I completely agree with Grady Rhoden that strong knowledgeable people should be heading up the property assessor office. I would add honest, forward-thinking and hard-working, as well.
While Mr. Rhoden did not endorse any of the three candidates, he only commented on two, neither of which is the incumbent. The statement directed at me was about an idea I had discussed in a previous interview. The suggestion I made was to appraise one quarter of the total parcel count each year.
In this way we could even out workflows, make operating costs more predictable, as well as, save Hamilton County taxpayers’ money. I am aware of state law on the subject and don’t presume a decision on this idea would be made unilaterally. The office of the assessor could present the option however.
The assessor could provide information on best practices proven in other areas. For instance, in Cook County, Ill. they divide up one third of the parcels to appraise each year for three years. A forward-thinking assessor should aspire to benchmarking against the best.
Maybe you are right in not making any comments about the incumbent, Mr. Rhoden. After all, we have 18 years of history to look back on.
Jelena Butler
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Jelena Butler will be an excellent assessor of property for Hamilton County. It's great to see someone with her credentials and priorities throw their hat in the ring. She would be a breath of fresh air in county government.
She is intelligent and competent. She is knowledgeable about real estate values, having earned the coveted CCIM designation.
She states her priorities are improving "access, transparency, and technology" in the assessor's office. If you meet her, you get the impression that these are more than buzz words.
Helen Burns Sharp
Vote for Jelena Butler in the upcoming election. Early voting begins July 13.