Matt Schulte, the Republican candidate for Lancaster County treasurer, is the executive director of Campus Life, a Lincoln-based nonprofit. He also owns a small business that does bookkeeping and accounting for nonprofits.
Schulte, 39, was elected to the Lincoln Board of Education, an unpaid position, in 2015.
What changes, either in physical office space or the use of technology, do you think will improve the treasurer’s office?Â
There needs to be some strategic assessment of the three offices to decide whether the current locations are best-suited. These were the best locations 20 to 30 years ago, but it's worth looking into if they are the right locations today, Schulte says.
Schulte would also like to explore deploying a kiosk system in smaller towns, including Waverly, Hickman, Hallam, Malcolm and Firth, that could dispense license plates or tags, so people don’t have to drive to Lincoln. Perhaps they could be located at a city office building or a local bank, he says.
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Schulte thinks the treasurer’s office will see continued growth in the use of its online portal, where people can pay property taxes and vehicle registration fees. People have gotten more and more comfortable with that process, he says.
What are your qualifications to be county treasurer, an office that collects and disburses money?
Schulte points to his service for 3½ years on the school board, where he learned about working on a large budget. The school’s general fund budget is $440 million, and the all-fund budget is $619 million.
At Campus Life, where he is executive director, Schulte handles about $700,000 in annual donations and leads a staff of 31, with more than 100 volunteers. "I think people trust my leadership and believe in the direction of the organization," he said.
Some Democrats have said Schulte's ambition is a higher office and he's using the treasurer’s office as a steppingstone.
But Schulte says he has no intention of running for another office at this point. However, there is no way to know what might happen in the future, he said.
Two years ago, he had no intention of running for county treasurer but stepped in when current Treasurer Andy Stebbing was charged with multiple felonies.
“There was a need in our community, and I had a skill set that was needed. I was glad to put my name out there and provide leadership for our county,†he said of his decision to run for county treasurer.
This is a partisan office where people are nominated by parties and the two major political parties recruit and support candidates. Does a partisan philosophy play any role in running the office?
There are two tenets in the Republican Party platform that provide insight on how he will lead, says Schulte. Limited government and fiscal responsibility.
Schulte said he has shown that he lives out those qualities as a school board member. For example, he says he adamantly opposed creating a new government agency to run a joint program involving the school and city school resource officers. Instead, the city and school board are operating the program under an interlocal agreement.
Both candidates are children of a minister dad and a schoolteacher mom. They were asked what lessons they brought from that experience that relate to running or holding an elected office.
Schulte's dad is a retired pastor in the Evangelical Free Church of America and served for 25 years in Grand Island. His mom was a teacher, guidance counselor and principal.
“I really learned that being involved in your community is important and it is a good thing to do,†Schulte said. "You should care about the people you live around and the city you live in. I learned through their example. It’s probably safe to assume that most children of teachers and pastors learn this. We need to care about our city and do what we can to make it a great place.â€Â
What have you learned about yourself on the campaign trail?
Schulte, who has four young children, has gotten some feedback from other parents of young children.
One friend texted him the other day after her daughter saw one of his campaign signs for county treasurer.
“My youngest wants to know how she could help you dig for treasures and how you will know where they are hidden.â€