Candidate Questions

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1. Please describe your involvement in community organizations and how those activities have prepared you for public office.

I have been involved in our community in a lot of different ways over the years, including the Odd Fellows, Eagles, labor organizations, political and civic groups, youth sports as a coach and mentor, and volunteering with the Tacoma Rescue Mission. Most recently, I founded and chair the Peninsula County Exploratory Committee.

Those experiences have put me alongside people from just about every background and walk of life. They have taught me how to listen, work through disagreements, bring people together, and get things done.

More importantly, they have kept me connected to the people government is supposed to serve. Public office is ultimately about service, and that has been a common thread throughout my community involvement.

2. How have your personal skills prepared you for this office?

I am a problem solver by nature. I have a background in accounting and business administration, years of management experience, and I have spent much of my career looking at processes, figuring out what is not working, and finding a better way to do it.

I have managed employees, budgets, customer service, complex operations, and situations where mistakes have real consequences. I also have a strong labor background, which taught me how to work with employees, resolve conflicts, negotiate, and hold people accountable while still treating them fairly.

Most importantly for this office, I have actually administered elections. I understand the work, the laws, the deadlines, and the importance of getting the details right. I can walk into the Auditor's Office on day one understanding both the mission and the operation.

I think my strongest skill is bringing all of that together. I understand numbers, processes, and technology, but I also understand that ultimately you have to lead people. Good systems and good employees working together are what make an organization successful.

3. List your top three priorities for the office for which you are running.

1. Restore the Elections Division to the efficient, accurate operation I know it can be. Election costs have increased, errors and issues have become too common, and employee morale needs attention. I want to rebuild strong procedures, accountability, training, and confidence in the operation.
2. Take a deep look at Recording and Licensing. I want to examine how we do business, eliminate unnecessary steps and expenses, improve technology where it makes sense, and make these services easier and more convenient for the public.
3. Rebuild a culture of public service and fiscal responsibility throughout the Auditor's Office. Employees should have clear expectations, good leadership, and the tools they need to succeed. At the same time, taxpayers should expect us to constantly look for ways to provide better service while controlling costs.

The common theme is pretty simple: make the Auditor's Office work better for the people who pay for it.

4. What are the strongest attributes you bring to the office you seek?

Experience, leadership, independence, and accountability.

I have done this work before. I have supervised elections in Pierce County, trained election officials around the state, and stepped into other counties when they needed experienced election leadership. I also bring years of business and operational management experience outside of government.

I am willing to ask why we do something a certain way, challenge processes that no longer make sense, and hold myself and the people who work for me accountable for the results. I know what a well-run Auditor's Office can look like, and I know how to lead people toward that goal.

5. What are your top five core values?

Integrity, accountability, service, fairness, and efficiency.

Integrity means doing the right thing even when nobody is watching. Accountability means owning both our successes and our mistakes. Service means remembering who we work for. Fairness means applying the rules consistently to everyone. Efficiency means constantly looking for ways to do the job better, faster, and with less waste.

Those values have guided me throughout my professional and community life, and they are exactly what I intend to bring to the Auditor's Office.

6. Do you have any criminal or civil convictions?

No. I have never had a criminal or civil conviction of any kind. In fact, I have not even received a traffic ticket since I was 18 years old.

7. What are the key points of your campaign?

My campaign is about bringing experienced, professional management back to the Auditor's Office.

I have administered elections before, including right here in Pierce County. I know what a well-run Elections Division looks like, and I want to restore the efficiency, accuracy, transparency, and accountability that the public should expect.

But the Auditor is about much more than elections. I want to improve customer service and efficiency in Recording and Licensing, make better use of technology, support and develop our employees, eliminate unnecessary costs and processes, and make government easier to work with.

I am not running to turn the Auditor's Office into a political office. I am running to manage it. The Auditor has a job to do, and my campaign is ultimately about doing that job well, protecting the public trust, and giving Pierce County taxpayers good value for their money.

Damon TownsendCandidate for Pierce County Auditor