Mary Wilson Engle running for Island County Assessor

Mary Wilson Engle An Oak Harbor native and veteran employee of the Island County Assessors office, Mary Wilson Engle will run for the position of Island County Assessor this fall.

She is running against incumbent Dave Mattens.

Engle is currently the senior residential appraiser in her 16th year in the department.

She has served with three different assessors. She feels long and successful tenure with the office makes her uniquely qualified for the job. Engle knows first hand the failures and successes of her predecessors and will use this knowledge to bring leadership to the office.

Under the current assessor, Island County residents have seen their property assessments fluctuate significantly. Engle will work to end this pattern by improving education and training. She will use proactive leadership to make much needed improvements to the work environment and encourage team work by instituting an assessor mentorship program.

She wants to achieve consistency in all assessments so that Island County tax payers will have confidence in the accuracy of their property tax assessments.

Engle promises to enhance customer service and communication with property owners.

Engle is the wife of a farmer, Bob Engle. Both of them have grown up on Whidbey. Together they own numerous small businesses, volunteer for several non-profit and community groups and support sustainable agriculture in the Ebey’s reserve. As the mother of two children growing up on Whidbey Island, she is dedicated to Island County, her community and its residents. Her desire to see Island County successful and prosperous is what has led her to seek election as the next Island County Assessor.

Engle believes she can run the assessor’s office on a tighter budget with better employee morale and dramatically improve customer service because she is experienced in the field and can provide coverage and assistance when the workload is heavy, noting that the current assessor is not an accredited appraiser and cannot assess property.

For information see her Web site at www.OutstandingInHerField. com.