Marty Haynes, Mark Siedlecki Say Other Is Lying In Assessor Race

  • Wednesday, August 3, 2016

On the eve of the assessor of property election, the two candidates traded charges that the other side was lying.

 

The Marty Haynes camp said, "The continued false advertising by the Democrat’s nominee for Assessor of Property, Mark Siedlecki, tying increased county revenues to a non-existent tax increase was addressed at Wednesday morning’s Hamilton County Commission meeting by the Republican’s nominee, District 3 County Commissioner Marty Haynes.


"Data from the Hamilton County Clerk’s Office with a timeline of every property tax increase resolution presented with votes from 1980 through the most recent property tax increase in 2007 was presented to expose the bold-faced lies being told by local Democrats in the assessor’s race.

"To defend the entire County Commission from the false statements on TV ads and campaign promotions, Commissioner Marty Haynes read the following statement into the public record:

“This Hamilton County Commission has a tradition of working together despite the various needs of our districts.  Over the last nine years, our county’s budget has been balanced with spending prioritized as our county government endured our nation’s financial crisis and some difficult budget decisions without any property tax increase.”

“During my tenure on this Commission, I have been blessed to work with each of you, both Democrats and Republicans, to accomplish great things for this county.  In recent days, however, absolute false statements have been used to scare seniors in an attempt to win votes with the claim that property taxes have been raised with the burden carried by our senior citizens who own property.”

“These statements, advertisements and twisting of words are absolutely false and are proven to be untrue by the public documents kept by our Clerk, Bill Knowles.  Please, Mr.

Chairman, accept into the record these documents and this statement to condemn the lies directed toward this elected legislative body in an effort to set the record straight.”

The last property tax increase resolution, Resolution No. 707-20, was voted upon in Hamilton County was on July 12, 2007 implementing a 26 cent tax increase.  Any budget expansion of county government has resulted from new home and business construction and other collections of taxes related to economic growth in Hamilton County.

Mr. Siedlecki said, "As Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton might say 'there he goes again.' My opponent, Commissioner Marty Haynes, will not stop lying to Hamilton County voters about our property taxes. He’s hoping to get your votes so he can be promoted to a new job. Don’t fall for it.

"Chattanooga is growing, but Nashville-Davidson County and all the counties that surround it are all growing at a rate much faster than Hamilton County. Since 2007, Davidson County has had robust expansion as well as a property tax rate increase. During that time, their property tax revenue grew at a rate of 28 percent while our county is bringing in 45 percent more than we did in 2007.

"Marty Haynes expects you to believe that our massive hike in tax revenue is just due to growth. But how can we grow slower than other counties and have so much more increased revenue? The answer is they have been raising assessments for years, resulting in higher tax bills for many of our struggling senior citizens.

"Marty Haynes continues to insist, falsely, that they haven’t 'raised property taxes on anyone.' Well, if there hasn’t been a tax increase (there has been), then why won’t he enact a senior tax freeze? (He’s lying to get your votes.)

"The truth is that this race isn’t about me and it isn’t about my opponent; it’s about you, and who will have your best interests at heart.

"After a long, successful career starting technology companies and creating jobs, I’m ready to use my vast experience to modernize the office of assessor of property if I win my first run for public office. My opponent is running for office for the fourth time in six years and is clearly only interested in moving up to the next rung on the government-salary ladder. We have many problems in our good ole’ boy government, and Marty Haynes is one of them.

"If you want more of the same, keep voting for entrenched bureaucrats like him. If you want someone new who will serve all of Hamilton County with fairness and efficiency, please honor me with your vote."

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