After Bob Dahms, former Seward County treasurer, retired after 35 years of service, a new treasurer has stepped into office and thinks things are going well so far.
Jacob Zlatkovsky, originally from Lexington, attended Doane University where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in sociology with an emphasis in criminal justice and a minor in psychology. Zlatkovsky, his wife, Alyx, and two kids, Andi, 4, and Jaxon, 2, have lived in Lincoln since 2011, but have now moved to Seward. Zlatkovsky said one of the reasons he ended up in Seward is because he and his wife have close friends from the area.
“Those friends are from Seward and have returned to Seward since finishing college,” he said. “On top of that, we all have kids the same age and love the idea of raising them together in a small, tight-knit community, which is Seward.”
Although he doesn’t have previous experience working in a treasurer’s office, Zlatkovsky said previous jobs have helped him prepare for the office.
“My previous employment with the Nebraska State Probation allowed me the opportunity to manage court costs, fines, restitution and miscellaneous fees,” he said. “(In) my most recent employment with the Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s office, I helped run the Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Fund where I collected fees from major brand cigarette companies and issued certificates for them to sell their products in Nebraska.”
Although he didn’t have any experience being a treasurer, Zlatkovsky said he’s always had an interest in county government because of his mom.
“My mom, Karla Zlatkovsky, has been the Dawson County clerk and is serving her fifth term,” he said. “Through her time as the Dawson County clerk, it’s helped expose me to the behind-the-scenes work of what goes into being successful in these types of elected roles which led me to want to take on similar challenges.”
Even though Zlatkovsky ran as an unopposed write-in, he didn’t feel calm when election night came, but happy when results were announced.
“It was still quite nerve-wracking,” he said. “Once the election concluded and I knew I had been elected as the Seward County treasurer, I was more than excited to begin the journey and take on the challenges of filling a position that had been in great hands for 35 years by Bob Dahms.”
Being new to the position, Zlatkovsky said his main goals are to learn the basics of the job.
“My goals are to become more efficient within those day-to-day operations and continue learning my roles with meeting monthly, semi-annual and annual deadlines that are governed by state statutes,” he said.
Zlatkovsky mentioned he is very fortunate to have had the opportunity to shadow Dahms before taking office.
