Comrades,

I admit there may come a time when no one is interested, or remotely qualified to hold the position of tax collector.  At that time, I could foresee a stop-gap measure that provides the town government with the means to appoint an individual until such time as a town resident elects to run for the post.  That would make sense. 

What happened Tuesday didn't make sense. 

Now - the opposition makes plenty of good arguments... 

• It's technically demanding.
• You have to be certified.
• There's nobody in Harwinton qualified to do it.
• There's a learning curve.
• There are legal responsibilities.
• It should be apolitical.

It would be really easy to refute all of these if we could've just asked someone recently elected to the post - but Thrall has held the position for SO long, it's impossible to find someone locally who can describe their experiences in stepping into the role - in Harwinton, it just hasn't been done in decades. 

So, I'll attempt to refute these points myself...

Technically Demanding

It involves computers and electronic thingies.

Good God...

We vote on electronic thingies.  We've been getting yuppie food stamps (i.e. $20 bills) from electronic thingies for years.  We check e-mail, voice mail, send faxes from our computers...  We order movies on-demand from the cable company.  We have DVD players, CD players, PDAs, cell phones, digital cameras...  Hell, our cars automatically tell us when to change the oil.

The role of tax collector can NOT be any more technically demanding than that which most of us do everyday in our lines of work.  More numbers?  Maybe... but the computer handles that.  In fact, the computer handles most stuff - or we outsource it to a company in Waterbury.  The most demanding part of the job is chasing down people who haven't paid their taxes.  Clearly, post-graduate level complexity. 

AND - may I point out - Mr. Thrall has been able to keep up through all the technical advances... and some would argue our seniors are the ones most susceptible to technology overload - the young punks just get it because it's pervasive by the time they hit puberty.  (At this point, birth.) 

Check.

Certification

The state wants all tax collectors to be "certified".  Good news though... you don't have to be certified to tax the seat.  You have three years to pull it off.  Better news... the term of tax collector is four years.  So, a new tax collector could take the job, learn it, get the cert, and be fully qualified to pick up another term four years later. 

Check.

Nobody Qualified

You might have me here...  I think the biggest roadblock for most people would be the part-time hours.  Since it's not full time, many of us in the workforce would be unable to set aside our regular work schedule to make this possible.  However, I think anyone with a reasonable mind and a desire to do the job is qualified.  As Thrall said, 95% of the job is just collecting money from citizens willing to pay their obligation - not a huge challenge there.

Check.

Learning Curve

Yes - all jobs have a learning curve.  Every job I've ever taken had one.  In some cases, it can take MONTHS to come up to speed on all the nuances of a specific role.  That's not going to change regardless of who takes the job.  Yes, an individual who has already served as a tax collector elsewhere will find it easier to adapt to our local office; adapt is the keyword.   It'll still take some time. 

Check.

There are legal responsibilities

Yes - which is why the tax collector must be bonded - professional insurance, if you will.  It's also why we have another individual working with the tax collector, computers to handle and verify transactions, a Board of Finance. a Board of Selectmen, and a town attorney who can act as advisors.  Regardless of who takes this job, there had better be some oversight - particularly in the beginning. 

Check.

Apolitical

I agree.  As a member of the Board of Assessment Appeals, I can assure you that although we were sponsored to the ballot by political parties, we act without political motivation.  Although it's true that a person selects a party based on ideology that can sometimes translate to behavior around a specific situation, in terms of assessment or tax collection, it can be nothing but objective analysis.  There are no political axes to grind when it comes to evaluating the condition of a home, or the status of a tax bill.  What's there is there... the role is already apolitical.

Check.

In the end, we've ceded our right to elect another official.  Watch - other positions are slated to be converted to appointed roles.  Should we care?  Yes, damn it. 

Harwinton - STOP relinquishing your ability to affect your government.  GOVERNMENT works for US.  Not the other way around. 

We won't perish having an appointed tax collector.  I'm sure the Board of Selectmen (or whoever actually gets to decide this) will do a thorough job in vetting potential candidates.  However, little-by-little, we are allowing government at every level to step in and "handle" things.  Thanks... don't want it.  I would prefer to elect my tax collector.  In that system, he knows he can be voted out if he does a bad job.  Try firing a public employee... it's not as easy as the flip of a lever.

I guess it all boils down to a comment I overhead that evening... "but sadly, we have these elections..."  Take it in or out of context... maybe it was a Freudian slip... but in essence, this sums up the general apathy of the electorate.  Yes - sadly, we have these elections.  Sadly, we rely on the townsfolk to pick their representatives.  Sadly, we have liberty. 

God bless it.