Republican challenger’s tech savvy provides edge over incumbent tax assessor-collector.
On its face, the race for tax assessor- collector won’t quicken any pulses. The office, which oversees property tax collections and processes vehicle registrations and title transfers, is even set to lose its role in voter registration after this election.
And yet, the candidates — firstterm Democratic incumbent Ann Harris Bennett and Republican challenger Chris Daniel — engaged in a lively debate before the editorial board, trading accusations and making it clear that while the position may call for more of an administrator than a firebrand, they are serious about what they bring to the office.
Bennett said she is proud of having extended the payment plan for delinquent accounts, improved customer service and continued the tax workshops and town hall meetings instituted by her predecessors. Daniel, the former two-term Harris County district clerk, said the office needs to get aggressive about efficiency and pointed to his proven record of pushing technology to enhance customer service and modernize the district clerk’s office.
Both agree the tax assessor- collector should educate property owners about how to challenge their property assessments and neither candidate agrees with the decision by county commissioners to take away the role of voter registration from the office, with Harris Bennett calling it “reckless.”
While she understands that responsibility is going away, Harris Bennett still chastised her opponent for not including the role of voter registrar in his ads — curiously warning that the elections administrator position may still fall through — and yet that role has been the source of her biggest stumbles. In 2018, her office failed to update boundary maps that led to incorrect ballots in Baytown and mistakenly suspended registrations for more than 1,700 voters.
She also touted improvements to technology and online resources, but a review of the tax collector-assessor website lends credence to Daniel’s charge that there is more to do to improve the user experience. The office should also make better use of social media to engage and educate taxpayers.
Daniel’s record at the district clerk’s office and his tech savvy ultimately persuaded us that he is the best choice for Harris County tax assessor- collector.