Forum Focuses On Who Holds Purse Strings Whitman County Officials At Odds About Drafting Preliminary Budget

An ongoing flap between top Whitman County officials spilled over into a public forum Thursday with the state auditor’s office and the state Association of Counties turning out to act as mediators.

At issue, at least on the surface, is whether newly elected county Auditor Eugenia Goldsworthy has the right to draft the county’s preliminary budget or whether it should stay with the county’s three commissioners.

But the forum also included suggestions of questionable financial practices, and highlighted a broader conflict between two newcomers - Goldsworthy and Commissioner Les Wigen - and old-guard commissioners Nora Mae Keifer and Jim Potts.

Gary Lowe, executive director of the Washington State Association of Counties, said he arranged the meeting for fear that the turmoil was hurting the public’s trust in its elected officials.

“It’s a tough job,” he said, “and it’s not any easier with mean shots or harsh language, particularly when it shows up in the media.”

Lowe said there is a potential for things “to get out of hand” when officials, coming into office under a “mandate for change,” challenge the status quo.

Lowe said it is important to remember basic ground rules in such situations. Among them is an understanding that commissioners have a strong policy-setting role and the option, confirmed by the courts, of setting the budget, he said.

Lee Reaves, audit director for the state auditor’s office, agreed the law allows for either the commissioners or the county auditor to prepare the budget. Moreover, he said, the county has consistently practiced the correct financial procedures.

“The bottom line for me is they’re following state, local and federal law and the money is accounted for,” Reaves said.

The meeting at times had the appearance of a family gripe session, particularly as Wigen took the floor to list some of his disputes with Keifer and Potts.

The dissent began with his lone support for spending $1,500 to fight the federal designation of the region’s water supply as a sole source aquifer and continued with his failed motion in January to give control of the budget to Goldsworthy.

He also said he never accused the other commissioners of meeting illegally, although suggestions of closed-door meetings prompted Potts recently to remove his office door from its hinges.

The commissioners last month voted to give Goldsworthy control of the budget but have denied her request for more staff to do the job. Potts, the chairman, said she can use current employees.

“They’re setting me up to fail in a way,” Goldsworthy said Thursday.

She did not speak at the forum and protested to state Auditor Brian Sonntag on Wednesday that the meeting was called without her or Wigen’s knowledge.

Afterward, she said the forum was a good chance for some of the 100 county employees and citizens to raise concerns.

“But there certainly are other issues that need to be addressed,” she said without elaborating. “This is a good start.”

, DataTimes