Randy Fairbanks and Marty Haynes answer questions
The weekly Pachyderm Club meeting hosted what began as a friendly debate between the two conservatives running for the office of the assessor of property. However, things became testy during the last five minutes when incumbent Marty Haynes warned those in attendance of the “DC-style politics” that would soon enter the race.
“This is an important race,” said Mr. Haynes, the incumbent. “My integrity and character has been challenged, and you’re going to get a paper that says that, based on no facts. Based on no facts. We’re going to get DC-style politics here in Hamilton County, starting today. It’s going to happen, and it’s already happening.”
He referenced reports that he had used his office to lower the assessment of his golf course in Creek’s Bend. Assessor Haynes did not deny this, as it was open record, saying, “The assessment did go down. That’s a public record, and there’s nothing to hide there. If we wanted to hide it, then we would hide it. We don’t want to because we are transparent. I challenge you to drive by Creek’s Bend today, and tell me what you see.”
What people would see, the incumbent said, was a lake masquerading as a golf course. Because of how flood-prone the course is, that was reason to lower the assessment, he said.
“I’ve heard about this for months now, that this report is coming,” said Assessor Haynes. “Well, it’s going to get here today. I’m going to take full ownership of everything that comes out of my office, and I’ll stand behind the work of my employees.”
Assessor Haynes then focused the audience’s attention on another golf course only a few minutes away from Creek's Bend, saying, “For four years, the Valleybrook golf course from across the street was valued less than Creek’s Bend. Valleybrook is a larger, more desirable piece of property, and does not reside in a floodplain. Forty acres of Creek’s Bend resides in a floodplain, and Valleybrook does not.”
The assessor of property would have had every incentive to raise the assessment of Valleybrook in order to make Creek’s Bend more desirable, and yet he did not, he said.
“The assessment is fair and right, and Randy, if there’s anything wrong at Creek’s Bend, call the office and report it,” said Assessor Haynes to finish his monologue. “And I’ll go ahead and answer about that.”
County Commission Chairman Fairbanks scoffed at the idea of lowering the assessment of a golf course simply because there was water on it. He pointed to Creek’s Bend’s long history as being profitable as a reason why the assessment had no reason to be lowered.
“Any professional real estate person or professional that I’ve talked to will tell you the best and highest use of a property is what you value that property at,” said Commissioner Fairbanks. “Creek’s Bend has been a money-maker for years - for 50 years. People can’t play golf on it this week cause of water, but it’s a money maker. To go in there and reduce that on a money-making place like that, just because it floods some, is unheard of. That’s what real estate people are telling me.”
After stating this, Commissioner Fairbanks reiterated his belief that mentioning this matter was hardly dirty or unfair. Just as Assessor Haynes himself said, what he said was rooted in fact ad public record, he stated.
“So we stand by what you call DC politics,” said Commissioner Fairbanks. "That’s not DC politics. I stand by that. Ladies and gentlemen, there’s no lies in there, it’s facts that he went down on that.”
He held up a document he said was a criminal background check on him that the Haynes campaign had run.
To close the debate, Commissioner Fairbanks summed up the issue that would define the Assessor of Property race.
“Now, as a voting public, you’ve got to decide if it was for a friend where he plays golf for years? Or was it legitimate,” said Commissioner Fairbanks. “That’s your decision. But as for it being untrue, something said that’s untrue, something that was said that’s untrue, it’s not. That went down 28 percent on that assessment.”
The assessor is the only county office on the ballot in 2020, and the primary election takes place on March 3. No Democrat or Independent qualified to run.
The flooded Creeks Bend Golf Club