The auditor’s chief accountant has her sights set on a new role with the county – an elected position, at that.

On Jan. 30, San Juan Island’s Rhonda Pederson announced her candidacy for the office of San Juan County treasurer.

It’s Pederson’s first-ever bid for public office and she’s excited by the prospects, and said that she possesses the skills and experience to excel at the top of the county’s financial sphere.

“I believe my depth of experience working in the county auditors’ office as well as the amount of time I have spent working with our current treasurer, Jan Sears, and other county officials, will be a benefit to our community,” Pederson said in a press release.

Incumbent Jan Sears, now in the final year of a second four-year term in office, is not seeking reelection. Duties of the treasurer, a non-partisan elected post, include tracking and oversight of all monies collected by the county, including those of junior taxing districts, and county financial investments; preparation of excise tax affidavits in property sales and transfers, and preparing and sending out annual property tax statements.

The treasurer supervises two and a half full-time employees and receives an annual salary of $75,000, benefits included.