Retired Army acquisitions officer interviewed for Spokane County treasurer post; commissioners to meet in executive session

Robert Miceli, a retired Army acquisition senior leader, told the Spokane County Board of Commissioners that his priorities as county treasurer would include strengthening transparency, modernizing operations, and bolstering cybersecurity and fraud prevention.

Miceli, appearing before the commissioners as a finalist for appointment to the elected office of Spokane County treasurer, described a four‑phase plan for the first 100 days if appointed: observation and team integration, an operational review including audits and investment‑policy checks, technology modernization and community engagement, and a longer‑term vision for sustainable investments and interdepartmental collaboration. “First and foremost, I’d be sitting down with the deputy treasurer, and I’d be seeking out the institutional knowledge,” he said.

Why it matters: The treasurer’s office is the county’s cash manager, tax collector and investment steward. During the interview Miceli cited figures he said demonstrate the office’s scale: he said the office collected about $900,000,000 in 2024, served more than 550 payers, processed more than $20,000,000,000 in transactions, administered a Spokane Public Investment Fund near $1,900,000,000 and—he said—returned roughly $120,000,000 to taxpayers since 2023. Those numbers are reported here as Miceli presented them during the interview.

Miceli emphasized experience managing large budgets and complex procurements. He described work overseeing multimillion‑dollar defense budgets, managing lifecycle costs and running the Army’s Small Business Innovation Research program. He cited an example from 2019 when, as deputy director for contracting at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, his office decentralized contracting to meet governors’ urgent needs for temporary care facilities during the COVID‑19 emergency. “This innovative approach not only enhanced overall responsiveness, but also strengthened the partnerships” with local entities, he said.

On workforce issues, Miceli said he has experience negotiating with labor organizations, conducting open forums and implementing conflict‑resolution strategies in represented workplaces. He described his management style as “servant leadership,” saying coworkers would call him approachable and someone who “will never ask another to do something that I’m not willing to do myself.”

Miceli listed what he sees as the county’s top challenges over the next five years: population growth and housing affordability, budget and economic uncertainty, infrastructure and public services, cybersecurity and fraud prevention, and climate‑related risks such as wildfire and water management. To address budgetary uncertainty he said the treasurer can build financial resilience through healthy reserves and diversified fixed‑income investments; to support housing affordability he suggested clearer, more accessible property‑tax information and options such as relief or deferrals for vulnerable homeowners.

Commissioner Jordan led several of the questions during the public interview. Commissioners noted that one panelist, Commissioner French, was participating by Zoom in separate testimony and was not present for the in‑person portion. After Miceli’s closing remarks, the board announced it would enter an executive session to evaluate the qualifications of a candidate for appointment to elected office under state law (the meeting recorded the citation as “RCW 42.30.1011H”). The commissioners and county attorney Matt Folsom proceeded into the executive session for a planned 15 minutes; any appointment or vote was not recorded in the public transcript provided.

Miceli closed the interview by reiterating a promise of “integrity, accountability, and community service” and said he would prioritize transparency and responsiveness if appointed.

Votes at a glance: No formal vote or public appointment was recorded in the provided transcript; the commissioners moved to an executive session for deliberation and possible action following the closed session.