Even before he announced his run for county executive, many Allegheny County taxpayers were already familiar with treasurer John Weinstein: They write his name on a check each time they pay county taxes or renew their dog license. Weinstein is about to vacate the seat after holding it for nearly a quarter of a century, and two new candidates are vying to replace him. One of the most common questions they’ve received: why do we write the treasurer’s name on our checks?
“When I tell people, ‘I’m running for county treasurer,’ and they look at me, they don’t quite know what that job is or maybe even that it is an elected position,” said Erica Rocchi Brusselars, a Democrat running for treasurer. “And then when you say John Weinstein’s name, they’re like, ‘Oh, my property tax, my dog tag!’ So, it certainly gets the name into people’s heads.”
City Council member Anthony Coghill said he’s been asked the question at least a dozen times since he announced his candidacy. His response? “I tell them the truth: I really don’t know,” he said.
A 2017 state bill laid out the process for addressing checks to the county treasurer. It clarified that any check made out to the treasurer by name must include their office title as well, and treasurers can’t deposit payments they receive into accounts set up using only their name or personal social security number.
The law is meant to lay out best practices and cut down on fraud, said state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who sponsored the bill.
A check made out to “John K. Weinstein, Allegheny County Treasurer” or even “Allegheny County Treasurer” could be deposited in county coffers. A check made out only to “John K. Weinstein” would be discouraged but could still be deposited.
According to treasurers in neighboring counties, officeholders typically dictate how checks made payable to their office are written, but there are no hard and fast rules. Most surveyed by WESA said they ask constituents to include both their name and office on the subject line.
Butler County Treasurer Diane Marburger estimated that 90% of residents include both her name and office on their checks.
“They want to know that they’re writing their checks out to Mary Jane Tax Collector, not just the title ‘tax collector,’” she said. “People want a person. They want to know who they're writing their check out to. That's just the nature of that position.”
Like other row offices, county treasurers are governed by county code. But few county codes get into the granular detail of how checks should be written. Sandie Egley, the treasurer for Beaver, said guidelines for writing checks are often vague or non-existent. She prefers taxpayers include both her name and title on checks to the Beaver County Treasurer because her office is insured under her own name.
Amanda Hiles in Armstrong County said residents make their checks payable to “Amanda Hiles, Armstrong County Treasurer.”
“It’s always been done [like] that since I’ve been treasurer and it was done like that for my predecessor,” she said.
Some speculate that including the treasurer’s name has some political benefits.
Politicians have long histories of putting their names on things. Former Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner put her name on gas pumps inspected by her office, and the names of former Pittsburgh mayors could be seen on garbage cans throughout the city.
“From a political point of view, if you have 145,000 taxpayers writing your name on a check, they'll probably remember your name when it comes to the next election cycle,” said Washington County treasurer Tom Flickinger.
But he emphasized that name recognition alone isn’t necessarily how treasurers get reelected.
“It comes down to: Are you running the office efficiently or are you taking pride in the office? Are you treating each taxpayer with respect and helping them in their challenges? And if we weren't doing that, you know, whether my name was on that check or not, they're going to boot me out,” Flickinger said.
Marburger has been Butler County Treasurer since 2000. She believes the impact of having her name written next to “Butler County Treasurer” on checks has had negligible effects on her reelection efforts.
“I think that's very important for the taxpayer, the voter, to know who's servicing them,” she said. “It's a benefit to the constituent.”
The Lawrence County Treasurer’s Office was the only office contacted by WESA that does not ask taxpayers to include the treasurer’s name alongside their office on checks.
“To me, that's not necessary at all. I would have no reason to request that,” said county treasurer Richard Rapone. “I just think it's more professional just to have it ‘treasurer of Lawrence County’ than to put a certain name on there.”
Rapone said the practice hasn’t hurt his reelection campaigns; he’s served four terms and is running for a fifth. He agreed that the treasurer’s conduct in office is more important than getting their name on thousands of checks.
“It's not about Richard L. Rapone,” he said. “It's about, ‘I was elected to the position of treasurer.’”
Mackenzie, who sponsored the state legislation, said best practice is to use only the office title on checks made out to county treasurers, noting that it can help reduce fraud.
But at the end of the day, most taxpayers will write their checks the way the treasurer recommends they write it, and for now in Allegheny County that’s “John K. Weinstein, Allegheny County Treasurer.”
That could change with the next election. If she’s elected, Brusselars said she’ll ask taxpayers to make their checks out to “Allegheny County Treasurer.”
As for Coghill: “I would suggest either ‘Anthony Coghill’ or ‘County Treasurer Anthony Coghill,’” he said. “Whatever they’re comfortable with.”
