Results of Debate for Shelby County Assessor

I made it to the Shelby County Assessor of Property debate hosted by the Defenders of Freedom last night. The candidates, each of whom won their respective primaries, are Democrat Cheyenne Johnson and Republican Bill Giannini.

Ms. Johnson (I can't find a website for her) showed up with a large contingent of supporters, including her boss, current Shelby County Assessor Rita Clark. Her main argument for being the next Assessor is that she has been a "public servant" for twenty years and has worked for the Assessor's office for a number of years. She is currently the chief administrative officer (CAO) of the office and is intimately familiar with its workings.

Mr. Giannini (website here) cited a variety of experience. His first company was Giannini Foods, a wholesale specialty food company that went from a one-man company to a multi-million dollar operation that he eventually sold when his mother was sick and family demands on his time grew too great. He also opened a restaurant called Little Italy Pizza on Union Avenue, which is still open today. He has also been a realtor in Shelby County for a number of years working for Roebuck Auctions, which has made him familiar with the appraisal process (and problems).

If you get the chance to hear these candidates speak, I encourage you to do so. This is an important office -- the Assessor is responsible for setting property values that are the source of over 60 percent of the county's revenue. But for now, here is my assessment of the debate.

Johnson's argument for her to be elected was, to me, rather weak. She believes that because she is the CAO, she is qualified to be in charge and make strategic decisions. I believe this to be a non sequitur; just because you are a good civil servant does not mean that you will be good in the driver's seat. I'm not saying that she is any less qualified than Giannini, I'm saying she did not even attempt to prove her point.

Giannini, on the other hand, has been the man in charge of at least two successful ventures, and has led the Shelby County GOP for two terms. Will he do as well in if he is handed the Assessor's office? That remains to be seen, but his experience seems to qualify him for the opportunity.

Two points stood out during the debate Q&A portion of the program.

First, each candidate was asked to respond to the recent article in the Commercial Appeal about commercial property that sold for far more than the value appraised by the Assessor's office. Johnson's response is that buyer patterns can't be explained -- paraphrasing, she said, "Who knows why someone would spend $45 million on a $16 million property?" Giannini said that the problem was that commercial property owners can hire lawyers to work the appeals process to de-value the property and reduce their taxes, an option that isn't available to the average homeowner. He said that the way to fix this is to back up the appraisers. Again paraphrasing, he said, "These people have spent their entire careers appraising property and are very good at it. I will support them when their assessments are being challenged by lawyers."

Second, each candidate was asked how they would control costs. Johnson spoke in generalities about efficiencies and using modern tools. Among other things, Giannini rebutted well and went further, warning some of those in the Assessor's office that were making 80 or 90 thousand dollars a year that he would be looking to eliminate high-paying positions if they were not justified (and some of these individuals were sitting in the audience).

Overall, Johnson was reserved and Giannini was animated. Johnson was "stay the course" and Giannini was for fixing problems with specific strategies for doing so.

Bill Giannini was the clear winner of the debate and, as such, as won AlphaPatriot's endorsement for Shelby County Assessor of Property.

 

Posted on Tuesday at 1:27 PM in category Giannini, Bill
Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

---