La Plata County has a new treasurer and public trustee.
Ann “Moni” Grushkin was sworn in by County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee on Friday afternoon before about 30 people at the county administration building.
Grushkin’s first official day on the job will be Monday. She will replace Allison Aichele, who submitted notice of her resignation July 18.
“This is a new venture for me,” she said after taking the oath of office. “I have been in public service as a Rotarian, so I feel I’ve always been in public service in that regard, but this is the first time that I’m actually working for a government.”
The Board of County Commissioners appointed Grushkin to the role Sept. 19 after interviewing five qualified candidates.
The treasurer is responsible for collecting, managing and distributing tax dollars to taxing authorities in the county. As public trustee, she also acts as a neutral third party during foreclosures and administers the sale of foreclosed properties.
In an interview before Friday’s event, Grushkin said she was looking forward to “a new challenge (and) a new opportunity.”
She previously served as a senior executive at multiple banks, as well as the director of technical project management at PeopleCare Health Services and the director of revenue and yield at Purgatory Resort.
Since her appointment, Grushkin has spent time training with Mesa County Treasurer Sheila Reiner. She also attended a treasurer’s conference in Fort Collins, where she says she was able to connect with her peers around the state and meet the office’s vendors.
“All of the people that I encountered were very helpful, gave me their business card, offered to share what they know if I had questions along the way or any time in the future,” she said. “That’s a great network to be connected with.”
Aichele, who was first elected to the job in 2014, won reelection last November. Her term was set to expire in January 2027. A race for treasurer will instead occur in 2024, and Grushkin has committed to running.
Aichele has previously said the job of treasurer is not political, although the Democrat beat out independent candidate Erin Hutchins last cycle despite running almost no campaign at all.
Grushkin is unaffiliated with a political party and says she intends to remain that way when she runs for the seat next year. Her lack of affiliation reflects a true centrist political alignment, she said, and she sees it as important for the job.
“It shouldn’t be a political position,” she said. “And I’m also hoping that after I’ve been doing the job for a year, when it comes time to vote, people will have first hand knowledge about what I’m able to do, what I’ve done, (and) form an opinion based on what we’re doing in the office and not a letter next to my name.”
Since Aichele announced her resignation, county elected officials have made serial references to customer service and morale problems in the office.
“I’m just looking forward to a new chapter in the Treasurer’s Office,” County spokesman Ted Holteen said. “Moni is going to be really good.”
Grushkin said she will set goals for the office once she gets to know the team over the coming weeks and months.
The outgoing Treasurer was not in the office Thursday, and the person who answered her phone told The Durango Herald Aichele no longer worked there.
Aichele said she still does not know what comes next for her and did not attend Grushkin’s swearing-in ceremony.
“I just want to say thank you for the opportunity to have served as county treasurer for nine years,” Aichele said.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
