Cooper seeks to streamline treasurer's office

MOSES LAKE — As a stay-at-home dad who homeschools his two kids, Casey Cooper also volunteers a lot.

“I’ve been around the block a few times,” Cooper said. “I volunteer 1,200 hours a year. It’s a lot of volunteer work.”

Cooper said he mentors young men, teaching wilderness survival and other life skills, and helps coach cross country and track at Moses Lake High School, and has volunteered for the local and state Republican Party.

In fact, Cooper said he was working as a committeeman when he was recruited to run against incumbent Grant County Treasurer Darryl Pheasant.

“I see a problem with our treasurer’s office. Our current treasurer has done a poor job,” Cooper told the Columbia Basin Herald recently. “He’s not a bad person, but he’s done a poor job of working with the taxing districts, the other county offices, and the people and businesses that frequent the office the most.”

Cooper said Pheasant has not made the treasurer’s work “functional, easy or smooth.”

The current treasurer, Cooper said, makes it far too difficult to things “that don’t fit into a perfect mold,” especially complex business transactions.

“If you do the same thing in another county, it takes 15 minutes and can be done from a computer desk,” Cooper said.

“In this county,” he continued, “you have to drive to the courthouse, and if the paperwork is not exactly as he thinks it should be, you have to drive back, take care of the paperwork a different way, and come back.”

“It’s a very poor way to run the office,” Cooper said.

Cooper promises to “streamline the office” and make it more “user-friendly to the people who use it the most.” He also promises to work more closely with Grant County’s 64 taxing districts “to solve problems” rather than simply dictating solutions to them.

During his time working with the county and state GOP, Cooper said he was asked to do a study to help the state divvy up statewide party seats, and in that study found that 51 percent of Washington GOP votes come from King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties.

“I found that kind of interesting, but it didn’t get used,” he said.

Cooper also described himself as open and able to learn, and more than willing to admit when he’s made a mistake.

“I like being right, who doesn’t?” he said. “I’m very accepting when I’m not right.”

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.