No title makes conservatives’ skin crawl like “tax assessor/collector.†It’s just not a job most of us hope our little conservative bundles of joy grow up to be. But thank goodness someone does, because it’s a critically important position.
The Houston region has two of the best tax assessor/collectors in the state. In Harris County is Paul Bettencourt, a stalwart conservative who has led the charge statewide on reforming the out-of-date, unfair property tax appraisal process. He is a one-man think-tank, and an eager public servant in the finest sense of the word.
Another great taxpayer advocate is Galveston County Tax Assessor/Collector Cheryl Johnson. You won’t find a more diligent steward of the taxpayers’ money.
And for her diligence, the establishment is trying to run her out of her job. Her crime? Trying to promote fiscal responsibility. She took a strong stand during the legislative session against taxpayer-funded lobbying, and deserve the support of conservatives not only in her county but from across the state.
County government is where the rubber meets the road, and we ignore those county-level elected officials to our fiscal peril.
