OTTAWA COUNTY, MI — A longtime county employee named Ottawa County treasurer in December is running to retain the position against a financial advisor.
Cheryl Clark will face Ben Genser in the Aug. 6 primary election for the Republican slot in the November election.
- Clark, who served as Ottawa County’s deputy treasurer for 15 years, was appointed the county treasurer in December after former treasurer Amanda Price retired before her term ended on Dec. 31, 2024. She has a degree in business administration from Cornerstone University.
- Genser, a financial advisor and a vice president for investments at J.P. Morgan, has a masters in business administration from the University of Michigan.
MLive has partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan Education Fund this year to provide voters with a Vote411 election guide. Candidates filled out general information about their campaigns and answered a list of questions from the League of Women Voters.
RELATED: Michigan voter guide now live for August primary
All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters or MLive, except for necessary cuts if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered as an endorsement. The League never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties.
Information on other state, county and local primary races can be found at Vote411.org.
What is your background and how will it help you to serve as county treasurer?
Clark: I am the current Ottawa County Treasurer. I have 32+ years of Treasurer’s Office experience, 15+ years as Ottawa County Chief Deputy Treasurer, 8 years in other roles in the Ottawa County Treasurer’s Office, and 9 years as Robinson Township Treasurer. I’ve worked with 4 different Ottawa County Treasurers. I am an Advanced Certified Public Funds Manager and have managed Ottawa County’s $200+ million portfolio. I’ve assisted Ottawa County residents in keeping their property from going into tax foreclosure, processed and managed multiple budgets for the Ottawa County Treasurer’s Office, and written Deposit and Investment notes to the annual financial statements. This has given me extensive knowledge of the statutory requirements of this role.
Genser: As a proven wealth management professional, I provide comprehensive financial planning, asset management, and investment advisory services to families and businesses across West Michigan. With a Bachelor’s and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Michigan combined with 18 years of private sector leadership experience across financial services, management consulting, and advisory, I believe now is the right time to use my distinct skill set to help our county. Leadership, communication, critical thinking, and negotiation are skills I bring to the table alongside a proven track record in strategic planning, project management, process improvement, tax planning, and audit.
What are the most important challenges facing your county and how do you propose to address them?
Clark: 1) Affordable housing, I serve on the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and will encourage developers to utilize the financial tools that the authority can offer them, including Tax Increment Financing, which will help create affordable housing. 2) Access to broadband, I will continue to invest the county funds following the law and investment policy and maximize the county’s return on surplus funds, thereby providing funds to help with the cost of expanding broadband. 3) Property foreclosure, I will continue to help Ottawa County residents keep their property from going into tax foreclosure through all means of communication, including visiting them at their home, providing payment plans, and partnering with agencies who can help them.
Genser: As one of Michigan’s fastest growing counties, we must consider how population growth will affect land use planning, infrastructure needs, workforce development, government services, housing, and economic opportunity. County government is an important sponsor of local economic development initiatives, and it must involve a collaborative process between public, private, and non-governmental sectors to stimulate economic growth and create employment opportunities. Although local government does play a key role in development initiatives, it’s also important to consider the limited role of government and how that limited role should support a free market economy, deregulation, reduced taxation, and the protection of individual liberties.
How do you propose maintaining or improving the current bond rating for the county?
Clark: The bond rating is an assessment of creditworthiness and is evaluated on the county’s ability to generate revenue, manage expenses, and repay debt obligations. To maintain/improve the current bond rating, I will continue to invest the county’s funds following the law and the investment policy; maintain procedures to control risk and diversify investments; keep the portfolio sufficiently liquid to meet operating, capital expenditure, and debt needs; and maximize the county’s return on surplus funds. I will also do my part to help manage expenses by continuing to keep the expenses of the Treasurer Office down.
Genser: As Treasurer, it is important to encourage an investment policy that supports the liquidity needs and budgetary requirements of the county. I aim to promote conservative budgeting practices and adherence to formal fiscal and debt management policies key to maintaining a AAA bond rating. Additionally, I will promote communication and collaboration between various key county departments to ensure strategic planning efforts are in line with financial resources dedicated to infrastructure planning, development, maintenance, and repair. Lastly, the Treasurer must communicate the correlation between infrastructure health, economic opportunity, and the county’s credit rating as part of the budgetary planning process.
MLive, separate from the League of Women Voters, sought to offer voters further insight into the candidates and asked additional questions. Those can be found here:
Do you plan to sign the Ottawa Impact “Contract with Ottawa”? Why or why not?
Clark: I will not be signing the “Contract with Ottawa” drafted by Ottawa Impact. When I took the oath of office as the Ottawa County Treasurer, I made a solemn commitment to uphold the United States and Michigan State Constitutions and to faithfully discharge my duties.
Genser: I am not affiliated with or endorsed by Ottawa Impact (OI). OI is a Political Action Committee (PAC) running a slate of candidates for County Commissioner. The Treasurer serves as the chief banker and custodian of all county funds; thus, I believe it would be inappropriate to sign a contract with or accept endorsement from Ottawa Impact. To manage the balance sheet in an effective and transparent manner, the Treasurer must maintain some autonomy from the Board of Commissioners to ensure fiscal responsibility and the best interest of the public are maintained as top priorities. Personally, I support candidates who maintain conservative values and believe in leading with traditional republican principles. I don’t necessarily weight a candidate’s affiliation with a PAC as heavily as I would with what they have achieved, or lack thereof, and whether or not they have followed through with the campaign promises made to those they represent. I will be working with all the commissioners regardless of their affiliation to OI. As a county wide candidate, I owe it to those I hope to represent to maintain working relationships with the commissioners representing all 11 districts.
What are the most important issues facing Ottawa County in terms of the treasurer’s office?
Clark: 1. Preventing foreclosures: I am committed to preventing foreclosures by engaging with property owners, equipping them with resources to settle their taxes, arranging payment plans, and offering hardship exemptions to provide them with the necessary extra time get their taxes paid.
2. Lawsuits concerning the recovery of sale proceeds: The counties in Michigan are currently facing numerous lawsuits regarding the recovery of sale proceeds on foreclosed properties with delinquent tax debts. However, we are making significant progress in resolving these legal issues. Thanks to the amendments to the Michigan General Property Tax Act, which were diligently crafted by county treasurers, a clear and fair process has been established to ensure that property owners receive the sale proceeds they are owed. This proactive step will help us avoid any further legal disputes on this matter.
Genser: Although property tax forfeiture and foreclosures are under the purview of the Treasurer’s Office, which is statutorily defined, I believe the Treasurer should play a leading role in educating homeowners on how to manage increasing living costs and fluctuations in housing values, both of which are highly correlated to foreclosure rates. Ensuring the Treasurer’s office has the tools in place to reduce foreclosure rates during times of economic contraction is challenging, but not impossible. For many, their family home will be the largest investment made throughout their lifetime. I pledge to protect property rights and work diligently to reduce foreclosure rates, by enhancing and improving access to financial literacy tools and educational programs. I will also work to promote communication and collaboration with community stakeholders to remove barriers preventing sustainable business models and encourage an entrepreneurial philosophy which provides a protective layer from financial uncertainty. Lastly, I believe it must be a priority to evaluate, plan, and implement process improvement initiatives and technology enhancements across the county to meet the growing needs of the community.
What do you view as the role of county treasurer?
Clark: The county treasurer, as authorized by the Michigan Constitution and State law, serves as the county’s banker and investment officer. The treasurer’s primary responsibilities include safeguarding public funds in accordance with Public Act 20 and the Ottawa County Investment Policy (which I helped write), collecting and accounting for revenue used to operate programs for county residents, collecting delinquent real property taxes, acting as the agent of the delinquent tax revolving fund, and managing the dog and kennel license program. As an elected official of Ottawa County, I believe the Treasurer is accountable to the Ottawa County residents.
Genser: As per the Michigan Constitution, the County Treasurer serves as the chief banker responsible for the receipt and recording of all revenues and the management of assets on the balance sheet to include overall investment strategy implementation to meet the investment objective and budgetary needs of the county. As the custodian of all county funds, it is imperative the Treasurer take a strategic and tactical approach to managing the county’s balance sheet to fortify financial resilience and expand economic opportunity. Property tax forfeiture and foreclosures are also under the purview of the Treasurer’s Office and the Treasurer serves as the agent of the delinquent tax revolving fund. In addition, the County Treasurer manages the dog and kennel license program. Lastly, the Treasurer is a member of the County Elections Commission, County Plat Board, County Tax Allocation Board, County Brownfield Authority, County Insurance Authority, County Building Authority, and serves as chair of the Ottawa County Land Bank Authority.
Should faith play a role in county government?
Clark: As Ottawa County Treasurer, my faith guides me to treat others with the same dignity and respect that I would expect for myself. This principle, rooted in my upbringing and church teachings will be how I serve the community.
Genser: As a candidate for Ottawa County Treasurer, I believe that faith can and should play a significant role in the decision-making process of a leader. Although the Treasurer is not a policy maker, as a leader and gatekeeper of sorts, the Treasurer will be regularly presented with unique challenges and I believe faith can be used as a guide to find the right path forward. That being said, leaders must ensure that their faith does not encroach on the differentiating beliefs of others. Faith can serve as a road map to high emotional intelligence, but the implementation of a faith based social value system in any workplace setting must respect that not all are of the same faith. Although I believe we should leverage faith as a guide, we must also ensure that others are not forced down that path unwillingly. As a Republican, I believe that it is the duty of our elected leaders to uphold conservative social values and ethical principles in our county and my faith will help lead me to the the best way forward.
How do you plan on communicating and being transparent with your constituents?
Clark: I have made it a priority to be fully transparent with Ottawa County residents by consistently providing monthly financial reports, annual reports, and the Ottawa County Land Bank Authority meeting agenda and minutes on the county’s website for public access. Additionally, since assuming office in January 2024, I have been actively engaging with township board meetings and city council meetings to ensure that pertinent updates from the Treasurer’s Office are communicated. This practice will be an ongoing commitment, with plans to provide these updates at least once, if not twice, a year.
Genser: It is essential proven leaders who value honesty, integrity, and transparency above all else are elected to office. I pride myself as a highly ethical financial professional with a strong moral compass dedicated to the financial success of those I represents. As an experienced manager, I have learned to maintain a system which promotes bottom-up communication at the organizational level, which is key to understanding the weaknesses, strengths, opportunities, and threats tied to an organizations workforce. As you next Treasurer, I pledge to maintain an open-door policy with my constituency, as I believe broader public access opens the door to wider transparency supported by multiple channels of communication. As Treasurer, I will dedicate myself to promoting a culture that exemplifies these core values and will work to achieve financial security and economic freedom.
Why are you running for treasurer?
Clark: When I learned that our former treasurer, Amanda Price, was retiring, I knew that we needed a leader who would carry on Ottawa County’s legacy of sound fiscal responsibility, integrity, accountability, and preventing foreclosures. I am confident that I am that leader. With over 32 years of experience in public financial management and holding the title of Advanced Certified Public Funds Investment Manager, I am well-equipped for the role. Having dedicated over 28 years to Ottawa County, including 15 years as Chief Deputy Treasurer and later being appointed as the Ottawa County Treasurer, I am deeply rooted in public service. My 9-year tenure as Treasurer for Robinson Township has further prepared me for this role. Being born and raised in Grand Haven and a long-time resident of Ottawa County, I have a genuine passion for the well-being of this community and its residents, and I am committed to serving them to the best of my abilities.
Genser: As a proven wealth management professional, I provide comprehensive financial planning, asset management, and investment advisory services to families and businesses across West Michigan. With a BS and MBA from the University of Michigan combined with 18 years of leadership experience in financial services, management consulting, and advisory, I believe now is the right time to use my distinct skill set to help our county. Leadership, communication, critical thinking, and negotiation are skills I bring to the table alongside a proven track record in strategic planning, project management, process improvement, tax planning, and audit. In the midst of litigation against and deficiencies within the Treasurer’s Office, I believe Ottawa County is in need of a reliable and experienced financial professional who aims to rebuild public confidence through integrity and transparency with full accountability to the residents of Ottawa County. I am a conservative Republican who brings a unique combination of private sector and public service experience. Regardless of whom holds the majority on our Board of Commissioners, as Treasurer, I aim to manage the county’s balance sheet through a conservative lens, and will work to ensure the residents of Ottawa County have every opportunity to realize the American dream with financial security and economic freedom.
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