The Dallas County Treasurer seat is up for election this November.
Incumbent Pauline Medrano has served as county treasurer since 2015, having been re-elected to the office in November 2018. She has declined to respond to multiple requests for an interview by The Dallas Express.
On her website, Medrano describes herself as an “experienced, proven leader with an unyielding dedication to public service.” She says she is “committed to the highest level of customer service [and] will continue to bring transparency, improve efficiency and promote accountability to Dallas County.”
While Medrano has a background in administration and corporate management, her seat is being challenged by Shelly Akerly, who has several years of experience as an accountant in the finance and investment industry.
In an interview with The Dallas Express, Akerly said, “I started looking at the current treasurer and her resume and the job responsibilities that are just on the website, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is all kind of wrong,’ … we had a PoliSci person being treasurer. And it’s essentially the banker of the county.”
“I can do that,” she continued. “That’s my skill set. I am that person who likes working in the numbers … I’ve worked in the investment world.”
Akerly told The Dallas Express that she first took an interest in local politics after her nephew called her in 2019 and asked, “Do you know how bad your district attorney is?” to which Akerly responded that she did not even know who her district attorney was.
Akerly said it was then that she started paying attention to local politics.
Akerly told The Dallas Express that as she “kept digging,” she found that the county auditor, appointed by the district judges, was the only one she believed had a legitimate resume.
She said that in addition to Medrano, the three previous county treasurers also did not have a background in finance or accounting.
“I [had] several conversations with the treasurers currently in office [to] find out more about the job,” she said, concluding that her background in accounting was a proper fit for the position.
“We ought to put financial people in financial offices,” she said.
Describing the many allegedly dysfunctions within county government, Akerly told The Dallas Express she has “always been the one who would call somebody out on something. Not out of pleasure, but to defend what is right.”
On her website, Akerly says she “strongly believes that Dallas County deserves a government that treats tax dollars with great care and efficiency.” She claims to be ready to “bring business efficiency to county government.”
Those registered to vote in Dallas County have the opportunity to cast their vote in this race. Early voting has already begun, and Election Day will be Tuesday, November 8.
More information on early voting times, locations, and polling places can be found on the Dallas County elections website.
