talented and intelligent person who has founded and managed many successful businesses that have contributed greatly to her community including: The Animal Inn, The Computer Place, her accounting practice, and their family farm. In all of these pursuits she has shown her commitment, drive, and ability to work hard to ensure their stability and solvency. These are all fine traits for an auditor to possess. As important to these qualifications would be a person's ability to manage people. Milene has been a significant figure in my adult life, coming initially as an employer and later evolving into a friend and mentor. When my life's plan directed me away from her employ and back to school, I found a tremendous amount of support from Milene even though she was losing a valuable contributor to her business. Milene encouraged and funded many learning opportunities to build my resume while I remained her employee. Milene taught me by example valuable skills about taking charge and managing business while incorporating professionalism and objectivity. Milene's ability to give constructive criticism without offending is greatly balanced by her ability to be the first to compliment a job well done. If you want a leader that is fair, compassionate, and clearly qualified, cast your vote in confidence for Milene Henley for County Auditor.
Denise Moore Dear Editor; posted 09/27/2006
In addition to her excellent education and experience, she knows our community. Her daughters grew up here. She owned and operated Animal Inn, the boarding kennel on San Juan Island. I urge you to apply the same standards in choosing an Auditor for San Juan County that you would your own business or personal financial management. Vote for Milene Henley for Auditor. Darleen Nixon Dear Editor; posted 09/12/2006
Milene Henley is extremely well qualified to be Auditor. Greg Hertel is not. For all of his other skills, such as teaching high school, Greg has virtually no experience in accounting, auditing, large computer systems, or the vast, detailed world of tracking every dollar that flows through a complicated, multi-island, county government such as ours. Milene also has management training and valid experience in working with people in an office environment. Greg does not. Being a Port Commissioner and a realtor and a fisherman and a teacher doesn't substitute for actually managing a staff, as Milene has done. She has run her own business for years, co-owned a (local) computer retail operation, and worked in management at IBM for six years. She also has a master's degree in business administration, which is a nice, added touch to her impressive background. Being Auditor is one of most technique-intensive jobs in San Juan County. Si Stephens, the out-going Auditor, has, to my knowledge, kept the county out of fiscal hot water with picky State Auditors since the 1980s. Si is an accountant. It is a breed apart. Sure, staff people do some of the detail work in the Auditor's office, but the elected boss must understand what they are doing. One last point: Our Auditor needs to have credibility with the other elected officials in the county. The Auditor's office pays all of the bills and tracks the departmental budgets and rings bells when something appears askew. The Auditor must speak with authority based on knowledge and experience in accounting, not political hokum. We need to elect Milene Henley, for the good of San Juan County. Steve Brandt Dear Editor; posted 09/05/2006
We need someone who will watch over our tax dollars for the people. Milene, with the expertise she brings to this position, is the best suited. She will watch over the county finances and make sure that the three R's (record, reconcile, report) of the auditor's department will be met with excellence. Since I have been acquainted with Milene, I have seen her successfully manage and lead people as part of the businesses she has run. She has been well thought of by her employees. Her strong leadership skills have allowed her to work well with many different people from business-types to the general public. Milene has worked as a personnel manager, a financial consultant, a teacher, a youth leader, and a board member of multiple organizations. She has a proven ability to work with varied groups of people. The bottom line is the county auditor IS an accounting position and there is no one better qualified for it than Milene Henley. Ingrid Malone |
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