Former Los Alamos County Chief Deputy Assessor Joaquin Valdez stopped by the Los Alamos Daily Post recently to discuss his campaign for Rio Arriba County Assessor. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com

Former Los Alamos Chief Deputy Assessor Joaquin Valdez has announced his decision to run for Rio Arriba County Assessor.

Valdez spoke about the depth of qualifications and experience he would bring to the office.

“I believe that it is very beneficial for a person in any position to understand the components of each function within the office from the bottom up. Because I started at the bottom and worked my way up, I understand the full scope of each position, therefore, understanding how decisions at the top impact staff and the office, and ultimately the public,” Valdez said. “I began my 30 year career as a Mapper/Appraiser for the Rio Arriba County Assessor’s Office, I worked as a surveyor for the NMDOT (New Mexico Department of Transportation), as a Title Examiner for NMPTD (New Mexico Property Tax Division) and NMDOT, Appraisal Specialist for NMPTD, where we assisted all the counties in New Mexico where I served as the Valuation Protest Board Chairman.”

Nineteen of his 30 year career were spent at the Los Alamos County Assessor’s Office where he began as a Senior Appraiser and retired as Chief Deputy Assessor. He worked under three different administrations, Jane Bates, JoAnn Johnson and Ken Milder, while excelling and advancing throughout his years of service.

Valdez was born and raised in Northern New Mexico in the community of Canjilon, where he co‐owned a small business in nearby Cebolla. His 30-year career in public service, and property tax assessment began in Rio Arriba County. 

“I retired from Los Alamos County in 2019, after serving 20 years with the county assessor’s office,” he said. “My time in the assessor’s office consisted of many positions where I began as an appraiser, eventually retiring as the Chief Deputy Assessor. Currently, I provide consulting services to county assessor’s offices within the state of New Mexico.”

During his tenure with Los Alamos County, his office set a standard within the State of New Mexico, which was recognized for outstanding structure and compliance. He has obtained many credentials and served on boards and committees relating to property tax assessment throughout his career. 

“I have served on various New Mexico State legislative committees providing my expertise and knowledge in legislative issues affecting the administration of property tax valuation and assessments,” Valdez said. “I belong to several organizations, including the New Mexico Assessors Affiliate, International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO), Acequias associations, and I am the chairman of the Acequia El Pinabetal. I hold my Real Estate Appraiser Apprentice license with the New Mexico Real Estate Appraiser’s Board. I am a New Mexico Certified Appraiser from the New Mexico Property Tax Division and have obtained my candidacy for the Residential Evaluation Specialist (RES) designation from the IAAO. I led the New Mexico Assessor Tyler User Group for several years providing training for all Tyler Assessor Users within the state of New Mexico.”

Valdez added that he has proven excellent leadership in the assessing community and would like the opportunity to apply that knowledge and experience to helping the taxpayers and citizens of Rio Arriba County. He said it would be an honor to serve the citizens of Rio Arriba.

If elected, Valdez said he is committed to the following:

• Fair and equitable assessments;
• Compliance with the statutory requirement set forth in the NM Property Tax Code and applicable laws;
• Providing an accurate tax base that governmental entities can rely on;
• Community outreach/engagement and public awareness of the property tax process and taxpayer benefits; 
• Investing in employee training and development to better serve the community;
• Developing and maintaining effective and efficient valuation models to ensure accurate property assessments;
• Effectively and efficiently utilizing the assessor’s technical resources (Tyler CAMA system) to its optimal potential;
• Interdepartmental and interagency involvement, collaboration, and cooperation; and
• Customer centricity.

Valdez also said that if elected he would like to conduct a complete assessment of the Rio Arriba County Assessor’s Office to make sure staff is adequately trained, compensated, and certified. 

I want to make sure that the office is adequately funded and provided the resources needed to carry out our statutory requirements as per New Mexico state statute,” Valdez said.

Read more about Valdez in next Thursday’s print edition of the Post.