I attended a luncheon recently and heard each of the three candidates for Island County Assessor tell why they should be elected. I am glad I went.

Dave Mattens is the only Democrat running for the office which is being vacated by the retiring incumbent Tom Baenen. Republicans Dan Jones and Don Mason are also seeking the same office. There seemed to be a lot of discord between these two men, but they both appeared to agree in part with their Democratic opponent Dave Mattens.

Dan Jones currently works in the assessor’s office. He strongly agrees with Mattens that the office needs to be brought into the 21st Century with new software and technology.

Don Mason, currently working as clerk of the Board of Equalization, is adamant that things should stay as they are, stating he is mainly interested in saving “your checkbook” and keeping costs down. Mason made a comment, “We should question our values.” Of course, the audience knew he was referring to our real estate property values, but coming from a member of the party that is always talking about values, it struck me as humorous.

Mr. Jones made a statement about “helping the community grow.” I never considered that as part of the assessor’s job. It also sounded as if Dan Jones was critical of Mr. Mason’s Board of Equalization office and the job being done there. Are these two offices at odds?

A couple of the main points Dave Mattens spoke to was the need for all offices in the Courthouse to begin working together with computer systems that are integrated throughout the County Campus. He suggested improving personnel relations between offices by building alliances, “not thicker silo walls.”

Mason agreed with Mattens that better customer service and working relationships with other county offices would benefit everyone.

Mr. Baenen strongly indicated that new systems are needed for the assessor’s office and advocates professionals be brought in to evaluate their needs. Mattens said one must decide what is needed first and recommended a professional “needs analysis.” He said grants are available that might pay for some updates.

Even those with limited computer background know how quickly technological advances make systems obsolete. Mattens remarked, ‘If you’re sitting still, you’re falling behind.’

Dan Jones talked about the thousands of dollars being wasted each year to maintain the old system and that a new system would pay dividends in the long run; so he also agrees with Mattens on this point.

The meeting provided valuable insight into how the candidates think. I hope interested voters will take every opportunity to hear what candidates have to say. An informed electorate is a good electorate.

In conclusion, it was an eye-opener to see the two Republican candidates disagree with each other on virtually every point while they agreed with Dave Mattens, the Democratic candidate, on several.

M. Sue Tingstad

Coupeville