EPHRATA - Michele Jaderlund says, "It was in the back of my mind to run for county auditor some day" when she decided to earn her accounting degree.

After 23 years of employment with the county - 16 in auditor's office - that day has come. Current Auditor Dave Firebaugh wanted only one term and is leaving behind an open seat competition.

Although Jaderlund lives in Ephrata, she has strong ties to the Royal Slope community. Her husband is Royal Middle School Principal Dave Jaderlund.

Jaderlund has never run for elective office, but she believes she's well qualified for auditor. Before her four years under Firebaugh, she worked 16 years for former auditor Bill Varney.

Jaderlund noted her primary work was in the accounting department. She has worked in the elections office at election time, and she has helped some in the recording division. She has not worked in licensing.

Before working for the auditor, Jaderlund put in seven years at the Grant County District Court. It was years after moving to the auditor's office that she enrolled in the online Western Governor's University to improve her value.

"I liked the work," she said.

Jaderlund has been a small town girl all of her life. She was raised on her father Marvin Estes's orchard in the Yakima Valley's Lombard Loop area. She graduated from Wapato High School in 1979.

A Trend Business College graduate, Jaderlund came to Ephrata in 1985 because of marriage. Her husband Dave, a Selah High graduate, secured his first teaching job there.

Jaderlund has demonstrated expertise in the development and implementation of new software that encompasses the entire financial operation. Complex problem solving issues are regularly confronted, addressed and overcome on time. She emphasizes accuracy.

"People forget how fast you did a job, but they remember how well you did it," she said.

If elected, Jaderlund said she would:

• Provide the people of Grant County with an accessible and transparent Auditor's Office.
• Perform timely and relevant financial and legal compliance audits.
• Ensure the most efficient and effective use of public resources allocated to Grant County Auditor's Office.

Jaderlund has strong conservative values. She is a member of Republican Women of Grant County. She will speak at the Tax Day Rally in Moses Lake on April 15.

To learn more about Michele Jaderlund, go to her website at www.mjaderlund.weebly.com