Jaime De La Cruz has been a controller at a local company for about 12 years. Along with 16 years as a county supervisor representing District 5, he believes his experience is ideal for the county treasurer/tax collector/public administrator job.
De La Cruz, 52, is running for the role in the June 5 primary against San Benito County Budget Officer Melinda Casillas. De La Cruz also has experience on the Gavilan College Board, the San Benito County Water District Board and the San Benito Health Foundation Board.
One of his passions is “serving the public on a day-to-day basis.”
“What other job can I put those two (skill sets) together, as a controller and a county supervisor, and provide services to the public and still do accounting and finance?” he said.
He said some of the challenges of the prospective job include improving customer service to the public and having better relationships with the various districts counting on the treasurer’s office for handling their money.
He said one idea is to hold monthly meetings with elected officials to let them know, “I’m here to work with you,” he said.
He wants to hold town hall gatherings every six months to tell people where their tax dollars are going and answer questions.
“My goal is also to go to the public and educate the public on what the tax collector or treasurer does in their best interest,” De La Cruz said.
Other goals are to invest the public’s money with minimum risk and take advantage of high-quality technology, he said.
