Editorial: Neysa Fligor is best choice for Santa Clara County's next assessor

"Fligor, a former attorney for Santa Clara County, has represented the assessor's office in contentious appeals over property values. Last year, after nine years in the private sector as a senior attorney for HP, she went to work for Stone serving as special assistant to the assessor and, since he retired,assistant assessor. Currently second in command, Fligor is responsible for the 250-person office's day-to-day operations."

"including its annual assessment roll process and the office's multi-million-dollar replacement of its 40-year-old software system. Fligor - currently also vice mayor of Los Altos and president of the Cities Association of Santa Clara County - is ready to lead. Her performance in the office has earned her the endorsement of both Stone and local unions - who often sharply disagreed."

"The office of the assessor is not a typical elected position. Determining the values of properties isn't about politics. Instead, this job requires pure adherence to the strict calculus of property assessment and the letter of state laws, including Proposition 13, California's 1978 voter-approved tax-cutting initiative. Moreover, Santa Clara County is not your typical county. It is home not only to the most valuable companies on the planet but also its most technologically sophisticated."

Larry Stone retired after 30 years as Santa Clara County assessor, prompting a Nov. 4 special election to select his replacement. Neysa Fligor is the assistant assessor and the leading candidate, with experience as a county attorney, senior HP attorney, special assistant to the assessor, and oversight of daily operations for a 250-person office. Fligor manages the annual assessment roll and a multi-million-dollar software replacement, and holds local elected and association leadership roles. The assessor role requires strict adherence to property assessment law amid a high volume of large corporate valuation appeals. About $142 billion in assessed value is currently disputed.

Read at The Mercury News