Bucks County controller: Candidates for county's fiscal watchdog to keep close eye on COVID funds
Peg Quann
To serve as county controller, a candidate needs to be a numbers person.
And this year, more than ever, the Bucks County Controller's Office will deal with some hefty figures.
On top of its $467 million budget, the county has been granted $121 million in American Rescue Plan funds as part of the financial package Congress approved to stimulate the economic recovery from the COVID pandemic. It has already received the first half of that allocation.
That's a lot of extra money to keep tabs on, which is what a controller does for a government entity or corporation.
Incumbent Democratic Controller Neale Dougherty, who came into office in January 2018, wants another four-year term.
"I love the work," he said. "The duties align with my professional background." Prior to assuming office, he worked 15 years in finance and commercial insurance. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.
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His challenger, Republican attorney Pamela Van Blunk, said the office is traditionally held by a lawyer because it also involves a lot of legal interpretation.
"For example, the controller sets all the bids for the county," she said, as well as being able to scrutinize bills to ensure that it is legally due as well as invoices to show that products were provided through a legally authorized process. "The controller can issue subpoenas, collect evidence and take testimony under oath," she added, and can refuse to approve a bill for payment with county officials having to go to court to override that decision.
Dougherty, 53, of Solebury, said his office, with its 30 employees, has been working very hard over the past couple of years providing oversight to the county's use of the $109 million in CARES Act funds it received last year, and now the American Rescue Plan funds. Both federal programs were designed to help American government entities, businesses and citizens get through the pandemic.
"We take it very seriously," he said. "Our job is that nothing slips through the cracks. These are good programs. We work very hard vetting those applicants ... We account for all funds."
The controller's office reviews applications for the government pandemic and other assistance programs as well as conducts audits of county departments. Dougherty said his department has had an "unusually busy" time at work the past couple of years.
"When I arrived, we increased oversight and audits of county departments. We make no distinction between Democrats and Republicans," he said. "These audits are necessary for taxpayers to have confidence ... in government."
If she were elected, Van Blunk, 55, of Lower Makefield, said she would put to use the expertise she's acquired while working as a legal advisor to the Bensalem School District as well as the Chester City and Chester-Upland school districts in Delaware County to good use.
Her law office in Yardley deals with general, personal injury and property tax law.
"I love the numbers," she said. "My focus is on transparency. I truly believe taxpayers deserve to know where their tax dollars are being spent."
Van Blunk said that if elected, she would look at where the American Rescue funds were being distributed.
"I would audit every department that received that money to make sure it is used legally," she said. She would review the statues and regulations involved. And she would go over the department staffing needs to ensure she had enough personnel to handle the extra work that receiving and auditing these funds places on the controller's office
She also criticized the Democrat-controlled board of county commissioners for an ongoing dispute with the Bucks County Coroner's Office. Coroner Meredith Buck, a Democrat, sued the commissioners earlier this year for withholding funds from her department. The commissioners have denied the allegations.
"That's concerning to me," Van Blunk said.
To contact Peg Quann, email mquann@couriertimes.com.