Although the race for Island County sheriff has gotten much media attention, the run for county assessor is equally important.

Especially if you’re a homeowner and taxpayer.

Incumbent Tom Baenen describes what an assessor does this way: “The assessor’s office is responsible for determining land and building values that establish how much property owners must pay in property taxes.”

That mundane definition doesn’t begin to describe the burning interest Island County citizens have shown regarding the assessor’s office the last few years.

Early in 2005, things boiled over when a former assessor wanted to recall Baenen; a judge determined there was no good cause but Baenen’s reputation was damaged.

Now three men — Republicans Dan Jones and Don Mason and Democrat Dave Mattens — are seeking the job Baenen has held for the last 12 years. The job pays an annual salary of $67,284.

Jones and Mason will square off on the Sept. 19 primary ballot — the winner faces Mattens in the general election Nov. 7.

Why is Baenen leaving the job?

“At 75, after three terms, I think it’s time to move on. I think I’ve accomplished some good things and its time to pass the baton,” he said.

Currently, the assessor’s office has 18 full-time employees including the boss, a chief deputy assessor and a chief appraiser.

Essentially, the office’s primary mission is to maintain the property assessment system in a way that is equitable, fair and uniform to all the citizens of Island County.

Don Mason

Republican Don Mason exudes self-confidence.

“In this election, experience is the key and you want to pick the right man; I am that man,” he said in a recent interview.

Currently, Mason works as a program coordinator for Island County; running the Office of Public Defense, the assistance fund for indigent veterans and managing the county’s four family resource centers.

But he’s basing his quest for the assessor’s job on his experience running a fourth program: the Island County Board of Equalization, which is the appeals process outside the assessor’s office.

“The board is where you go to file an appeal to have the appraised assessment changed,” Mason explained.

“Think of them as the jury. I run the program that gets your case before a jury of your peers,” he said.

Mason was born in Springfield, Ore. in 1959. Following service in the Navy he moved to Washington in 1987. In 1990 he went to work for the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, specializing in child protection.

“I was a social worker, responding to family emergencies in order to protect kids,” Mason said.

Along the way he passed his exams to become a real estate agent and, in November, 1990, joined the Board of Equalization as a clerk.

“I moved up to my present position because I’m efficient and effective at managing programs. I’m the guy responsible for $1 million of the county’s budget.”

He’s running because of what he views as a lack of effective management.

“A county our size should have 300 to 400 appeals a year. Every so often that goes to thousands of appeals and this will be one of those years,” he said.

While acknowledging Baenen has done a “wonderful job,” Mason believes “there are clear indicators about taxpayer frustrations with the process. We’ve failed to keep up with the market and now we have to catch up.”

Mason thinks the talk about problems with computer hardware and software in the assessor’s office is simply campaign rhetoric.

“We don’t don’t need new equipment and we don’t need to spend more money,” he said.

Mason’s solution is to cooperatively get in-house technicians to take care of the problem. “We have all the pieces we need to make it work,” he said. “We haven’t driven this car far enough; there are miles left in it.”

Mason and his wife Susan Marchese donate their time, and their four trained dogs, as emergency responders — Mason is a lieutenant at a Freeland fire station.

Dan Jones

Dan Jones wasn’t really sure he wanted to be the county’s assessor. At least not at first.

“I went to the county’s Republican convention in April where I was encouraged by friends, professional colleagues and my family,” Jones recalled.

His daughter, and campaign manager, Courtney, agreed.

“We talked it over thoroughly and my dad stepped up because the deadline to file was approaching,” she said.

Jones has been an Island County appraiser for the last 18 years which he said gives him the experience needed for the top job.

“As an appraiser, I would determine the value of the land and the buildings on it,” Jones said.

“I understand the entire process from beginning to end. The most important aspect of the assessor’s office is uniformity of its’ appraisals — most people want their taxes predictable from one year to the next.”

Jones hails from the south Texas town of Aransas Pass, where he was born in 1952. He graduated from Texas A&M in Kingsville in 1985 with a degree in business administration, specializing in accounting and management.

While going to school, Jones worked as a police officer.

“I enjoyed that, but wanted to utilize the skills I’d picked up in college,” he said. “And work in my chosen field was scarce in south Texas.”

Jones, wife Kathleen and their three children moved to Coupeville in 1988 and he joined the assessor’s office after passing several real estate licensing tests. He began handling real property and moved to commercial appraisals three years ago.

In addition, he does levy analysis for the county.

Levy analysis? “I review budget requests to see if they’re lawful and calculate the rate for each taxing district,” he explained.

He admits it can be a complicated process and confusing for the average citizen. That’s one of the reasons he decided to run for assessor.

“My view is this campaign is about what I know I can do to improve the office and help taxpayers,” he said.

Jones thinks the assessor’s computer system is on the verge of a breakdown caused by outdated software, which Jones insists provides only half the functionality needed to make the office run smoothly.

“The company that wrote the software program no longer supports it. It will be much cheaper in the long run to revise the software and I have the training and experience to oversee the renovation,” he said.

Since the early 1980s, Jones has coached children’s soccer teams. “I love to see a team come together,” he says, “I look for that in my faith, my family, my community, and my work.”

Dave Mattens

Though he can sit out the primary, Democrat Dave Mattens will be ready to rock come November.

Mattens was born in Indiana in 1956, but grew up across the state line in Michigan.

He joined the Navy and became an electronics technician. Though hopeful of an air traffic control posting, he ended up on an amphibious ship directing helicopters and Marine jets.

Later, he used the G.I Bill to get a degree in geologic engineering from Michigan Technical University, and then a received a commission from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in New York.

He retired from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2001 and currently teaches computers at Shoreline Community College.

With wife Diane and three children, Mattens has lived on Whidbey since 1987.

“I have the management, technical and people skills for the job as assessor,” Mattens said.

His platform consists of “providing sound management, building alliances with other county offices, integrating and updating technology and reaching out to the community,” he said.