[Voterescue] Fwd:GlenMaxey? This Tax Assessor-Collector won't be just pushing paper.

Thu Aug 30 12:38:14 CDT 2007

What do you all think of him, has he gotten our message yet?  

  mary

Glen Maxey <glenmaxeycampaign at gmail.com> wrote:
  Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:16:41 -0400 (EDT)
From: Glen Maxey <glenmaxeycampaign at gmail.com>
To: mmanderson34 at yahoo.com
Subject: This Tax Assessor-Collector won't be just pushing paper.

                                                  In a Friday editorial, the Austin American-Statesman stated, "Regardless of what Maxey would like you to believe, the tax assessor-collector pushes paper. Rhetoric won't get that job done." 

It is precisely because we must change this "paper pusher" mentality that I am running for Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector. Please join me in rejecting this do-nothing attitude and proving that this office cannot afford to continue ignoring the issues that are vital to making our community a great place to live and raise a family. 

Join the campaign, sign up to help, get a yard sign here:
http://www.glenmaxey.com/join 

Donate to my campaign here:
http://www.glenmaxey.com/donate 

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    The Tax Assessor-Collector has a responsibility to lead the discussion on the challenges facing our community. 
We know what's at stake: 

   East/West equity issues.   
   The squeezing of the middle class.   
   Homestead preservation.   
   Gentrification.   
   Spiraling tax appraisals.   
   Voter apathy.   
   Voter suppression.   
   Voter confusion about when, where, and how to navigate the election process.
  The person elected to head this office should be leading the charge on these community problems. No office provides a better platform from which to bring together community leaders, elected officials and taxpayers to move us forward to a solution. 

The Tax Assessor-Collector should be raising these issues, helping our community form action plans, and bring consensus to our community vision. 

Some elected officials believe that their job description doesn't go beyond the minimum required by law. I disagree, and I know that you and your fellow citizens do as well. I'm a leader who isn't afraid to tackle the tough problems. I'll take the discussion to the community, work hard to build a consensus solution, and implement it. If real change requires action by the Commissioner's Court or the Legislature, you'll never hear me say it's up to someone else. I will educate, lobby, and fight to make sure that our issues are addressed. I've been a legislator, and I know that if the current law is not working for Travis County, we must change the law. I know how to do it, I've done it, and as Tax Assessor-Collector, I will not hesitate to do it. 

And as your Voter Registrar, I won't be content to sit idly by while people lead an assault on our right to vote. When you elect me, you're hiring a full time lobbyist on voter rights and expanded voter registration. Our democracy demands nothing less. Protecting our most fundamental right is a discussion we need to have, and I'm eager to hear your ideas and suggestions. 

See my position here: A Voice for Voter Protection 

And it goes without saying that I will continue to bring innovation and new ideas to the core services of the Tax Office: collecting property taxes, processing voter registration cards, and handling motor vehicle registration. I consider this responsibility to be one much greater than mere "paper-pushing." I believe as Tax Assessor-Collector that I will have a solemn duty to run the most efficient and effective Tax Office in the nation, our citizens expect nothing less. 

We can do better, and we will. 

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    Voter Registration  I'll take on the challenge of registering every voter and striving for the most accurate voter rolls in the nation. 

Is the job just processing cards or is it actually registering voters? This office claims one of the highest voter registration rates in the state at 86% of those eligible. But while we may have one of the highest rates, we know there are still tens of thousands of unregistered potential voters, and informal studies I've done show there is the potential to register thousands more. Because we have a highly mobile community, there is also a tremendous need for vigilance so people are registered at their correct addresses. 

Over the last decade I've played an enormous role in deputizing voter registrars and registering voters. I'll move aggressively to train and empower those Deputy Registrars. Every major public or private event in Austin should have voter registration activity. Every major employer should be enlisted. Apartment management and college officials should be recruited. 

See my plan: Voter Registration 
  Taxes, Appraisals, and Equity  The TAC should be a voice for addressing economic disparities and pushing the Central Appraisal District to address the inequities in our property rolls. 

The value of property in Travis County jumped more than 13 percent in the last year. The total taxable value of properties in Travis County stands at $84.9 billion, up from $74.8 billion last year, according to the Travis Central Appraisal District. The Tax Assessor-Collector is a member of the Central Appraisal District Board. Serving in that role, the Tax Assessor-Collector should be a voice for solving the disparities and pushing the Central Appraisal District to solve the inequities in our property rolls. You've read the stories, such as this one about Travis County Appraisers. If the District claims they can't act, I'll be an advocate at the Legislature to make sure they have the tools they need. 

  Homestead Exemptions and Deferrals.  Every homeowner in Travis County deserves the opportunity to take full advantage of the options available to them to lower their property tax obligation. 

My goal: Lowering taxes through exemptions, preventing fraud, and stopping scams. Every year, hundreds of people are ripped off by predatory lenders. They're lurking out there to get homeowners to take out loans at high interest rates to pay their taxes. Other folks sucker people into scams to fill out exemption applications for them and charge up to 50% of the value of the exemption. This reprehensible behavior must be stopped. As Tax Assessor-Collector, I'll aggressively and proactively educate people on their rights to these exemptions and assist them in qualifying for them through the Central Appraisal District. After seeing too many high profile cases of Legislators having homestead exemptions in more than one county, it's also time we worked across counties in Texas to find and stop all fraudulent double-dippers. 
  Privatizing Collection of Delinquent Taxes.  I'm opposed to privatizing the collection of delinquent taxes.
Here's my position: Collecting Delinquent Taxes 

And here's an excerpt the Statesman printed this past weekend: 

  Maxey opposes outsourcing of delinquent-tax collections 

Earlier this year, as rumor swirled about Glen Maxey's interest in running for county tax assessor-collector, another rumor came with it: that he would support the county hiring a private law firm to collect late taxes. 

But Maxey, who is challenging the incumbent, says he opposes hiring a private firm..."There were too many downsides to it."   

The Tax Assessor doesn't have a vote on this issue; the Commissioner's Court makes this decision. But after I'm elected, I will work hard to provide impartial and objective analysis and data so that the County Commissioner's Court can make their decision if it revisits the issue of privatization. This community knows my record as an activist and legislator fighting for the less advantaged, and it knows that I would never do anything to hurt our most vulnerable citizens. Unfortunately, there are people that are using this issue to shift attention from the real problem: tax fairness, east-west equity, and the need for an activist Tax Assessor-Collector that will work to address the root causes of the challenges facing homeowners instead of shifting the blame. 
  Join the campaign, sign up to help, get a yard sign here:  http://www.glenmaxey.com/join 

Thank you for your time,
Rep. Glen Maxey
512-656-6337
Checks or Questions can be mailed to:
P O Box 2505
Austin TX 78768 

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