Diane Raver
Staff Writer
William Wagner has been named the new Ripley County auditor. He will begin his duties in January 2010.
He explains that not all courthouse positions are up for election at the same time. Current auditor Mary Ann McCoy was elected clerk in 2008, and will take over that office in January. However, this left the auditor position vacant because she had one more year left on her term.
“Whenever there’s a vacancy when someone resigns, dies or takes another office .... the party that holds that office has a caucus” to fill it, he notes.
On Nov. 17, 27 Ripley County Republican precinct committee members gathered at the Ripley County Courthouse to decide which of four candidates (Wagner, Mark Busching, Elaine Mortara or Amber May) would become auditor.
Republican chairperson Ginger Bradford is excited about the Osgood resident taking over the office. “He’s a great guy and will do a very good job. He will be there to answer questions for the public .... (and) will bring efficiency to that office.”
Wagner is ready to take on his new responsibilities. He considers it a “way to give back .... When the opportunity arose, I thought I would take a shot at it and see how the future turns out.”
He has lived in the county most of his life, and his father was the county treasurer for eight years. Wife Cathy owns Hair Designs, Milan, and the couple have one son and a grandson.
Wagner’s previous experiences prepared him well. He worked for Farm Bureau Insurance and also spent three years training agents. The dedicated man later owned his own insurance company for 18 years. Other jobs included selling cars and doing data processing for the Internal Revenue Service.
“My college degree in business administration and my background in customer service will help a lot” as he takes over as auditor, he admits.
“The offices are political, but they need to run as a business .... the taxpayers and citizens of the county are our customers.
“There are a lot of challenges being thrown at the county government with the way the economy is .... Everyone is running short of money .... We have to be involved and help it run the best it can.”
The businessman adds, “I’m not looking at it as a one-year commitment. I would like eight more years after this.”
Diane Raver can be contacted at 812-934-4343, Ext. 114; or diane.raver@ batesvilleheraldtribun.com.
