For the first time in three election cycles, Hamilton County Property Assessor Bill Bennett will have opposition.
Bennett, a Republican who’s served in county government since 1980, has been property assessor since 1994. Before that, he spent 14 years as a county commissioner.
Bennett, whose last contested race was in 2000, is being challenged next year by Democrat Jelena Butler and Independent Conrad Taylor. The assessor’s office will be tasked with reappraising properties in 2013 as part of a four-year cycle.
“I’m basing my campaign on my experience,” Bennett said.
The state named Bennett Assessor of the Year in 1996, and he served as president of the Tennessee Assessors Association from 1999 to 2000.