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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 1974)
MMWMUi JMMWMMilWilll IIIBMWWMlMMIMMMMMWMMMmillinlM (MWnHMMMMiaMnMHHMMHMM I IBJIIIIIWIIIMlllllllBaBMMIIIMIIIIIMIIIIIIIIM Will mifr 0 IS I ?M UN 3J; Z L3 The Nebraska Constitution of 1866 set up the secretary of state's office as a two-year elective position. That document was amended in 1964, changing the secretary's office to a four-year term. As of July, 1974, the secretary's yearly salary is $25,000. Though probably one of the lesser-known or understood state offices, it nonetheless affects every Nebraskan. The secretary of state keeps the original state seal and with it stamps documents and laws passed by the Unicameral.: . ' The secretary of state is part of the executive branch and helps execute laws and standards. By law, the secretary is part of seven boards: 1) Board of Pardons (deals with criminal sentences), 2) Nebraska Brand Committee (cattle brands), 3) State Real Estate Commission, 4) State Board of Equalization and Assessment (sets tax rates), 5) State Board of Canvassers, 6) State Records Board (deals with setting standards for preserving .state, county and municipal records) and kIrPferftcj&iorr Agency '-Board (licenses collbcflcPfl5qnfciesy;"! hi,l,MA' ' A major part of the secretary's job is to act as Chief Election Officer. He approves all ballots put before the voters of Nebraska, accepts filing fees for public office contestants and counts and keeps records of election results. The office registers all Nebraska corporations and renews their licenses and also must record trademarks and labels. Former 0$scretaxy4 of State,. .Frank vMarsh, U 'Sald-the 6Tfiee' 6hf drees' Maw'ddaW with standards and procedures for elections. corporations, notaries public and other state agencies. By Harry Baumert He strolled up to the couple, each holding campaign paraphernalia and talking against the background of music and voices. , As he approached, he extended his hand, looked the man In the eye and said, "Hello, I'm Allen Beermann, your secretary of state." Incumbent Allen Beermann was out to meet Lincoln voters at the League of Women Voters' political rally in September. With four years as secretary of state behind him, he's seeking a second term. The 34-year-old Republican said he's been campaigning entirely with a personal approach and hasn't used the mass' media to attract votes. "I haven't run a single newspaper ad, nor will I, nor have I done any campaigning on radio or television," he said. "Each year since I've been elected I've made about 250 personal appearances and this year I will have made over 300." Informs voters However, he said he does use television and radio during election time to inform voters about services the office performs. The secretary of state's office approves all ballots and balloting procedures. Beermann said he explains absentee and disabled voting, the constitutional amendments that are on the ballot and the referendum bill concerning state aid to schools. "We don't get involved in political issues," he sasd. "That's the Legislature's (job) and to some extent the governor's. Our office is a service office." But some of those service aspects of his office became issues when his Democratic opponent Catherine Dahlquist accused him of inefficiency. Dahlquist has charged Beermann with increasing his budget 40 per cent over last year with no simultaneous increase in efficiency. Budget increase A check with legislative appropriations of the last two years does show an increase from a total of $280,231 for fiscal 1974 to $375,261 for fiscal 1975, an increase of 34 per cent. Those totals include the budget for the Records Management Board, which preserves municipal, county and state records. According to Beermann, the boaFd has its own director and an office in another part of the state capitol. By law, the secretary of state is a non-voting administrator on the board. "The only reason the budget is under my office," said Bb-tamann, "is because thev didn't have any place else to put it." Governor votes The legislative measure that would have ' made the Records Management Board a separate entity was LB 861, passed by the Unicameral but vetoed by Gov. J. James Exon in April. The governor said the board as a separate entity would create unnecessary bureaucracy in state government, according to an Omaha World-Herald article. If the Record Management Board is excluded, the secretary of state's budget would increase by 5.6 percent. While Dahlquist says the secretary of state's office is "mainly a record-keeping office," Beermann disagrees. "Record-keeping I would say takes only 30 per cent of our time. The rest of it is extremely complicated," he said. "You have to preside over hearings and you have to know the rules of evidence for hearings. We handle rules and regulations and their format and whether or not they're precise under the law. I would say that it's a very complicated office." Challenger's charge One of the Democratic candidate's most vehement charges against the incumbent Is that he does not comply with state law 81-118 which states, "The gross amount of money received by every department. ..shall be paid into the State Treasury, without delay, not later in any event than ten days atter the receipt of the same." "That is a practice that has not been followed, public records show," she said, "during his whole term in office. The revenues have been deposited anywhere from 30 to 60 days after they were received by his office." "Well, again Mrs. Dahlquist is indicating she doesn't understand the complexities of this office or state government," Beermann responded. He said some funds, such as fees charged for filing for public office, are deposited immediately. Others, he said, cannot be filed immediately. "In about 25 per cent of the time," he continued, "the amount sent in by an individual or a corporation is incorrect, so we must send back for a corrected check." He also said that many times corporate filing information sent to the secretary of state's office will be Incomplete. Then the filing statement must be returned and the fee held until the document is corrected. Audit sought Dahlquist also has recommended yearly audits of the secretary of state's office. The records of the State Auditor's office show the last audit of the secretary of state's office covered the fiscal year ending June 30, (continued pg. ) page8 election special daily nebraskan
