Job Opening in City Hall

At the Legal Committee meeting on Thursday night, it was revealed that the city has no assessor. Garth Slocum's six-year term as city assessor--he was appointed by Mayor Dick Tracy in 2007--ended on September 30. Slocum was not reappointed, nor has anyone else been appointed to fill the position. 

In today's Register-Star, John Mason reports: "Mayor William Hallenbeck Jr. said he's in conversation with the New York Conference of Mayors and the state Office of Real Property Services to determine whether the city's currently listed job qualifications are sound." The article goes on to say that the mayor is "looking at all the specifications to determine how to go about advertising for the position" and quotes the mayor as saying, "We may or may not wait till after the election." The entire article can be read here: "City seeking assessor."

Right now, many people are applying or reapplying for STAR exemptions, and it would be nice if there were an assessor in place to answer questions and remind people who need to do so to reapply. While it is admirable that the mayor is doing his due diligence and "looking for the best assessor we can find," one wonders why this didn't take place before Slocum's term was up. Surely the mayor knew well in advance of September 30 that he didn't intend to reappoint him.