DAILY POST EDITORIAL
The word “innovator” doesn’t apply to many people in government, but an exception is Mark Church, San Mateo County’s Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer.
Under Church’s leadership, San Mateo County was the first county in the state to conduct a countywide school and municipal election through the mail in 2015. A mail election is 15% to 30% less expensive and increases voter participation, he said. His pilot project is being copied by other counties in the state.
He’s currently updating the assessor computer system to make property records more accessible.
As county clerk-recorder, he introduced major technology enhancements to improve customer service, making it easier and faster for the public to retrieve land and vital records.
He formed a team of employees to focus on appeals over property values. He said this team reduced the backlog of appeals from 5,000 to about 1,000.
And he’s done this with one of the smallest staffs per capita of any county in the Bay Area.
The other candidate in this race, John Mooney, a handyman and former businessman, hasn’t offered any legitimate criticism of Church. He voiced a concern that dead people haven’t been removed from the county’s voting rolls, but he didn’t offer any specific examples. Church said the rolls are up- dated on almost a daily basis with data on local deaths from the vital statistics office.
Mark Church is well-qualified for this complex job that requires a lot of experience and an ability to multi-task. He worked for 20 years as an attorney, served on the Millbrae City Council and then on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors before he became Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer in 2011.
He exhibits a strong ethic toward serving the public and we’re pleased to recommend him for re-election.
— Editor Dave Price
Other recommendations for the June 5 primary:
• Vote “no” on recalling Judge Persky
• Cindy Hendrickson for Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge
• Re-elect Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith
• Carlos Bolanos for San Mateo County Sheriff
• Re-elect San Mateo County Judge Gerald Buchwald
• Nancy Magee for San Mateo County school superintendent
• Re-elect San Mateo County Supervisor Don Horsley
• Vote “no” on the toll hike, Regional Measure 3
• Our recommendations on the five state ballot propositions
