Nothing is certain except death and taxes, Benjamin Franklin wrote, which suggests there’s a long life ahead for the Ventura County Assessor’s Office. For tax purposes, the assessor sets the value of real estate and personal property in the county, including businesses, boats, airplanes and manufactured homes.
Dan Goodwin has held the job for more than 15 years, after winning a 1998 election. He is campaigning for a new four-year term in the June 3 election.
The Star endorses Mr. Goodwin for re-election because of his superior grasp of the complex issues of the Assessor’s Office and his record of running it efficiently and professionally, including his support for strong ethics policies to prevent conflicts of interest. We recommend him to voters notwithstanding recent tax-policy controversies that thrust him into news headlines.
His challenger in the election is John J. Griffin, a college finance instructor and member of the county Democratic Central Committee. The Thousand Oaks resident is making a positive contribution by offering himself as a candidate. We commend Mr. Griffin, who should feel encouraged to stay involved in government and civic matters.
Mr. Goodwin owned an Oxnard real-estate appraisal firm before he became a public official, and today he is an articulate, knowledgeable leader in his field.
He also knows the assessor’s role isn’t to write tax laws — that’s a legislative function. His duty is to make sure the enacted laws are applied consistently, fairly, fully and equally.
So when eligibility questions arose about nonprofit organizations’ exemptions from property tax, and when some low-income housing projects’ payments to cities seemed questionable under state law, it was appropriate for the Assessor’s Office to take a hands-on approach rather than turn a blind eye.
Indeed, the state Legislature recently held hearings and wrote legislation to underscore the very issue Mr. Goodwin cited regarding the payments to cities. It looks like legislators agreed with him that the law wasn’t being followed.
Likewise, whether one agrees with nonprofits renting out their tax-exempt facilities in direct, commercial competition to taxpaying venues, there clearly is more than one side to the issue — and such exemptions face limits by law. To its credit, the Assessor’s Office engaged in discussions over a period of time in an effort to resolve the conflicts.
The assessor’s approach reflects a determination to apply the law without fear or favor, and let the chips fall where they may. In so doing, he has professionally and faithfully served property owners, the county and the greater public interest.
In view of his record and his desire to serve for four more years, The Star endorses Mr. Goodwin.
http://johngriffin4assessor.com/
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/may/04/editorial-dan-goodwin-for-county-assessor-in-3/#ixzz30lxO0Azk
- vcstar.com
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