Best hire yet another success for Baker

WANTED: Bright young man needed for fat job in Spokane County assessor’s office. Must be between 22 and 24 years old. Having first name of Adam a plus.

Poor Ralph Baker.

The Spokane County assessor was merely trying to give his office some family values when he hired the 23-year-old son of his chief deputy, Kevin Best.

But it all hit the fan on Friday. Adam Best was sent packing after only two days as a property data manager, thanks to meddlers in the county human resources department.

They don’t believe Best the younger is qualified for the $38,471 job.

And critics are complaining that the hire was nothing more than a rank act of nepotism.

I don’t know what everybody’s so shook up about. Since when did Spokane County get so concerned about hiring family members? It didn’t seem to matter much when we were putting all those Harris lads on the county payroll while ol’ Poppa Phil was a commissioner.

Besides, Baker spent literally minutes looking for a special “someone” who fit the demanding particulars of his newly-invented position.

(See above ad for details.)

This was hardly a done deal. Adam was selected from a vast field of 13 applicants. The assessor would have loved to hire someone else. But not one of the 12 was the Best man for the job.

The assessor also conducted a professional interview before making his selection.

Baker: “Adam, can you count to 10?”

Best: “Absolutely.”

Baker: “You’re hired.”

What a loss for Spokane County. Having Adam Best working under his father’s watchful eye would have made the assessor’s office so much more efficient.

Especially during those times when Baker would have been gone and Kevin would have assumed control.

Kevin: “Son. Where are those figures for the Greedy Acres development?”

Adam: “Aw, Dad. Get off my case. I’ll get to them.”

Kevin: “Don’t you sass me. You have those numbers to me today or you’re grounded.”

Adam: “Why do you always have to be such a control freak?”

Kevin: “That’s it. I’m bumping you back to second-tier pay grade.”

Adam: “I haaaaate you!”

See? A boss can’t achieve this level of supervision with nonrelatives.

Not without being slapped with a lawsuit.

Baker’s decision to hire Adam isn’t so unusual. This kind of thing happens all the time.

The Little League coach who always lets his own kid pitch, for example.

At least Baker can be satisfied with knowing that he has accomplished something that none of his assessing predecessors has ever been able to do.

He’s made the public care about the Spokane County assessor’s office.

Before Baker, who even knew who the county assessor was?

Ralph Baker has made a name for himself by way of previous news-making achievements such as:

“Instructing his employees to spend less time with property owners.

“Installing a voice mail system that made it nearly impossible to reach an appraiser by phone.

“Suggesting that his office workers might be trying to sabotage his re-election bid by intentionally failing to add property to the tax rolls.

“Running his office like a dictatorship.

But nobody should get the idea that the assessor is stupid.

Take this hiring of the chief deputy assessor’s son. Baker waited until after he was safely re-elected before he did it.

Go ahead. Crunch the numbers.

Voters must wait until 2010 before throwing his ass out.