Berks treasurer seeking third term
A. Dennis Adams says still work to be done
Berks County Treasurer A. Dennis Adams has no intention of slowing down.
The Amity Township Republican, who will turn 70 this fall, said there is simply too much he still wants to accomplish before he can confidently walk away from the post. So, instead, he has launched a campaign for a third term.
“Retirement doesn’t seem so great,” he said. “This is a job that allows me to keep doing what I have always taken pleasure in doing: giving back to the community.”
Among the treasurer’s duties are handling the county’s bank accounts, collecting taxes, issuing dog and hunting licenses, administering the state small games of chance and bingo laws and participating on the county pension board.
Adams said there have been many changes his team has made during his seven years in office. Like moving more services online, replacing the outdated computer systems used to process county taxes and completing an overhaul of the tax collection system that will give residents the ability to pay their bills online.
He said these are just a few examples of the ways in which he has led the effort to make the office run more smoothly. Those changes, he said, not only improved efficiency but also enabled further improvements to make the process more convenient for taxpayers.
“We’re making progress on these initiatives,” he said. “It has taken longer than I originally thought it would to get done. When I first told people that I was running for office they warned me it would take longer to get things done in government. And, you know what, there is some truth to that.”
And Adams said he’s open to looking at even more changes in the office if ideas come up for improvements.
The coronavirus pandemic
provided one such opportunity, he said. His office was forced to issue doe licenses solely by mail to avoid the long lines that are usually seen outside his office on the first day that they become available.
The new process worked wonderfully, he said, and very well could become a
permanent fixture.
The county treasurer serves a four-year term and has an annual salary of $83,970. The primary election is May 18.