Treasurer's race story

I don't think reporter Jackie Majerus' story about the city treasurer's race ever made it onto this blog, so here it is:

Neither of the two men running for city treasurer has grand plans for changing the way the office runs.
"If it's not broken, don't fix it," said Mark Anderson, the Republican candidate for the job. "From what I understand, the retirement fund is pretty well managed."
Anderson will face Democrat Bill Veits in the election on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Veits said he's been attending meetings of the city retirement board for three months now to learn about the job. He's also shown up at special meetings of the police and fire benefit funds that the treasurer would normally attend, he said, and so far hasn't thought of anything that needs to change.
Democrat Patti Ewen, who served eight terms as city treasurer, decided not to run again this year. After 16 years on the job, Ewen said, she wants more time for travel and other things.
Ewen's decision left the race wide open.
Veits, 57, has lived in Bristol for 34 years. He's a self-employed enrolled agent and income tax specialist with a business in Southington.
"I represent a lot of people in front of the IRS," said Veits, who said he's got more than 1,300 clients. He's done taxes for 27 years, said Veits, and 15 years ago started doing it full time.
Anderson, 63, has lived in Bristol for 25 years. He works as press secretary for the House Republicans at the Capitol in Hartford.
The treasurer's job, Anderson said, is to "ensure the sanctity of the retirement system and the investments that are made in it."
If elected, Anderson said, he'd want to make sure that the city's funds are invested wisely and safely.
"I'm an investor," said Anderson, adding that he covered the city comptroller's office when he covered City Hall for the Bristol Press in the 1980s. "I'm pretty good at spotting what I think is a risky investment. I'm familiar with the way markets work."
Anderson said the treasurer's post has nothing to do with tax forms. He said Veits "should have applied to be the controller" if he wants to tout his tax experience.
"This is not rocket science, what the treasurer does," said Anderson. "You don't really need to have a degree in accounting."
Veits, who has served on the Bristol Planning Commission for 15 years, has been chairman for the last nine years. He said he would not resign his position on the planning board if elected treasurer.
"I don't see a conflict of interest," said Veits, who said Ewen spent years on the Bristol Development Authority.
His integrity and honesty, said Veits, are why he deserves to win.
"My 27 years as a tax preparer and registered rep dealing with mutual funds has given me an experience to step into the treasurer's position with a wealth of knowledge that I can possibly share with others," said Veits.
The treasurer serves a two-year term for a salary of about $4,000. A professional staff handles most of the work in the treasurer's office at City Hall.

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Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com