Bolton: Here’s hoping Richland County, SC, can find another assessor as good as John Cloyd

It’s not going to be easy for Richland County to replace former Assessor John Cloyd, who recently retired after nearly 40 years on the job.

You see, Mr. Cloyd set the standard for tax assessors in South Carolina.

Over the years, he fairly and honestly carried out his duties, even when what he had to do wasn’t popular among citizens or Richland leaders, including County Council members.

He was a straight shooter who, while approachable and understanding, rarely held back; if you asked — and even if you didn’t — you were going to get the unbridled truth. Most importantly, Mr. Cloyd was highly competent and professional and refused to compromise on the law or his responsibility to protect taxpayers.

Whether in my days as a reporter or as an editorial writer, when I went to Mr. Cloyd for information, I knew he would give it to me straight; that’s not always the case when dealing with public officials. But he took his job seriously and always recognized who his real bosses were — the people.

As assessor, Mr. Cloyd’s job was to set the values of nearly 170,000 properties; that is the first step toward determining property taxes. The higher the value, the higher the taxes. The collective effort of placing values on property across the county results in determining the amount of tax revenue the government collects.

Mr. Cloyd, who took office in 1978, saw the county’s property values grow from $1 billion to $23.5 billion. During his long tenure he oversaw seven property reassessments.

An expert at what he did, he used that knowledge to educate fellow assessors, elected officials and others. When lawmakers considered changes in property tax laws, they wisely sought his advice.

When someone of that caliber and experience leaves, finding a replacement is difficult.

For Richland County, that difficult task falls to Administrator Tony McDonald, who said he’s hopeful of finding a replacement by the summer.

This will be a hire unlike any other Mr. McDonald has made, and it’s not simply because he’s trying to replace such an accomplished assessor, although that’s the biggest reason. While nine county administrators served during Mr. Cloyd’s tenure, none of them was his boss until 2012; prior to that, Mr. Cloyd served under a commission that hired and fired the assessor.

But in 2012, the Legislature, at the behest of Richland County Council, changed state law so that the assessor would report to the county the administrator.

In and of itself, that wasn’t a bad idea. At the time, the Richland assessor was the only one in the state who was neither elected nor hired by the county administrator. There is a legitimate reason for wanting to place the assessor — and even countywide elected officials other than the sheriff and solicitor — under the administrator. That could lead to a seamless, more responsive government.

The unfortunate thing is that the council pushed to have Mr. Cloyd report to the administrator just because several property owners from among the thousands in Richland County complained about their property values.

That was no reason to seek the change. The assessment process must be free of politics; an environment in which council members or the administrator could influence property values would endanger the stability and purpose of the valuation system.

There are always going to be some who aren’t satisfied with the assessments they receive, and there are several layers to the appeals process that property owners can access if they don’t like the assessor’s findings.

Mr. Cloyd said he didn’t have a problem with the change and continued to serve. That was a good thing: Given his experience and penchant for doing things by the book, no matter what, there was no reason to worry about him succumbing to political pressure.

How do I know that? Because council members had tried that years before: In 1999, County Council blatantly sought to help favored constituents lower their property values and, by virtue, their taxes, by passing a resolution urging Mr. Cloyd to help property owners lower their tax bills by dropping their assessments. The council ultimately realized it was inappropriate to try to put political pressure on the assessor, and voided that act.

It all began because a member of council was out to do a favor for a client and Mr. Cloyd wouldn’t bend the rules. The councilman wanted Mr. Cloyd to reduce a tax bill for a client whose property value increased months after he made the purchase. He had asked Mr. Cloyd to reduce the value to the sale price. When Mr. Cloyd did the right thing and refused, the council member proposed the ill-advised resolution.

When Mr. McDonald hires the next assessor, one who’s not likely to be as experienced and secure as Mr. Cloyd, it’s imperative for the administrator and the council to allow that person to do the job without interference. I can’t say that I’m confident that will happen when it comes to members of County Council.

Neither am I confident that a new assessor would stand up the way Mr. Cloyd did over the years. After all, Mr. Cloyd spent the overwhelming majority of his time serving under a commission that allowed him to do his job; by the time he began reporting to the administrator, he was seasoned, well-established and known as one who didn’t kowtow.

I’m not saying Mr. Cloyd was perfect. I’m sure people had bad experiences with his office. That would be true for anyone, no matter how good a public servant, given the number of people he served over the many years he served. But Mr. Cloyd always said that if a mistake was made he’d be glad to fix it.

His job wasn’t to allow people to get their way by ensuring that they got the lowest possible assessment on their property. His job was to follow the law and ensure that people have a fair assessment.

He did that admirably, and Richland County is better off for it. Here’s hoping that Mr. McDonald can find another uncompromising assessor who will strive to do just as well.

Reach Mr. Bolton at (803) 771-8631 or wbolton@thestate.com.

This story was originally published January 22, 2015 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Bolton: Here’s hoping Richland County, SC, can find another assessor as good as John Cloyd."