Sonoma County voters are being asked to do something in the June 3 election that they have never done before — decide between two candidates for county auditor-controller-treasurer-tax-collector.
It has been 20 years since voters last saw a contest for county auditor-controller, and 16 years since they last selected between two candidates for treasurer-tax collector.
The two jobs were consolidated in 2006 under Rod Dole, the longtime auditor-controller. After his retirement in 2011, the Board of Supervisors appointed David Sundstrom, the former auditor-controller of Orange County.
Now Sundstrom, a career government official with little local name recognition, faces a challenge from Santa Rosa City Councilman Gary Wysocky, a better-known but polarizing political figure who enjoys a sizable fundraising advantage.
To date the contest has generated little public buzz, but with the first of two planned debates Wednesday in Cotati, and both candidates sharpening their rhetoric, that may be about to change.
Sundstrom, 61, cites his 35 years in public service, on-the-job experience and professional credentials as reasons voters should trust him to continue managing the county's $1.3 billion budget and $1.5 billion in investments. He calls Wysocky too inexperienced and too political for the position.
"The idea that a significantly unqualified person can get the job is not good," Sundstrom said.
Wysocky, 57, stresses his track record of vigilant oversight on the City Council, experience as a private CPA and willingness to question the status quo as reasons voters should back his candidacy. He paints Sundstrom as a Republican and life-long bureaucrat with a questionable track record in Orange County.
"He's a 35-year government guy. How independent is he going to be?" said Wysocky, a Democrat and two-term city councilman.
The job of auditor-controller-treasurer-tax-collector has historically attracted few political rivalries, unlike other elected positions, such as supervisor or district attorney.
It involves a range of administrative duties, including collecting and apportioning property taxes, managing how the county, cities, school districts invest their money and auditing county departments and special districts to ensure they are complying with financial standards and safeguards.
"It may be elected, but it is a functionary office," said Tom Ford, who retired as treasured-tax collector in 2006 and is supporting Sundstrom.
The office has no ability to set policy and has little say over the county budget, he said. Sundstrom's salary in 2013 was $215,935, significantly more than the supervisors, who earn $135,969.
Many counties in the state have opted to just appoint someone to the top financial position. Sonoma County administrators in 2012 proposed just that, but the Board of Supervisors rejected the idea out of concern that it could reduce the independence of the post at a time of significant public scrutiny of the county's finances, particularly its soaring pension obligations.
Sundstrom, who served three terms as the elected auditor-controller in Orange County, stayed out of the debate in 2012. When hired, he pledged that he would run for office in 2014 or apply for appointment. He had long been a vocal supporter of such positions remaining elected, he said.
But now he says he's not so sure. While he strongly believes the person needs to be independent from the Board of Supervisors and the county administrator, running against someone he considers unqualified for the job now makes him wonder whether the position should continue to be elected.
"This person is going to be leaning very heavily on existing staff, some of which, quite frankly, wouldn't put up with it," Sundstrom said of his rival.
Wysocky thinks the position is elected for a good reason and should stay that way. Otherwise, its independence would be compromised, he said. He views the job largely as one of oversight, and said he is not afraid to stand on principle and push for better explanations from staff.
"What am I known for on the Santa Rosa City Council? When an answer doesn't make sense, I keep at it," he said.
Sundstrom was raised in Berkeley. After a stint in the U.S. Air Force, he came to Santa Rosa to get into advertising. While attending the junior college, he realized the ad industry wasn't for him and switched to finance. He received a bachelor's degree in management from Sonoma State University and went on to get a masters in business administration from UC Davis, where he later worked as an auditor.
He was heading up the audit division of the California State University system in the 1990s when he says he was appalled to see reckless investment policies bankrupt Orange County. His wife prodded him to do something about it and he took a job there as director of internal audits in 1996, as the county was emerging from bankruptcy. He was elected in 1998 and won re-election three additional times.
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