By Jessica Tuggle
jtuggle@hometownnewsol.com
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY - The race for property appraiser is heating up as the election date approaches.
David Nolte, current Indian River County property appraiser is being challenged by Thomas Dehn, a private sector property appraiser.
The two candidates, both registered Republicans, will face off during the August primary.
Mr. Nolte has more than 31 years of experience as the county's property appraiser, and has earned an accredited senior appraiser designation from the American Society of Appraisers, an international society of professional valuers, and a CFA, or a senior mass appraisal designation, from the state.
"I feel I'm not young enough to retire," Mr. Nolte said.
"I truly enjoy working with the people and coming into the office every day and dealing with the challenges," he said.
Mr. Nolte holds the distinction of being the first Republican to be elected as a constitutional officer in Indian River County, and is currently the longest-serving elected official in the county.
Each year, he and other staff members at the property appraiser's office complete 24 hours of continuous education to stay on top of new regulations, mandates and technology.
Yearly legislative rule changes bring changes to the software system used to prepare and document appraised properties. Keeping up with what will best serve the community and be stable, trustworthy programs is difficult, but not impossible, Mr. Nolte said.
Because of his length of service so far, Mr. Nolte believes his institutional knowledge is a valuable asset. His willingness to track and bring new ideas to the office provides balance and makes for a good property appraisal system that has served the county well, he said.
"I think what makes us different from a lot of other agencies is that we care about your concerns," Mr. Nolte said.
Serving the public is the highest priority with Mr. Nolte at the helm. There is no pride of authorship or reticence to re-evaluate something a member of the public thinks is incorrect.
"If it isn't right, we'll fix it. We're here to get it right, not here to be right," Mr. Nolte said.
Mr. Nolte is a strong believer in fiscal conservatism and though budget cuts have meant cutting back on excess staff, he is proud at what the remaining staff has been able to accomplish.
The property appraiser's office was recognized by county budget director Jason Brown as having the best budget out of the county's departments, Mr. Nolte said.
"We've had the smallest decreases in good times and the largest decreases in bad times," he said.
For more information about Mr. Nolte's campaign, contact him at dcnolte@earthlink.net.
For more information about the August primary ballot, visit www.voteindianriver.com.