Defense for Horton

Spokane County Commissioner Al French’s comment about County Assessor Vicki Horton was very unfair (“Property valuations delayed because of staffing shortage in Spokane County Assessor’s Office,” Sun. June 11). This year’s property appraisals are behind schedule because the Assessor’s Office is short six appraisers. It’s understandably difficult for Vicki Horton to recruit and retain appraisers when the county pays $10,000 less per year than the private sector.

Al French said the commissioners considered paying more but decided not to. He doesn’t see a need for raises. He said “… we don’t lead the market in terms of pay … In fact I’m proud of the fact that we keep our labor costs under control.” So then it was very unfair of him to add, “We’ve done what we can to try to help… Some of this [problem] is management-driven.”

Well, I think one big thing Al French and the commissioners could do would be to reconsider offering higher appraiser salaries. Or at least don’t disparage Vicki Horton in The Spokesman-Review.

Dana Freeborn

Spokane