Politics & Government

One Walnut Creek candidate Running Unopposed—So Far—and He Guards the City's Money

Ron Cassano is running for the fourth time for the job as Walnut Creek City Treasurer.

Ron Cassano has run in three previous elections but has never formed a campaign committee or raised money to be elected. The only soliciting he says he's ever done to support his candidacy for Walnut Creek City Treasurer is to ask 30 people to sign the petition he must submit along with his nomination papers.

He's running in his fourth citywide election November 2, and those 30 signatures show that someone in town will vote for him.

The last time he ran for treasurer, in November 2006, he also ran unopposed and received all 16,639 votes cast in his race. More than 16,000 votes—that's more than either of the two winning City Council candidates, Sue Rainey and Cindy Silva, received that year.

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So far, Cassano is once again running unopposed. He has submitted his nomination papers, and he's all good to go. If anyone wants to mount a campaign against him, that person has until August 6 to submit nomination papers.

But if you're thinking you might want to run for his job, here are some things you need to know about what's involved, and not involved, in being city treasurer.

Find out what's happening in Walnut Creekwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I don't write checks," Cassano said. "It's the mayor's name on the checks. I also don't have access to bank accounts."

So what does Walnut Creek's treasurer do? The city's website says, officially, that the treasurer "is charged with the responsibility of assuring proper handling of municipal funds."

Cassano explains: "I'm strictly involved in the city's investment policy and investment fund supervision."

Over the years, managing the city's investment funds has meant overseeing a portfolio that reached a high of around $120 million in 2008. Like most everyone else's portfolio, the city's took a hit in the economic crash; it is now around $80 million today. Cassano said the city has a comprehensive written policy that outlines the kinds of investments it will make.  "We're very risk averse, and our policy is conservative."

Cassano is a certified public accountant with an office in Pleasant Hill. A resident of Walnut Creek since 1969, he was the campaign manager for former Mayor Kathy Hicks when treasurer Martin Huff resigned in 1996. Hicks asked Cassano if he would be interested in the job, and the council appointed him to finish out Huff's four-year term. Cassano decided to run again in 1998, then again in 2002, 2006 and now in 2010. 

Cassano is one of 170 city treasurers in the state of California. Other nearby cities that have elected treasurers include Pleasant Hill and Concord.

Besides managing the city's investments, Cassano is on the committee that audits the city's two-year budget. The city's finance department also consults with him when it is preparing the budget. "Because of my financial background, I can put my word in," he says. "They don't have to agree with me."

As for the city's economy, Cassano says he doesn't foresee any quick recovery. "Our sales tax revenue has taken a significant decrease, and real estate taxes are off. I don't see any huge comeback here for the next budget cycle."


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