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closeAfter all the uproar about property taxes and assessments in St. Clair County, we hoped the public would have a choice at the polls in the county assessor race next year. Republican County Board member Ed Cockrell's decision to run against Democratic incumbent Gordon Bush has assured the race will be competitive and taxation issues will be front and center.
Cockrell, of New Athens, is chairman of the board's Finance Committee. He's respected by both parties and not easy to peg politically. He's a Republican, but he is also a staunch defender of County Board Chair-man Mark Kern, a Democrat.
He is a candidate who should give Bush a run for the job. Equally important, the competing campaigns should prompt much discussion and debate about the property assessment process, the problems with the system and ways to improve it. The race should also result in continued education for taxpayers about the whole, convoluted taxation process and how tax rates are set.
Whichever candidate wins, just having serious competition in a county with one-party rule is something of a victory for the people of St. Clair County.
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