Government : Meet the Candidate: Vicky Schwenker

Hello my name is Vicky Schwenker and I am running for Benton County Auditor. I am 51 years old, currently live in Vinton & have been a Benton County resident for 19 years. I am a mother of three grown children & grandmother of two. I am a member of the Vinton Presbyterian church and am currently serving as a Deacon. I try to stay active in local fund raisers & volunteer as much as time will allow.

At present time I work for Benton County as a Deputy Assessor. I am one of two State tested Deputies in the courthouse. I have workedin the Assessor's office for thirteen years. Prior to working for the County I was a small business owner. In addition to the experience I received as a business owner I also have 20 years of experience in management. This ranges fromgeneral manager to business partner.The experience includes payroll, accounting, budgets, staff management & development. I also have education in Accounting from Iowa State & Kirkwood Community College.

I feel with my extensive experience in management, education in accounting, business background, & knowledge of County operations I would be the best candidate for Auditor. While working in a County office does provide experience it is an entirely different situation to be the person in charge of an office & personnel. To be the person ultimately responsible for the tough decisions.I see no big changes necessary in the staffing of the Auditor's office. Iwould like to incorporate somemore cross training to provide better service to the people of Benton County. With the Auditor & Chief Deputy retiring I do see a need for leadership & management experience. I feel I am the person to fill that need.