Rocchio Takes Over As Belmont County Auditor
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Anthony Rocchio is settling in to his position as Belmont County's auditor after his swearing-in last week.
Rocchio replaces the late Roger Conroy, who died in mid-June. Rocchio is a graduate of West Virginia University with a degree in industrial math and statistics.
Rocchio won the appointment in late July over Conroy's widow, Diane, and interim auditor Sheila Turner, who also applied for the post. Turner was appointed by the county commissioners upon Conroy's death to lead the office until the Belmont County Democratic Party selected a new auditor.
Since he officially stepped into the office July 30, Rocchio has been in contact with the Belmont County commissioners and his fellow department heads.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge and looking forward to doing what's right for Belmont County," he said, noting he is familiar with the operation of the office.
"I worked here full-time since 2015 and actually worked four summers when I was in college as well," he said, adding that his duties were primarily in the fields of real estate, appraisals and data entry. "The auditor is the chief assessor in the county, and I meet those requirements with my previous five years. As far as my new role as auditor, I'm just looking to bring some leadership and a different view on things."
He said he has confidence in the staff and will continue with operations largely unchanged.
Conroy was named auditor in 2017 after the prior auditor, Andy Sutak, retired for health reasons.
"One thing I'm looking for is consistency with what's been going on. In the last few years we've had a lot of changes, so I feel some consistency would help a lot," Rocchio said.
"I'm looking forward to having all of their opinions and feedback," he said. "I'll talk with all of them and see how we can have a better office overall."
One of his office's major ongoing projects is working with Belmont County leaders and department heads in preparing next year's budget. For some time the budget has been strained due to jail overcrowding and the need to house inmates outside the county at a cost.
"We're scheduling some dates to get me up to speed quickly. We've all been working together," Rocchio said. "From the appointment, everybody's been great and accepting of me. We've hit the ground running, and you have to. … I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can, especially on the budgetary side."
Rocchio describes his leadership style as "honest."
"I like to lead by example. I'm never going to lie to someone here at the office. You're going to know what I'm thinking," he said. "If things need addressed or adjusted, we're going to do so. There's going to be no questions about what's going on here at the office."
Rocchio is slated to serve out Conroy's term until March 2020. He said he will run in the 2020 primary and general elections to seek the post for the remainder of the term, which will expire in March 2023.