To the Editor:

I am saddened by the negative, mean-spirited tone of this year’s town elections campaign and the misinformation presented to many residents in an effort to instill fear and doubt about all of the current town of Berne Democratic incumbents and the new Democratic candidates.

It is my hope that when this year’s election is over, whoever is honored and privileged to be re-elected or elected to serve the residents of Berne will do their part to return Berne to the peaceful, inclusive, supportive community I have always known it to be.

I have enjoyed the work and training as assessor during my first four-year term and have worked hard to successfully meet the mandated state certification requirements and wish to continue building on the knowledge and experience I have gained thus far.

It has been implied by some of our opponents that the candidates running on the Democratic line this year are a group of people who all have the unrestricted power to make decisions for the town and must not be elected or re-elected. Assessors are mandated to follow strict state guidelines and cannot do anything to change any town policy or make any decisions that would affect the town or its residents and I feel it has been unfair to imply that the current town of Berne assessors have such power.

An assessor’s main obligation and responsibility is to maintain a fair and equitable tax roll. If someone feels his assessment is not what it should be, he is free to grieve his assessment and have the Board of Assessment Review consider all facts to determine whether there should be a decrease in assessed value. Moreover, there are several mechanisms in place to ensure all parcels are properly assessed.

It has also been implied that the Berne assessors work very few hours each week. Although office hours are Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 7 p.m., depending on the time of year, we work many hours outside regular office hours to accomplish whatever assessment tasks have to be completed by the many deadlines set by the state.

Not only have the opposing candidates running for the assessor positions been deceived about the amount of time required to do the work, but also others have been led to believe the current assessors essentially do not work hard or long enough hours for their pay. As you can therefore see, this is not the case.

It is clearly in the town’s best interest to have the current assessors who are certified, experienced, and knowledgeable continue serving the residents of Berne.

Melanie Bunzey

Berne

Editor’s note: Melanie Bunzey is a Berne assessor seeking re-election on the Democratic line.