BERNE — Melanie Bunzey has been involved in her community both through the Berne-Knox-Westerlo School District and a thrift store she runs in town. She hopes to continue by pursuing a second four-year term as town assessor. A Democrat, Bunzey is running on the Democratic line and the Conservative line.

At 58, she has lived in Berne for the last 42 years; she lived in Guilderland prior to that. She works for the Albany County Attorney’s Office as a paralegal.

Her work as a paralegal includes dealing with the county’s foreclosure division, dealing with closures and transfers of property.

“I’m kind of at both ends,” she said, of her two roles regarding property.

She said that she enjoys working with people and doing research on properties in town.

“I actually love the job — it is really interesting,” she said.

Bunzey added that she has the experience necessary for the job, and is able to take on new scenarios when it comes to property assessments.

“The fact that I’m a paralegal, I did take some real-estate courses … ,” she said. “I guess it’s just because this is what I’ve been doing for so many years I’m comfortable with it.”

She is certified by the state as an assessor.

Bunzey previously worked as an administrative aid for the Committee on Special Education for the Berne-Knox-Westerlo School District for a little over 12 years.

She is also proud of her work to start a thrift shop at the Helderberg Lutheran Church in Berne, of which she is a member, in which locals can donate clothes that can be purchased for a reasonable price, she said. The store has raised about $30,000 for the church in the three years that the thrift shop has been open, she said.

“I’m pretty proud of that,” she said. “And a lot of people know me from the thrift store.” Her husband also holds a breakfast at the church that she assists with.

Bunzey said she works together with two other assessors, Christine Valachovic and Brian Crawford, who is also running for re-election on the Democratic slate. They assess each parcel in town, change assessments if the property changes in some way, track building permits monthly, and renew exemptions and review grievances yearly.

She later noted that the number of hours she and her fellow assessors work go beyond the Wednesday evenings when they are at the town hall; they also work hours outside that time, she said.

“There’s quite a bit to it,” she said.

She concluded that the main objective is to maintain a fair and equitable tax roll. She added that there are misconceptions about the role of the assessor.

“Anybody new in that position can’t do any different,” she said, adding that all assessors must follow strict state guidelines.

Bunzey said that she doesn’t think revaluation is currently necessary, as everything balances evenly, and that the taxes are fair. She noted that complaints of increased taxes are not necessarily due to assessment.

“It depends on the budget,” she said. “If the budget goes up, the taxes go up … it’s not so much the assessment has changed.”

She notes that she and her family, including her two daughters and their families, have stayed in Berne.

“The fact that we have all remained Berne residents says a lot for our love for the town and the community,” she said.

Her involvement with the town stems from her need to connect with her community since leaving the school district.

“I feel more connected with the community again … ,” she said, in her job as assessor and her role at the thrift store. “You really have to get involved and be a part of the community.”