Two vying to succeed Yuba County assessor
The Yuba County assessor post may not be the most high-profile job, but the two men seeking the seat on June 8 say they have a strong sense of its importance.
Sutter County Assistant Assessor Bruce Stottlemeyer and Olivehurst Public Utility District Director Ron Dougherty are seeking to replace longtime Assessor Dave Brown, who opted not to run for another four-year term.
The position has a base salary of $95,316.
Dougherty, a Plumas Lake resident, said an effective assessor has to protect taxpayers when making decisions, and understand how much impact those decisions have when property values are in dramatic flux, as they are now.
Doing well also means being open to criticism, he said, and maintaining strong levels of communication with not only property owners but other government agencies, county residents and the media.
Stottlemeyer, who lives in Marysville, said he sees the assessor role as being enhanced by initiatives he hopes to take up if elected. Those include allowing smaller businesses to file their reports of taxable property once every three years rather than annually, raising the low-value exemption ordinance to $5,000 from $1,000, and notifying people of changes in assessed values during the summer rather than when they get their bill.
The assessor's office can be more effective if it focuses on what makes sense, he said.
"We need to quit walking over dollars to pick up pennies," he said.
Voters will want an assessor who has experience and knows how to make the office run efficiently and sensibly, Stottlemeyer said.
With his background as a state government auditor and analyst, Dougherty said his skills are more diverse.
"I believe I bring experience beyond the role of being an employee in an office," said Dougherty, who also cited his past experience as an administrative officer in the military. "I not only have the skill set, I bring a whole different perspective."
Dougherty, elected to the OPUD board two years ago, said he's sensitive to the observation he appears politically ambitious.
But because property taxes are a critical part of a county government's finances, he said, looking for a role as assessor shows more a willingness to serve.
"For me, it's a way to continue my path of contributions to the county, in a full-time job," he said. "I have a record of involvement."
If Stottlemeyer is elected, he'd be working in proximity to his wife Donna, clerk to both the Yuba County Board of Supervisors and the assessment appeals board. But he said he doesn't see too much influence being in one couple's hands if that happened.
"I don't see a conflict," he said. "She really has a limited role with the assessment appeals board."
CONTACT Ben van der Meer at 749-4709 or bvandermeer@appealdemocrat.com.
Bruce Stottlemeyer
Age: 53
Residence: Marysville
Occupation: Assistant assessor for Sutter County
Clubs and organizations: Member, California Assessors Association; former member, United Way and Kiwanis Club
Quote: “My experience, number one, is 23 years in the assessment business. I’m a property owner, and I know what paying property taxes is like.”
Ron Dougherty
Age: Declined to state
Residence: Plumas Lake
Occupation: Analyst with the California Department of Finance
Clubs and organizations: Board member, Olivehurst Public Utility District; vice president, Yuba County Alliance for Development; member, South Yuba County Economic Improvement Committee
Quote: “If I was a politician, I certainly wouldn’t take this role, with the associated pressure and time it takes to be assessor. Every move I make is to make this county the best it can be.”
