October 22, 2009
Is that Kermit the Frog doing the voice over?

Assessor candidate Bob Rosenberger, who dumped $60,000 into his campaign last week, has decided to spend that money on some TV ads. Good choice. I'm a big believer in the effectiveness of TV advertising. You might want to pick a different advertising consultant next time though. I appreciate that you know how to do 2nd grade addition but I think we're looking for a bit more in our County Assessor.

You also might not want to mislead voters into thinking you're the incumbent by telling them you've worked as an assessor for 24 years. Not only is it dishonest, this isn't shaping up to be a good year for incumbency.

Posted by MarkGriswold at October 22, 2009 09:39 AM | Email This
Comments
1. Vote for Lloyd Hara. He's done a great job at the Port, and he knows how to lead and manage a government agency.

Posted by: Commentator on October 22, 2009 10:08 AM
2. Mark, thank you for using Lloyd's talking points in your posting. But what you do not explain is what is dishonest about the ad. Bob did work as an assessor, a deputy assessor for 24 years and does know what the assessors he will be managing and leading actually do. What does Lloyd Hara know about assessing? Even the management experience he claims to have, when was the last time he actually managed anything? He was fired from FEMA after only 10 months on the job and the voters in Seattle voted to eliminate the treasurer's office last time he was in it. Even that job he resigned from it without giving notice.
This year alone, Lloyd filed with the PDC to run in three separate elections, first as Director of Elections in February, when heard from people tha he didn't have any experience for that position, he decided he was going to defend his Port Commissioner position and then filed to run as an assessor. Do you see any connections in those position that you can tie to his experience, because I don't. The only thing I see is a salary increase to what Lloyd is making now as Port Commissioner. Could it be that its the money that's motivating him? Is this someone we really need as an assessor?

Posted by: Akikom on October 22, 2009 11:00 AM
3. From Lloyd Hara's King County Democratic party Questionaire:

I am a Democrat, and have been known as a Democrat since the Kennedy administration. I ran statewide for Treasurer as a Democrat. I am active in Democratic campaigns. Democratic President Bill Clinton appointed me to a federal agency position, after I served as Vice Chair of his state campaign. I have a history of presenting myself as a Democrat in campaigns for nonpartisan office such as City Treasurer and Port Commissioner, and even in appearances at Republican gatherings.

Nuff Said on Lloyd for this site.

Posted by: EastsideElephant on October 22, 2009 12:56 PM
4. That Muni League endorsement killed it for me. No way for Rosenburger if they support him.

I hear from Kirby W the Albertini is a good pick. Why I don't know. Maybe somebody else hear can elucidate.

Posted by: G Jiggy on October 22, 2009 02:23 PM
5. Albertini has been an assessor for decades. More importantly, he's the one who blew the whistle on WaMu's over-inflated assessments for home loans.

Posted by: Camille on October 22, 2009 03:41 PM
6. I disagree, Mark, I think that ad is really good. There really isn't anything misleading or dishonest in the ad. The kid will win votes alone from women voters.

Posted by: Jacob on October 22, 2009 05:00 PM
7. Here are some answers to the questions y'all asked: saying Bob was an assessor for 24 years is like saying Dr. Laura is a psychological counselor. It may be true but its a streatch and also seriously misleading. EVERYBODY who works to set any value used for property taxes is an assessor, but they are not an Assessor (capital A) which is a completely different job!

Akikom lists a whole bunch of things against Lloyd Hara that were completely disproved in another blog several weeks ago; did you just cut and paste that old argument?

Kirby W, years ago, used to work for the Assessor (not Scott Noble, but an earlier one) and understands assessment and appraisal very well. He may or may not know Graham Albertini but it would be great if he ever moderated a candidates' forum - something which seems really, really lacking in this race.

Either Albertini or Hara would be the best pick for this job. But Albertini was not an assessor, he is a fee appraiser. The jobs are similar but also different, in terms of scope. A fee appraiser spends hours and uses several specific sales for each house, the assessor uses lots of houses and lots of data to develop predictive automated value models, sort of like Zillow except Zillow doesn't independantly verify data.

Jacob, the kid is really annoying in the ad. Its a real turn-off and I think a waste of money. But its Bob's own money, so who cares? Women - I happen to be one of them - will not vote for Bob because of the annoying kid.

Posted by: MJ on October 22, 2009 06:14 PM
8. I was going to vote for Hara until I heard that Albertini was favored by many conservatives. Rob McKenna is endorsing him. So I'm probably changing my vote to Albertini. If he doesn't win, Hara is probably the 2nd best choice.

Posted by: Michele on October 23, 2009 12:30 AM
9. Clarifications:

1. Rosenberger has never been an ASSESSOR. He has been an APPRAISER (many of whom work in the Dept. of Assessments along with other specialists, and in private industry).

2. Albertini has never been an ASSESSOR. He has been (and still is) an APPRAISER in private industry.

3. Rosenberger was never Deputy Assessor (an informal title generally reserved for the singular Chief Deputy Assessor who acts as departmental C.O.O., or even less formally for one of the four major division heads within the department.

4. Rosenberger was never a head of a division. He was never a manager. He was never a supervisor. He was never one of 10 Senior Appraisers in a department of over 200 employees, even after 24 years on the job.

5. Washington law empowers the elected ASSESSOR to swear in "assistants or deputies", i.e., the Department under his command. This is the only sense in which Rosenberger was ever "a deputy assessor".

6. Albertini managed a group of APPRAISERS back in 1995. He had hiring and firing authority. How many staff? How many levels? Did he have departmental budgetary responsibilities? Policy responsibilities? Interagency liaison responsibilities? We do not know. Do you?

Posted by: RonK, Seattle on October 23, 2009 07:41 AM
10. Clarifications:

1. Rosenberger has never been an ASSESSOR. He has been an APPRAISER (many of whom work in the Dept. of Assessments along with other specialists, and in private industry).

2. Albertini has never been an ASSESSOR. He has been (and still is) an APPRAISER in private industry.

3. Rosenberger was never Deputy Assessor (an informal title generally reserved for the singular Chief Deputy Assessor who acts as departmental C.O.O., or even less formally for one of the four major division heads within the department.

4. Rosenberger was never a head of a division. He was never a manager. He was never a supervisor. He was never one of 10 Senior Appraisers in a department of over 200 employees, even after 24 years on the job.

5. Washington law empowers the elected ASSESSOR to swear in "assistants or deputies", i.e., the Department under his command. This is the only sense in which Rosenberger was ever "a deputy assessor".

6. Albertini managed a group of APPRAISERS back in 1995. He had hiring and firing authority. How many staff? How many levels? Did he have departmental budgetary responsibilities? Policy responsibilities? Interagency liaison responsibilities? We do not know. Do you?

Posted by: RonK, Seattle on October 23, 2009 07:42 AM
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