TNT Ed Board Endorsement: Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer | Opinion

This endorsement was meant to be published July 22. It was the last of the primary endorsements The News Tribune editorial board was tackling. Our opinion editor Matt Driscoll’s last email to the group on Friday, July 19 was that he’d tackle this one on Monday.

As you might know, Matt died unexpectedly that Monday.

While the entire TNT group is grieving and will be for some time, it has taken more than a week to sit down and write this. It feels like a period on the work Matt was doing with our editorial board, and, admittedly, we weren’t ready to write it.

But, our mourning shouldn’t overshadow this endorsement. Matt wouldn’t want that, so we’ll get it done, with our apologies for the delay to not only our subscribers but to those who are running. Obviously, it was never our intention for this to be so late.

With that said, The News Tribune editorial board endorses Marty Campbell for Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer.

Campbell is a Pierce County council member and served two terms on the Tacoma City Council, from 2010 to 2017.

This one was a tough decision that took two or three meetings for the board to come to a decision, and there wasn’t a consensus.

In the long run, Campbell’s understanding of the position, his knowledge of Pierce County and his business acumen gave him the edge over former University Place City Council member and school board member Kent Keel.

Former Tacoma City Council member Joe Lonergan is also running.

In a crowded primary ballot across many races, the candidates for Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer all brought a lot to the table. They are experienced in public office. They have a good grasp on local issues, and in a county we all like to call small even though we know it isn’t, they’re well-connected, one even genetically.

Lonergan, if you don’t know, is the son of current Assessor-Treasurer Mike Lonergan, who has said he’s retiring at the end of this year. Joe, of course, has his father’s endorsement.

Lonergan said he was asked to run by employees of the Assessor-Treasurer’s Office, stating he has their endorsement as a desire to provide continuity. While we can certainly see the benefit of that, it’s this board’s opinion that his relationship with the current elected official shouldn’t impact the election.

Keel has garnered an impressive list of endorsements from official and community leaders this board has long held in high regard. Keel has an impressive background with relevant experience.

Ultimately, the board had some worries with Keel’s campaign from an advocacy standpoint. The assessor-treasurer position is a nonpartisan official with the purpose to educate, assess, collect and distribute taxes.

During the endorsement process, Campbell showed a high level of preparedness, understanding of property-tax assessments and a clear future towards better communicating with and educating the county’s taxpayers.

Ultimately, this board feels like voters have a great problem in this race – three qualified, knowledgeable and well-connected leaders. You won’t find many other races this year with the same level of qualifications, and we’re not sure there’s a wrong decision to make.

The News Tribune Editorial Board is: Stephanie Pedersen, TNT president and editor; Jim Walton, community representative; Amanda Figueroa, community representative; Justin Evans, community representative; J. Manny Santiago, community representative; Bart Hayes, community representative. Before his death, opinion editor Matt Driscoll did participate in the interview and endorsement process.

This story was originally published August 5, 2024 at 4:15 PM.