Candidate Profile: Jim Eckstrom

Over the next several days leading up to the June 12 party primries, we'll be looking at incumbents and their challengers vying for a slew of countywide and state races in Lexington County.

Today we look at County Treasurer Jim Eckstrom, who is facing a party primary challenge from Lexington County Council chairman Bill Banning, Sr.

The office of the Treasurer engages in many duties, from collecting taxes and investing public funds to distributing funds to the organizations for which revenues have been collected. The Treasurer serves as the Tax Collector, Banker, Investment Agent, and Custodian for all funds received on behalf of Lexington County, school districts, municipalities, and special purpose districts.

First, the Treasurer collects property taxes and other funds. Second, he accounts for each fund. Third, the Treasurer invests the money to create interest revenue that is distributed to the various taxing entities. The Treasurer thus acts as a purser and banker and as a depository and distributor for public funds.

Name:  Jim Eckstrom

Age:  62

Occupation:  Lexington County Treasurer

Current Political Position:  Lexington County Treasurer

Years in office:  4 1/2

Prior experience:  Have served as Lexington County Treasurer since 2008

Family:  Married for 40 years, 2 children and 2 grandchildren

Education:  BA, University of South Carolina, 1972

Why are you seeking re-election?

I'm running for re-election to put the taxpayers before government.  My campaign theme has been, "Taxpayers first".  I've put taxpayers first by cutting costs and reducing staff in the Treasurer's Office, and I understand that people hate high property taxes.  I sympathize with taxpayers. They're overburdened.

What makes you the best person for the job?

For anyone to be effective, they have to understand that property taxes are already too high because of high government spending. I understand that. That's why I work to make government smaller and less costly.

Explain the importance of the Treasurer position to county residents:

The Treasurer is responsible for the county's banking services. I always look for ways to cut the banking costs without sacrificing services for the taxpayer.

What areas of the office will you seek to focus on and what do hope to accomplish in your term?

I want to lead a cost cutting campaign throughout county government like I've done in the Treasurer's Office that will help to reduce property taxes and make our county more attractive for businesses to relocate or expand. 

In what ways will you seek to boost the county's interest income?

I'm always looking for ways to increase our interest earnings and reduce our banking costs. By doing both, I'm able to help ease the pressure on overtaxed families.

What should the Treasurer do in the next term to improve efficiency?

I'm going to keep working to get other county officials to understand that families need property tax relief.

What do you think needs to be done in order to serve county taxpayers better?

County government needs to be more transparent. Taxpayers ought to be able to have access to details, like a check register, on all the spending the county does. Other counties do it. I'm going to keep working to make this happen in Lexington County. Some elected officials say taxpayers wouldn't be able to understand that much detail; I say let the taxpayers decide. They have the right to that information. After all, it's their money that the county is spending.

Are there any other comments you'd like to make, or would you like to discuss something not raised in our questions?

Now that our economy is improving, we need to be extra careful not to let county government go on a spending spree with all the taxes that are starting to come in. I can't say it enough — we need to put taxpayers first.

Editor's Note: As of this posting, challenger Bill Banning Sr. had not yet returned his questionnaire to Patch. Check back with Patch. We will post it upon receipt.