Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
A current deputy chief assessor and a former commissioner of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission are competing for the Republican nomination to be that party’s candidate for Quay County Assessor.
Early voting in the primary election began Tuesday and will continue through the primary’s Election Day on June 4.
James Kleinsasser, 63, a chief deputy assessor in the county assessor office who lives in Tucumcari, and Jefferson Byrd, 52, a rancher and windmiller from Tucumcari and a former member of the PRC, are running for the Republican nomination to be the party’s candidate for assessor in the November general election.
Byrd served one term on the PRC. He also made two unsuccessful runs for U.S. representative against Democrat Ben Ray Lujan, now a U.S. senator, and most recently for state Commissioner of Public Lands.
The winner of the GOP nod will face incumbent assessor Dana Leonard, a Democrat who was appointed to the position in March 2023 after longtime assessor Janie Hoffman stepped down. Kleinsasser was one of those who initially applied for the position.
The Quay County Sun sent three questions by email to Kleinsasser and Byrd. Their answers are lightly edited for clarity.
What prompted you to run for assessor?
Byrd: “In the 16 years that I have lived here in Tucumcari, I have observed numerous capital improvements around the county do not get into the tax base promptly. I believe that the Assessor’s office is filled with competent people who know what they are doing. The problem is that no one likes change, and Quay County needs to update the processes capturing and recording new developments in a timely manner. There is technology available that many other New Mexico counties utilize that would allow these new assets to be added to the tax base yearly without having the staff spend precious time driving around the county comparing what they see to old maps. As a former commissioner in the Public Regulation Commission (PRC), I was able to see the technology and methodology numerous counties utilized to evaluate their assets and to perform their various tasks. I discovered that many counties are simply moving forward faster than Quay County.”
Kleinsasser: “I felt like the citizens in Quay County deserve to have a choice from two qualified candidates in November.”
What is the most pressing issue in the assessor’s office, in your opinion?
Byrd: “Quay County is not a “rich” county, as we are ranked 23rd out of the 33 counties within the state of New Mexico. Ensuring that we are capturing all taxable assets yearly will ensure that the tax revenue to the county is as up to date as possible. Also, serving the people and being available is a concept that I believe is important as an elected official. I thoroughly enjoy serving people. I still get calls, to this day, from people asking for advice and assistance regarding the PRC. Even though I was termed out of the commissioner position over a year ago. I still hand out my phone number regularly to folks.”
Kleinsasser: “To find, list and value uniformly all taxable property in the county as required by law.”
What goals do you hope to accomplish, if elected?
Byrd: “My goal as Quay County’s Assessor is to update the assessor’s office into the most modern office that can feasibly be afforded and to create an environment of service in the office that positively engages with the community.”
Kleinsasser: “To provide the public online access to their property information. Supply the necessary training to employees, enabling competent job performance and enhancing professional growth. To provide the best service possible to our taxpayers.”