From all indications, Hamilton County residents voting in the March 1 Republican primary couldn’t go wrong by electing any one of three candidates for assessor of property.
Two of them, Randy Johnston and Sterling Jetton, have deep experience in the office, while one, Hamilton County Commissioner Marty Haynes, has an equal amount of experience in private business, which is the route taken by Bill Bennett, the current assessor, and his predecessor, Claude Ramsey.
We believe Johnston offers voters the best option for using his experience in the office to move it forward.
The winner of the Republican primary will face unopposed Democrat businessman Mark Siedlecki in the general election in August.
Johnston was recruited to the office 31 years ago by Ramsey and rose to his current position of residential property supervisor, where he oversees the work of 10 appraisers. In his position, he also is assistant to the Hamilton County Board of Equalization.