Three candidates are vying in the May 17 primary election to take over the position of Jefferson County treasurer.

The former treasurer, Deena Goss, was found guilty Oct. 29 of 36 charges related to theft of county money and later sentenced to 75 days in jail and 18 months of probation. Goss resigned a few days later, although the conviction did not require it.

Since then, the county’s finance director, Kathie Rohde, has assumed the role, sharing the duties with others in the office.

Glennys Lindsay, Anzonetta “Anzie” Adams and Brandie McNamee are running for the position. If any candidate gets a majority of the vote in May, she alone is nominated for the November election, said Jefferson County Clerk Kathy Marston. But if none does, the top two go onto the November election.

Glennys Lindsay

Lindsay, 72, who has a background in coordinating payroll, moved to Culver in 2004. She attended some classes at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, studying business and accounting. She worked for Dammasch State Hospital in Wilsonville for five years as payroll coordinator until it closed, and then she worked as a payroll coordinator for Oregon State Parks and Recreation for 10 years, before retiring in 2003.

“When I retired, we moved over to Central Oregon,” Lindsay said.

In Culver, Lindsay occasionally fills in for the city recorder. A woman there recommended Lindsay run for county treasurer, so she started “kicking around the idea.”

Lindsay explained she enjoys working but didn’t want to move back to full time.

The treasurer position would offer the right amount of work in an area she has background in, she explained. It’s about 20 hours a month.

“I like to stay busy, and there’s not a lot of things to do unless you go to work full time,” Lindsay said. “I thought I would just throw my hat in the ring and see what happens.”

Lindsay said since she lives on the outskirts of Culver, not as many people might recognize her name, but she’d like to take on what she thinks would be an interesting role.

Brandie McNamee

McNamee, 32, of Madras, said she realizes that after Goss resigned in the fall, the county now wants to see someone “competent in control.”

McNamee graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting, with a minor in economics, from the University of Oregon. She also earned a master’s certificate in nonprofit management from UO.

From 2011 to December 2013, she worked as the treasury controller for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. In 2014, she started as finance director for the city of Madras.

Come May 16, she will become the new Jefferson County finance director, when Rohde retires. McNamee explained in taking that position, she was encouraged to run for county treasurer. Deschutes County’s finance director currently serves as county treasurer, and Jefferson County would like to model that system.

“I’m invested in this community,” McNamee said. She has lived in the area for seven years; her husband is a sixth-generation rancher.

“I’m happy to run. You need people to step up to the plate when times are tough,” McNamee said, adding she’s looking forward to taking on her new job at the county, where she feels she’ll have more responsibility.

“If I’m elected, I want to regain the public’s trust, implement strong internal controls to protect public aspects and be accountable,” McNamee said.

She doesn’t see any large financial issues looming on the horizon for Jefferson County, but she said she thinks the recent decision on the spotted frog was “a sigh of relief for the county,” since before that farmers were “on hold.” The spotted frog case could have affected the water supply for local farmers. A federal judge said last week no immediate changes would be made to water management in Central Oregon.

Anzonetta ‘Anzie’ Adams

Adams, 75, of Culver, served on the Culver City Council over nearly two decades beginning in the late ’70s. Now, she works part time as the city clerk in Metolius.

“At that time, I was the only woman on the council,” Adams said. As soon as she became a councilor, her colleagues nominated her to be mayor, where she served on and off for about 12 years.

Adams worked for Hospice of Redmond for 18 years, 15 of those years as chief financial officer. Later she worked as an insurance biller at Mountain View Hospital for six years. Adams attended some finance classes at Central Oregon Community College.

During her time as mayor, Adams said voters refused to approve a city budget, despite the council cutting it down to $15,000.

Adams said the only choice was to shut down the city. Her teenage son cleared snow in the streets for free because the city couldn’t hire someone to operate the road paver.

She and the councilors went door to door persuading voters to approve a budget that would renew annually.

“I felt that was really an accomplishment for the council,” Adams said. “I’ve had financial experience. A lot of it. I understand finances.”

Adams said she’s also comfortable in a public role.

“I know my way around politics,” Adams said. “I know a lot of people around Jefferson County because I’ve run for positions before.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0325,

kfisicaro@bendbulletin.com