Meet the Candidate: Joe Wehrle - Yuma County assessor

Name: Joe Wehrle

Age: 60

Office running for: County assessor

Family: Married to Grace; 6 children; 7 grandchildren; 4 Bichon Frises; 2 red-eared slider turtles

Party: Democrat

Education: Graduated Kofa 1970; attended AWC majoring in business, minor in fine arts

Employment: City of Yuma 1972-1976; chief deputy county assessor 1977-1992; assessor 1993 to present

To what organizations do you belong? Sunrise Optimist Club of Yuma; Arizona Association of Assessing Officers; International Association of Assessing Officers

What in your past experiences helps qualify you for this seat? 40 years of public service to the Yuma community.

If elected, what is the one issue on which you would focus to improve Yuma's quality of life? How? The assessor's office is committed to the goal of providing for a safe and healthy community with opportunities for everyone to enjoy a sense of well being by insuring that all assessments are made in an equitable manner, thereby extending the tax base fairly among the community. Yuma County currently has one of the best assessment equity ratings in the state of Arizona.

What do you think is the biggest challenge right now facing Yumans, and how would you change it? Assessor offices typically see the economic challenges that face their community. We work closely with the Arizona Legislature to identify the issues and try and solve the problems. During my tenure I have served on many legislative committees. The work continues.

What would you do to make government more accessible? My office has made all assessment records available online. Our website is http://assessor.yumacountyaz.gov/assessor/web/. We also have general information, forms and reports available through our department page of the county website. Our Web address is bit.ly/TnkF0n. The public can come into the office anytime during business hours and access public records.

Who is your personal hero, and why? My wife Grace. She has the ability to put up with me.