Technology at stake in assessor race

Published 5:00 pm Saturday, August 19, 2006

By PAUL BORING

Staff reporter

The voter’s perception of the effectiveness of the Island County Assessor’s Office computer systems could be the deciding factor in the upcoming primary.

The two Republican candidates for the office, Don Mason and Daniel Jones, have opposing viewpoints about whether there’s a need for costly technology updates to fix the problems they both agree are there. Only one of the candidates will make it past the Sept. 19 primary election to challenge Democrat Dave Mattens in the general election. Absentee ballots for the primary will be mailed out by the end of the month.

Mason, 47, feels the current computer system is sufficient given the high caliber of the staff employed in the office.

Mason acknowledged the laundry list of improvements that can be made in the office, but said technology should take a back-seat to other priorities.

“We have some incredibly talented people in the assessor’s office and we have the technology and the funds to be able to solve many of the problems by making different managerial choices,” said Mason, program director for the Island County Board of Equalization, which handles the assessment appeals process.

The other Republican making a bid for the position is Jones, 53, an appraiser in the assessor’s office. Jones has weathered computer system changes during his 18 years with the county and said upgraded technology will be tantamount to a smooth, efficient office.

When the assessor’s office switched from its antiquated mainframe to a different operating system, a considerable amount of functionality was reportedly lost. Jones and other appraisers have researched different systems that could streamline the process, albeit with a hefty price tag.

A significant backlog of appraisals has hindered the office, Mason said. However, with a competent staff and cohesiveness, he believes technology is not the required panacea.

“We don’t need to update it now when there are so many other priorities for the tax dollars that we collect,” he said. “We don’t need to be going to the voters and saying we need more money to make a system better than we can now, and we’ve proven works now.”

The current system cannot handle all exemptions, Jones said. Outdated technology has created dissension in the office.

“Just getting our reports out is a challenge,” he said. “It’s disquieting and creates a lot of stress.”

Jones found himself in an unfortunate position in 1999 as shop steward in the assessor’s office when the task of settling myriad disputes resulted in reprimands from current assessor Tom Baenen. The News-Times obtained a copy of a letter of discipline in Jones’ file.

Jones said the problems have been resolved, adding that he could have filed an injunction to keep his personnel file from the public. Instead, he said he wanted to be honest.

“I happened to be in the middle of that,” he said. “For 18 years to have one thing in my file, I can live with that. If you can’t be honest, you don’t have anything.”

Mason, who has resided on Whidbey Island, also runs the Island County Office of Public Defense and the county’s Veteran’s Assistance Fund. He served in the U.S. Navy for 14 years and attended Chapman University, where he majored in Business Administration. He is also a volunteer lieutenant with South Whidbey Fire and Rescue and volunteers with Island County Emergency Services.

Jones, a former police officer, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Texas A & M University, Kingsville. He also received training specific to positions he held as federal grant auditor and appraiser.

Both candidates feel improved customer service is vital to the office’s success. Mason said as a county insider, he understands how the assessor processes should function.

“I know these processes,” Mason said. “More importantly, for 11 years I’ve had the front row seat in government for the assessor’s processes without actually being in the office. I’m the guy who runs the program that you appeal to if you disagree with the decision the assessor has made.”

Jones would like to assemble a team of staff members that would attend every Board of Equalization hearing and provide increased services on Camano Island.

“If we don’t go to those, it’s giving the impression we don’t care,” he said. “I think that has hurt the perception of the office a lot. That’s something I would definitely reinstate. We would have someone attending those meetings and explaining things.”

Each candidate is a strong proponent of transforming the assessor’s office into an accessible entity where taxpayers feel comfortable and respected.

The timing of when an assessment is sent out is also crucial, Mason said. He believes that they should be mailed June 1, which is a discretionary decision of the assessor.

“Then most of those checks and balances, the appeals process, the direct contact with the assessor’s office, the exemptions and deferrals, all of those things have a chance to be employed before the assessment rolls become the tax rolls,” he said.

Jones promotes double mailings, which the office has discontinued due to the postage expense. The office already operates with what the candidate called a “very low budget for personnel costs.”

“That’s one of the main reasons we don’t have two mailings anymore,” Jones said. “I would like to see it come back, but we’d have to have the money to do it.”

Returning to the technology debate, Jones said the office will be purchasing statistical software designed to work with mass appraisal. The software should help lessen the tediousness of inputting data. He said he would have staff work in teams to dilute the labor intensive data entry.

“That alone would speed up the time it takes to do statistical updating,” he said, adding that he feels the Department of Revenue should specify a state-wide program for assessors’ offices to use.

In stark contrast to Jones’s opinion, Mason likened the use of current computer system to getting the most out of an aging vehicle.

“I want to drive it for 200,000 miles with the talent we have in the office,” Mason said.

Spikes in the number of appeals can be predicted and lessened with proper market assessment. Mason continued.

“If we keep up with the market, we won’t have to catch up to it, and we should be able to remove a lot of those peaks and valleys,” he said.

Both candidates are impressed with the current staff and believe the collective talent can be managed and harnessed for the betterment of the office.

“I think with the staff we have and the experience we have, we can overcome a lot of the problems or go around a lot of the problems and still be effective and efficient at what we do,” Jones said.

“I believe that our people want to do the best they can,” Mason said. “I know how good government can be. I see daily how good government can be. We can make government that good.”

Managerially, Jones has undergone training in all of his jobs, including management training while earning his college degree. He pointed to his family as proof of his managerial prowess. The candidate’s wife, Kathleen, helped him raise three wonderful children, a son and two daughters.

“That is really telling how you manage your personal life,” he said.

Mason has acquired leadership skills from his Navy, professional, and volunteer experiences. His family includes his wife, Susan Marchese, and four dogs donated to the Search and Rescue dogs program.

To learn more about the Republican candidates, visit their respective Web sites at www.dan4assessor.org and www.DonMasonForAssessor.org.