Wahkiakum Democrats endorse Coons for assessor

To The Eagle:

Although no Democrat is running in the race for Wahkiakum County assessor, both candidates have come to Wahkiakum County Democratic Party meetings and asked for our endorsement. The decision whether to endorse a candidate in a Democrat-free race was one we discussed for some time. We decided that the party has a duty to promote excellence in government, so we should take a stand and endorse a candidate in the Wahkiakum County assessor race. Once we made that decision, the hard choices ended.

The Wahkiakum County Democratic Party endorses Bill Coons’s campaign for county assessor. He is clearly and by far the most qualified candidate. His years of real estate experience alone would have made him the most qualified, even if he had not already shown his skill at the job with the dramatic improvements he made in the office since he took over eight years ago. He took an embattled and demoralized office and turned it into an efficient and accurate operation staffed with energized and competent professionals.

And besides being good for the office, Bill Coons has been good for the landowners of the county. Many is the time Bill’s encyclopedic knowledge of properties and valuations has allowed him to spot an exemption a landowner did not know of or forgot to claim. An assessor cannot reduce taxes and has limited leeway even with real estate valuations, which have to be done based on rules legally mandated by the State of Washington. But an expert like Bill Coons can do a lot of good work within those rules that a less skilled assessor cannot. There are people in this county who owe their continued residence in their own homes to Bill Coons.

That’s why Wahkiakum County Democrats endorse Bill Coons for assessor: He is far and away the most qualified candidate - and he uses his position to do good. Please join us in re-electing Bill Coons.

Dave Zabel, Chair

Wahkiakum County Democratic Central Committee