League of Women Voters holds forum for Democratic treasurer candidates

On Tuesday, The League of Women Voters held a candidate forum for the Athens County Treasurer Democratic Primary candidates at the Athens Community Center. Candidates Taylor Sappington and Beth Clodfelder took the floor for the forum, with the public in attendance to pose questions. 

The forum began with a brief opening statement from each candidate, with Clodfelder speaking first. Clodfelder used her time to thank the League of Women Voters for hosting the event and the audience for attending. Clodfelder then went on to give a brief summary of her career experiences as a budget manager for Ohio University as well as a representative for United States Senator Sherrod Brown. Sappington then gave his opening statement, also thanking everyone in attendance and the League of Women Voters. Sappington then used his time to speak on his qualifications for the position of Athens County Treasurer, which included being a former member of the Nelsonville City Council and a current city auditor of Athens County. 

After opening statements, the forum opened the floor for the audience to ask questions. Several questions were posed by the audience as well as citizens who submitted questions online, each candidate was given 2 minutes to respond. 

When asked why they were running for treasurer, both Clodfelder and Sappington gave passionate responses as to why they believed they were the best option for the job. 

“Frankly, I’m running for this seat because I believe I have the most experience,” Sappington said. “I’m running because I have the education… and I believe that combined my time in the auditor’s office and my education have been a consistent building of both my resume and my experience to where I could do this job effectively, collaboratively, and efficiently.” 

Clodfelder responded afterward by saying, “Going back to my time working for Senator Brown as I was traveling around 25 counties, it was county officials that I was talking to, which made me a lot more interested in serving at a county position.” Clodfelder finished her response with, “Twice in the past I have worked briefly in the Athens County Treasurer’s Office when they needed extra help, so I already know the staff members, protocol, and procedures.”

After answering an assortment of questions from the audience, the forum concluded with closing statements from the candidates. Sappington led the closing statements and reiterated points he made earlier while answering questions. Sappington spoke on the land bank's importance and mission to make the process of paying taxes easy and efficient. He closed by highlighting what he believes to be a key difference between himself and Clodfelder, which is experience and education level. Clodfelder then closed by clearly stating her goals for the treasurer position if elected, which are to modernize the way property taxes are paid and keep the Athens County Land Back going strong. Clodfelder also made clear that if elected she would be the first woman to serve on the Land Bank board. 

Links to the forum can be found at the Athens League of Women Voters website.  A recording has also been posted on the City of Athens YouTube channel.