Times-Standard endorses Dillingham for auditor-controller
Humboldt County needs a magical unicorn for its next auditor-controller. It needs to be someone with both the technical knowledge of the inner workings of county finances — payroll, audits, myriad reports with obfuscating titles — and the ability to work collaboratively with the dozens of county departments that depend on the A-C’s office tracking of data.
The Times-Standard realizes a unicorn is not running for the office and despite wanting to, we cannot endorse magical creatures.
Making a call in this race is particularly difficult yet acutely critical for the future of the county.
Karen Paz Dominguez, the embattled incumbent, is whip-smart and incredibly hard-working. It’s clear from the long hours she works that she is dedicated to the county. Just this past week she suggested new technology ideas during a supervisors’ meetings that will help increase communication and help cross-training efforts in a chronically understaffed office.
Cheryl Dillingham, the challenger, is also clearly bright and capable. She knows the ins and outs of county work. And her experience is measured in decades. It was just over four years ago she was serving as the interim auditor-controller and working, by her own admission, happily with Paz Dominguez.
Yes, both have the necessary skills for the roles. That’s not in question.
With Paz Dominguez, our concern lies more in the interpersonal side of the role. Earlier this week during the board of supervisors’ meeting, the morning session included a tense discussion with the auditor over a “fact sheet” while the afternoon session brought a kumbaya moment between department heads, supervisors and Paz Dominguez. Frankly, it is a worn-out storyline in the drama-filled supervisors’ chambers.
Dillingham believes communication and cooperation are a bigger part of the job than the technical accounting skills.
“What you really need to do is you need to get departments to understand why it’s important to do things, why they need to be done that way, and to get them to comply,” Dillingham told us.
It’s a bold statement.
We recognize Paz Dominguez is determined to improve her com- munication and collaboration skills. We also recognize some of her projects might have advanced further if not for the coronavirus pandemic. Would she be able to put the county back on track with just a bit more time? Were some of Paz Dominguez’s interactions hindered by racism or sexism? We don’t know, but those are questions worth pondering.
What is impossible to ignore is the quagmire Humboldt County is in now — the only county of 58 in the state still trying to close the books on 2019-20 because a trail of $28 million is alluding department heads and officials. That’s a predicament years in the making. And $28 million is not a trifling amount.
With no magical unicorn, we must select a contender. We are backing Dillingham.
Has she handled audits, financial transaction reports and payroll? Check. Can she handle the various technologies and programs used to track county finances? Check. Has she proven she can navigate the spectrum of county worker personalities? Check.
We believe she is better suited for both the technical and the interpersonal aspects of the role. With luck, maybe she will bring a bit of magic to the auditor-controller’s office.
The Times-Standard endorses Cheryl Dillingham.