In Carbon County, Democrat Sam Lux and Republican Kayla Herman are running for the position of controller. Current controller Mark Sverchek is not seeking re-election.

The county controller, subject to the management and administration of the county commissioners, supervises the fiscal affairs of the county. All bids on contracts exceeding $10,000 are received in the Controller’s office and opened at a public meeting.

The County Controller also supervises the daily operations of the fiscal/data processing department. (The Controller is the liaison Officer who works with the County’s external auditors, and supervises and administers the day to day operations of the County’s retirement plan.

That position will pay $68,350 in 2024 and $69,717 in 2025.

Sam Lux

Town: Jim Thorpe

Background: Born and raised in Carbon County, I earned a degree in finance from West Chester University, and have a decade of business and finance experience. This includes financial operations experience at J.P. Morgan Chase and working with county and municipal governments across our country to create long-term budget solutions. Most importantly, I’ve worked with county governments to understand the impact of changing priorities and to identify wasteful spending.

Why are you running for office: With real municipal finance experience, I can make a meaningful difference for our community. The challenges Carbon County faces are not unique; bloated departmental budgets, underpaid staff, and limited resources. But, what we can do, and I know I can help with, is looking at our expenses in a broader context than just the current year’s budget. By analyzing trends in spending, wasteful spending can be identified and eliminated.

What do you see as your role for county controller and how will you fulfill it: The controller is in charge of auditing Carbon County’s nearly $76.4 million dollar budget (2023), overseeing the $82 million in retirement assets, and serving on the salary and prison boards. With real experience in municipal finance, I will be able to quickly identify differences in year to year spending, and areas in which the County is overspending. This will help eliminate wasteful spending, and save taxpayer money.

Any other comments: I am unbelievably grateful to call Carbon County home. It would be a privilege to use my experience and skills to make it an even better place to live for all of us. I humbly request your support in the upcoming election on Nov. 7. I welcome your questions about my ability to be our county’s controller. If you have any questions, please give me a call at: 570-249-0066 or email: electsamlux@gmail.com

Kayla Herman

Town: Jim Thorpe

Background: I have a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in Finance along with 15 years’ experience with financials such as budgeting, profit/loss statements, accounts payable, accounts receivable and payroll, and 19 years’ experience in management/leadership roles. I also served 5 years as the Treasurer on the Board at the Fairview Hose Co. Social Club.

Why are you running for office: I am running for office of Controller for the people of Carbon County. My experience and education more than qualify me to be an effective Controller and ‘watchdog’ of the County’s finances. I’m looking forward to bringing in a fresh perspective and working as a team with other leaders to continue moving the County forward for years to come.

What do you see as your role for county controller and how will you fulfill it: The County Controller oversees the financial aspects of the county including accounts payable, payroll, auditing, budgeting, etc. The Controller serves on the Prison, Salary, and Retirement Boards. My plan is to be the watchdog over the county finances and work with the teams in the Controller and Fiscal Data Processing offices to improve efficiencies. One example is to change paper based functions to electronic, which will be more cost effective and efficient.

Any other comments: I am confident I will serve all the residents of Carbon County honorably, ethically, and effectively. I am asking for your vote on Nov. 7 and believe my experience, integrity, and commitment are what is needed to continue the positive progress forward.