The La Plata Board of County Commissioners appointed Ann ‘Moni’ Grushkin to serve as the county’s treasurer and public trustee by unanimous vote Tuesday morning.
Grushkin will assume job duties on Nov. 5, the day current Treasurer Allison Aichele is set to vacate the post. Aichele submitted notice of her resignation July 18, less than a year after winning reelection.
The vote concluded an unusual process in which one set of elected officials appointed an individual to serve in a different elected office, as prescribed by state law.
In the interim, Grushkin will receive training from Mesa County Treasurer Sheila Reiner, who was hired by La Plata County as a contractor to provide transitional support.
“I’m excited for a new opportunity, to learn something new, to get further engaged in our community,” Grushkin said after the vote.
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 discussion of the five qualified candidates last week, Grushkin emerged as the commissioners’ clear favorite. Erin Hutchins, a former election administrator with the La Plata County Clerk and Recorder’s Office who unsuccessfully challenged Aichele in 2022, was considered for the position but was not in the top two finalists.
Grushkin brings with her a wealth of experience. Commissioners said they were impressed by her professional background, which includes senior vice president positions at multiple banks. She was also the director of technical project management at PeopleCare Health Services and the director of revenue and yield at Purgatory Resort.
“It doesn’t happen very often and we took it extremely seriously,” Commissioner Marsha Porter-Norton said from the dais, referring to the appointment process.
Aichele’s term is set to end in 2026, however Grushkin must run for the seat in the next general election. As a part of the interview process, Grushkin indicated she does intend to run for the seat in 2024.
The outgoing elected has provided scant details on the cause of her resignation, saying only that it is “time for a new chapter in my life.” Aichele initially planned to take a six-week vacation in the final part of her tenure, but has since reversed course.
The other two elected officials whose offices work with Aichele – Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee and Assessor Carrie Woodson – asked the BOCC to select a candidate who would collaborate with them. And throughout the interview process, commissioners referred to a serious “morale problem” at the treasurer’s office.
“Her focus was on staff,” Commissioner Matt Salka said in voicing his support for Grushkin from the dais. “There is a department (where) there is room for improvement with staff morale.”
Although Grushkin will not be sworn in or paid until Nov. 5, she said she intends to prepare herself for the job by working with the contractor selected to train her and “doing a lot of reading.”
rschafir@durangoherald.com
