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Clock ticking on assessor referendum

By Blackwell Thomas, The Southern

Thursday, July 24, 2008 10:43 PM CDT

CARBONDALE - The inclusion of a referendum on whether the county tax assessor should be elected or appointed is far from a sure thing on this November's ballot.

According to the measure's prime sponsor, County Board Member Dan Bost, it's about 1,200 signatures away.

Supporters have until Aug. 18 to submit 4,200 signatures, or one-tenth of the county's electorate, to ensure the referendum is attached. The only other way the referendum can be included is through a vote by the county board.

Bost said Thursday he's optimistic that voters will see the referendum included on their ballots.

"We are moving right a long," he said of the signature drive. "And if we don't make it this time, there is enough of a consensus and awareness is growing. It's going to be on the ballot eventually."

Bost added, "I think there is a chance that the board could vote yes on this."

But the board hasn't done that yet. And, at an early June committee meeting, the group tasked with reviewing the referendum made no recommendations.

At an earlier committee meeting on the matter, board members asked political scientist John Jackson of Southern Illinois University Carbondale to weigh in on the matter.

Jackson said he recommended against the election of an assessor.

"There are problems with the concept," he said. "You've got a lot of executive officers already, and this adds on more to it. The public administration literature suggests it's better to appoint and hold the people who do the appointing accountable at the ballot box."

The assessor's post is a highly specialized one that requires a more thorough consideration of credentials than most voters care to undertake, said Jackson.

"It's a very technical position that requires expertise gained by study," he said. "Those people can be found more easily by officials. The public generally doesn't take the time to look at the candidates' qualifications that thoroughly."

Murphysboro resident Russ Wright said there is no question in his mind that the voters should decide the appoint-elect question

"There is some possibility that the voters, by voting no, will come back and say, 'We don't want this decision (and) we prefer to have the county board continue to make that decision,'" he said. "But we do think that the voters should at least be consulted. and that's what this is basically about."

blackwell.thomas@thesouthern.com

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