Three Republicans are seeking their party’s nomination for Jefferson County Assessor in the Aug. 2 primary election.
They are seeking to replace Terry Roesch, who is not running for another four-year term. Roesch, a Democrat, was appointed to the post in late 2010 to succeed Randy Holman, who was appointed to the State Tax Commission by Gov. Jay Nixon. He was elected to the post in 2012.
The winner of the Republican primary will square off against Todd W. Melkus of the Hillsboro area, the commercial real estate supervisor under Roesch.
The three Republicans seeking the seat are Bob Boyer of Arnold, a surveyor who also represents District 3 on the Jefferson County Council; Mary Dunnegan of Dittmer, who owns a tax and accounting service and also works for a title company; and Cary Blum, who is the real estate appraisal supervisor under Roesch.
The assessor is paid $81,149 per year.
BOYER, 43, lives at 2387 Starling Airport Road, Arnold. He and his wife, Misty, have three children. He is a licensed professional land surveyor and project manager for the Sterling Company in south St. Louis County. He received an associate’s degree from Jefferson College in 2002. In addition to serving on the Jefferson County Council since 2011, Boyer is a member of White Flag Christian Church (formerly St. John’s Lutheran Church), the Missouri Society of Professional Surveyors, a board member for GET FIT Transitional Living, a Christian nonprofit organization that provides transitional housing to the people in need and has been a member of the Jefferson County Certified Work-Ready Community Council since 2012.
Social media: Website: www.ElectBobBoyer.com Facebook: facebook.com/BoyerforAssessor Twitter: @BobBoyer316
DUNNEGAN, 51, lives at 9924 Hawks Point Drive, Dittmer. She and her husband, David Kelsay, have three children and two grandchildren. She has been self-employed at Dunnegan Tax and Accounting since 1994 and St. Louis Title LLC since 2005. She also worked at Grimes Tax and Accounting from 1991-1994, St. John’s Accounting from1995-2000 and Research and Consulting LLC from 2000 to 2005. She is a 1984 graduate of Northwest High School and is a University of Missouri-St. Louis graduate and has attended various tax and land title continuing education courses. She has been a president of the Maple Grove Elementary School PTO, has served as a girls basketball coach in the Northwest R-1 School District and has been a Boy Scout and Girl Scout leader. She and her late husband, Daryl, started Backpacks for Schools, which provides backpacks and supplies for children.
Social media: Website: citizensformarydunnegan@aol.com Facebook: mary dunnegan for assessor
BLUM, 54, lives at 12933 Blum Lane, De Soto. He and his wife, Teresa, have one child and three grandchildren. He has worked for the Assessor’s Office since 1993. A 1980 graduate of De Soto High School, he has earned a state residential real estate appraiser license certification and has more than 900 hours of continuing education classes and training in the field. He is a member of the De Soto Knights of Columbus and Elks and is a parishioner at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in De Soto.
Social media: Website www.blumforassessor.com Facebook: Blum for Assessor
What are the assessor's duties? Why are you qualified to carry them out?
Boyer: The assessor keeps track of all real estate and personal property and values that property fortaxing purposes. My experience as a licensed professional land surveyor, county councilman andtaxpayer makes me uniquely qualified for this position. While there are real estate appraisers currently inthe office, I will bring my 13 years of experience and professional knowledge of land issues, my leadershipskills as a project manager, and my history of cutting taxes and spending while serving on the CountyCouncil, to make the office more efficient, and work for you, not against you.
Dunnegan: The Assessor’s Office is not just one thing; it is probably the single most responsible office connected within the entire state and local taxation. The assessor is responsible for the administration of the office and also must keep accurate sales data, proper ownership, assessment maps that reflect correct parcel identification, sales comparisons and of appraisal and assessments for real estate, personal property and business. Having experience as a real estate title examiner, along with my tax and accounting experience, I can use these tools to create a more accurate, efficient and fair assessments for the taxpayers of Jefferson County.
Blum: To value all taxable real and personal property in accordance with professional mass appraisal standards and ensuring all assessments are fair and equitable. I am the only candidate trained by the International Association of Assessing Officers in mass appraisal applications and I have completed hundreds of hours of appraisal courses. I have worked in the mass appraisal field for 23 years and have a thorough knowledge of how a county assessor’s office operates. I am the only candidate in the race who is a state-certified real estate appraiser. The office needs to be led by someone versed in mass appraisal standards.
What, if anything, needs to be done to make the assessment process more fair?
Boyer: State law sets certain minimum standards for assessments. Those minimum standards should be published and easily-accessible to the public. The one complaint I have heard while on the campaign trail is that the value of a home went down due to the recession but their taxes went up. As assessor, I will publish a chart with all the taxing districts, the rate of tax and the amount each district is taxing to make sure it is clear where your tax dollars are going. Good government requires transparency and honest communication with the public. My door will always be open to the public for questions or concerns about their assessments.
Dunnegan: We need to make the assessments more accurate, with proper record keeping and correcting data that is incorrect and ignored. If the information is wrong for any reasons, the information that the office gives to schools, fire and ambulance district and appraisers can and does have very serious consequences. We need to be more efficient and faster in the way we collect data. The Assessor’s Office also needs to be more transparent and have better public relations. If you are open to listening, being truthful and are willing to roll up your sleeves and work for the people you serve, the process will be more than fair.
Blum: The assessment process in Missouri is governed by comprehensive state statutes and is monitored by the State Tax Commission. What's critical in the operation of the Assessor’s Office is adherence to these standards and providing transparency to residents. An assessor trained in mass appraisal will implement safeguards to ensure assessment practices are fair and performed accurately. Every election, candidates claim if they are elected they will lower taxes. This is a hollow promise that would be illegal and is well beyond the authority the assessor has. For the assessment process to be fair, the leadership must be trained in appraisal and have an understanding of all legislative requirements and standards required to be effective.
Should the assessor's job continue to be an elected, partisan position? Why or why not? Boyer: The assessor, and all other currently elected positions, should continue to be elected. It is important to be accountable to the people, and the only way to do that is through the election process. As we have seen with the former appointed Fox Schools superintendent, appointed positions without oversight can sometimes lead to disastrous results. In 2012, I led the charge to make the County Council and County Executive positions nonpartisan, as well as to enact term limits. I believe in principles, not politics. I am the only candidate in this race who has a proven, conservative record. I also represent traditional Republican principles by being pro-life, pro-gun rights and believe that government governs best when it governs the least.
Dunnegan: The assessor should be an elected position, though it is not an office that should be political. I have worked with other counties that appoint their officials and some are qualified and some you leave saying, ‘How did that person get that job?’ The taxpayers should always have a say in who is in office. When I vote, I get the right to complain about that person and maybe do something about in the next election. If that person is appointed, there is always doubt. The Assessor’s Office is too important to leave in the hands of a small group of people that may have its own agenda.
Blum: The assessor should always remain an elected official. This position is representative of the residents of Jefferson County and those residents should have a voice in who represents them. Elected officials will always be more responsive to the residents than an appointed bureaucrat who never has to worry about losing his or her job. My decision to run for assessor is based solely on my experience, knowledge and leadership that I have gained during my employment in the office and is not simply a political steppingstone.
What would you do to improve public access to data controlled by your office?
Boyer: The county’s Geographic Information System (GIS) is currently being maintained in part of three county departments. If we combined the resources into one GIS department, streamlining the processes and procedures, we can save taxpayer dollars and provide better service. Also, there needs to be a thorough and complete review of the record information used for assessments, from the paper cards used to track property transfers to the aerial imagery in the GIS system. This will require working with other county departments to make sure information is accurate.
Dunnegan: Public access to information is one of my most pressing issue. As a title examiner, my source of information is the Assessor’s Office. I do this for a living every day and I have difficulty with the lack of information that is available. The public website is not a friendly user site. The lack of updated information, including address and current ownership, is the one of the many problems. We will improve and upgrade the public website to be accurate and more current. We will work on expanding online filing for personal and business property. We will also be more transparent and always listen to the concerns of the residents.
Blum: The data collected by the Assessor’s Office is the property of the residents of the county and they have the right to have total access to it. I have always advocated allowing full access and have played an integral part of putting information online. The data collected by the office is comprehensive and necessary in numerous applications such as Geographic Information Systems, computer-aided mass appraisal software and jurisdictional boundaries. I would continue advancing the personal property electronic filing program to include the ability for both businesses and individuals to file their personal property returns online, saving taxpayers time and money. I will ensure that all data is available to all our residents, county offices and all entities.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected. (125-word limit.)
Boyer: I am the only candidate in this race who provides the voters a choice, not an echo. I am uniquely qualified to serve in this role. My goal is for the Assessor’s Office to work for you and not against you. I am the only candidate who has a proven, conservative record of treating people with respect and not as revenue generators. I have watched over their tax dollars as if it were my own, protected their rights, freedoms and liberties against overreaches of government, and worked hard to make Jefferson County more prosperous and economically successful. I am the right person to move the office into the 21st century and provide the level of service the public deserves.
Dunnegan: Voters will need a dependable, capable and experience person working for them. With my 15 years of experience in real estate and my 26 years of accounting and tax preparation, they will be assured that I will work every day to earn their trust and that they can be confident in me and the office that I hold will be transparent, that we will listen and value their concerns. As assessor, I will correct and upgrade the database, providing accurate and information for fair and accurate assessment on real, personal and business property. I will offer a public website that is more accurate and easier to use and have the office more available for customer service needs.
Blum: As a state-certified residential appraiser, I understand property values and know the safeguards that are necessary to ensure assessments are fair, accurate and uniform. I have 23 years of experience and knowledge of working in the Assessor’s Office in real estate, personal property and assessment administration along with more than 900 hours of certified continuing education that prepares me to advance to the position of assessor. As the appraisal supervisor for the last 18 years, I’m experienced in managing assessment personnel, which is critical in providing accurate assessments. I will ensure that as your assessor, I will provide quality conservative assessments, professional responsive customer service and most importantly, trained, competent employees who are committed to treating taxpayers respectfully.