By Janine Davis Record Staff Writer In the race for Warren County collector, four women are running on the Republican ballot to replace outgoing Collector Linda Stude, who is retiring. With no …
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Four seeking collector's position
Posted
By Janine DavisRecord Staff WriterIn the race for Warren County collector, four women are running on the Republican ballot to replace outgoing Collector Linda Stude, who is retiring.With no Democratic candidate on the ballot, the winner of the Aug. 5 primary race will take office in January.Here are the candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot.Linda GantLinda Gant also has experience in working with local and county government, serving as deputy clerk in the recorder’s office and as clerk for the Warren County Planning and Zoning/Environmental Health departments. She also was a code enforcer and floodplain manager.Gant, 53, lives in Warrenton and is currently an administrative assistant for the Warrenton Fire Protection District. She has two grown children and a granddaughter.“I worked for the county for seven years, working closely with the collector’s and assessor’s offices and with the commissioners and taxpayers, and that experience will be beneficial,” Gant said.If elected, Gant says she will focus on providing efficient, courteous service and work to build a good office environment that ultimately will benefit taxpayers.“I will continually strive to improve the efficiency of all aspects of the county collector’s office, and will be committed to prompt and professional tax payment procedures,” she said.Gant volunteers with the Warren County BackStoppers and March of Dimes.Julie SchaumbergJulie Schaumberg, 44, is married with two teenaged sons and lives in Warrenton. She currently works as a real estate appraiser and agent and is co-owner of Rob’s Lawn and Garden Equipment.“As a business owner and someone who’s technology-oriented, I can come in and immediately hit the ground running,” Schaumberg said.She said she chose to enter the race as a way to give back to her community.“I promise to serve with honesty and integrity. I am up for this challenge,” she said.Schaumberg has been a soccer coach for six years, has been active in PTO for eight years and is a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church.“I treat people the way I want to be treated,” she noted. “I’ve worked with a lot of people in the community, and love doing whatever I can to get to know and help them.”Marianne KeithMarianne Keith is chief deputy collector, and has held this position for 14 out of the 16 years she has worked in the office.Keith, 58, describes her duties as working closely with Stude, a team of four full-time deputy collectors, as well as with seasonal employees to train and supervise them during tax season. When Stude is out of the office, Keith assumes her duties.She is retired from the Air Force and served as the first female crew chief on C5 and AC15 aircraft.Among her priorities, if elected, will be to investigate the secure use of credit cards to pay taxes online and by phone.“Linda and I have been talking about this and getting ready for it,” Keith said.But, she emphasizes, the state’s system currently has flaws that do not ensure enough safeguards toward card security.“The state’s system allows people in our office to see more information than what any organization should see, putting everyone at risk. They need to close that loop to provide greater cardholder security, and we can’t implement it until they do,” Keith said.“Taxpayers must have confidence that credit card data cannot and will not be compromised by our office,” Keith said.She said she has helped the prosecutor’s office track down roughly $500,000 for the county in delinquent property taxes, much of it from people who have moved.“An elected position is one of integrity coupled with a sincere desire to provide the highest quality service to the public,” she said. “I believe I have those traits.”Pam StoeszStoesz, 55, has worked in the collector’s office for 12 years as a seasonal employee during peak periods. She is married with three grown children and five granddaughters.“My kids are grown, and I’m completely excited about the possibility of beginning a new career serving the people of this county,” she stated.Stoesz, a Warren County resident for the past 29 years, runs her own business in New Florence. Her company produces business-to-business and business-to-consumer materials, including training workbooks, mailing campaigns and email blasts.She said she is proficient in numerous computer programs, including financial software and programs such as GovernMENTOR in use by the current collector’s office.“My experience in working with the staff and in knowing the programs they use and training employees to use them will make for a smooth transition if I’m elected,” she said.Earlier, she worked for nine years as the sole business manager for Pinnacle Lake Estates Association.Stoesz said she believes Warren County should be following the lead of some other surrounding counties in offering as many online payment options and other services to make things easier for taxpayers.She describes her traits as well-suited for the job — attentive to detail, dedicated and service-oriented.
Pictured from top-left going clockwise; Linda Gant, Pam Stoesz, Marianne Keith, and Julie Schaumberg.
