Treasurer candidate Dawson says he will protect people's money

  Dan Dawson said protecting the people's money in these challenging economic times will be his top priority if elected Yuma County treasurer.

  "I think the treasurer needs to take a hard-nosed look at the long-term investments of the county," Dawson said. "The treasurer should restrict the county's investments to the ones that have made it money."

  Dawson said his financial policies would be conservative and that he would review the county's investments for the past 10 years and only continue investing in ones that have yielded a profit, no matter how  small.

   "Tax dollars should be spent wisely when you are taking care of everyone's money. Even if something has a low yield, that is where I would go."

  Dawson, a Democrat, will face Republican Dave Egeberg for treasurer in the Nov. 4 general election. Treasurer Karen Fritz is retiring from the seat.

  "When (Fritz) announced she was retiring, I looked into the duties of the office and decided I could do the job," said Dawson. "Besides, people should be involved in government."

  Dawson said from a practical standpoint that he strongly believes the office of treasurer should be unpolitical as possible.

  "I think the treasurer should have one job and that is being the treasurer. I also don't like the idea that as a candidate for the office, you have to align yourself with a party to get elected."

  A 12-year resident of Yuma, Dawson said he believes his experiences as a small business owner and as a department head while working for several oil companies over the years has given him the experience to do the job.

  "This is the first time I have ever run for public office, but I believe I can do a good job. I came from a background of long hours and hard work. I will be in the office from the time it opens until the time it closes."

  Two other things Dawson said he would do is make the office more transparent and educate residents about the office's responsibility.

  "I think if someone wants to view a public document, they should be able to do so. A lot of people may not be familiar with what the treasurer does."

  Dawson said if he is elected, he plans on holding town-hall style meetings throughout the county at least once a month, on weekends and evenings.
 
 "I don't think an elected official should be hard to get a hold of."

  As part of his quest for the office, Dawson said he has been out knocking on doors and meeting people, asking them for their votes.

  "I think introducing yourself to the public is a good thing," Dawson said, "instead of reading comments and hearing soundbites, people should be able to meet us."

  In addition to running the family business, Dawson Documents, a legal document preparatory service, Dawson also worked for many years on offshore drilling rigs around the world.

---

BIO INFO

Occupation: Owner of Dawson Documents

Age: 68

Education: Associate of Science degree from Arizona Western College

Prior office held: None

Immediate family members: Wife Roberta and three children

How many years in Yuma County: 12 years