City Times Staff

County Board Supervisor Tom Mallison on Monday announced his candidacy for Portage Co. Treasurer.

In his campaign announcement, Mallison, who represents the county’s first district, leaned heavily on the troubles surrounding current Treasurer Stephanie Stokes, who has pulled nomination papers to run for re-election of the seat.

“I have stood by and watched the office of the treasurer come under attack,” Mallison wrote in his campaign announcement, pointing to an ongoing internal investigation which he said brought “intensive public scrutiny at a time when public officials across this county are improving their approach to transparency and service.”

“It is time the tax payers of this county have a person in the office of county treasurer that has the ability, integrity and determination to serve at the highest level of dedication and skill,” said Mallison, a former Democratic Party vice chair.  

Mallison also referred to the current county treasurer’s public service as “blatantly absent”, adding his intention was to “change the perception of this office from a place of inability, questionable practices and lack of accounting knowledge, to a place of service, attention to detail, along with the highest fiduciary commitment and fairness.”   

“Our current county treasurer had every opportunity to improve her staff, find greater knowledge and simply step forward in what we all understand as improvement; she did not do so,” Mallison wrote. “It is time to put the policies, procedures, and internal controls in place, to drive the efficiency and accountability that every single taxpayer in this county deserves.”