Webmaster’s note: Candidate Sam Walker originally wrote this for the Journal Gazette. It is reprinted here with his permission.
Walker’s education, experience and expertise to help him as Allen County Assessor
I absolutely love my job. I have been serving the taxpayers of Wayne Township these last seven and a half years as the chief deputy assessor under Beverly Zuber. I have been honored and humbled in my role of public service, and I am a better individual for it. During that time, I have gained education, experience and expertise, and I want to utilize those qualities to serve all Allen County as your county assessor.
Education: I have the most certifications and the highest levels of certification of anyone in Allen County. I am not only state certified, but I have two globally recognized professional designations. Altogether I hold 16 state and worldwide certifications that encompass all aspects of property assessment. I am the most certified and educated assessing official t in all of northern Indiana.
Experience: As Wayne Township chief deputy assessor, we have reorganized and restructured to serve taxpayers in a more efficient and friendly manner. Assessment appeals have considerably decreased from the time Zuber took office in 2007. Before our administration, Wayne Township was unresponsive and had trouble hitting state-mandated deadlines. Now, we are leaders and we are innovators.
Expertise: I have firsthand working knowledge of every aspect possible regarding property assessments – real estate, personal property, residential, commercial, rentals, appeals, reassessment, nontaxable properties, etc. I manage under the philosophy that I will not ask anyone to do something I wouldn’t be willing to do myself. And through my working knowledge, I have been able to develop proven methods and procedures to keep Wayne Township at the forefront.
This is what I bring to the table, and this is what I want to offer all the taxpayers of Allen County. On Nov. 4, I humbly ask for your support, and together we can take Allen County and the assessor’s offices to the next level of service.