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Adam Rains

A county official with six years of experience in the Douglas County Treasurer’s Office has filed to fill its top position.

Adam Rains, the current deputy county treasurer, filed Wednesday as a Democrat to run for treasurer, according to the Douglas County elections office. He is the first to file for the county treasurer position.

The county treasurer’s office oversees resident motor vehicle registration and property taxes. Rains told the Journal-World that he wanted to continue leveraging advancing technology to improve county residents’ tax-paying experience.

“If there is something else out there that can help us improve technology wise, I think we need to jump on that,” he said. “Not to say too quickly, but it’s definitely something we need to look into to see how that can improve our efficiency and how that can make things easier for the taxpayer.”

Rains is running for the seat that will soon be vacated by the current county treasurer, Paula Gilchrist, who has held the position since she was first elected in 2004. She told the Journal-World in an email this week that she planned to retire later this year.

Gilchrist appointed Rains to the deputy position about four years ago, Rains said. Rains said he had the right skills and experience to lead the office after Gilchrist’s departure.

“It’s something I’ve really enjoyed, these last four years especially, being in an administrative role,” he said. “I find solving these problems that arise to be fun, and I enjoy it. So, for me, it’s really just taking that next step.”

As technology continues to improve, that also means Rains wants to make sure that information is secure from data breaches. Although the treasurer’s office hasn’t had any such breaches, Rains said residents have expressed concerns about the possibility.

“It is something you see quite a bit,” Rains said, referring to data breaches around the world. “We are secure right now. So (I) just want to keep that going forward.”

Rains is originally from Lakin, a small town about 20 miles west of Garden City. He began his public service career in 2011, previously working in the treasurer’s office for Kearny County, located in southwest Kansas, before moving into a role at Douglas County in 2013.

During his time in Douglas County, Rains completed the University of Kansas’ certified public manager program, then earned a bachelor’s degree in leadership and management from Ottawa University. Later this year, he expects to earn his master’s degree in public administration from KU.

Rains and his wife, Calle, who works in Topeka, have lived in Douglas County for about four years. They are expecting their first child later this month.

The candidate filing and withdrawal deadline for the 2020 election is June 1, according to information on the county clerk’s website, douglascountyelections.com. The primary election is scheduled for Aug. 4.