Tingstrom Will Challenge for Assessor’s Job : Politics: The Ventura councilman cites his management experience.

Acknowledging that he has no experience in assessing land values but stressing his management background, Ventura City Councilman Jack Tingstrom on Friday announced his candidacy for county assessor.

Tingstrom, a 58-year-old conservative Republican with extensive ties to Ventura’s business community, will challenge the acting assessor, Glenn Gray, for the $102,781-a-year position.

“I want to bring a business look to the bureaucracy,” said Tingstrom, a personnel consultant who was elected to the council on a pro-business platform in 1991. “I would like to be able to make the assessor’s office closer to the people.”

The office is responsible for doing inventory and evaluating all taxable property in Ventura County.

“It’s not a very political office at all,” Tingstrom said. If elected, he said, he would use his public relations skills to give the office a higher profile in county government.

“People should be aware of what’s going on in government,” he said.

Tingstrom said a background in assessing land values is not necessary for supervising the county assessor’s office.

“What you need is a manager,” said Tingstrom, who retired in 1985 after 30 years as a mid-level manager at GTE Corp. “All my life I’ve been managing.”

Tingstrom said he also wants to make the assessor’s office more responsive to market conditions. “If the market is down, then land values should be down and people should pay less taxes,” he said.

Tingstrom, who spent $15,000 on his 1991 council race, said he plans to raise and spend about $25,000 for the nonpartisan county assessor campaign.

“The election will be about name recognition,” he said.

If elected, Tingstrom said, he would have to resign his $7,200-a-year City Council seat. The council would then have the option of appointing another member, holding a special election or waiting until the November, 1995, election for voters to fill the seat.

“I have been checking with my constituents to see what they feel (about his running for assessor), and I have received nothing but positive responses,” Tingstrom said.

As a Ventura councilman, Tingstrom said he has more recognition in west Ventura County than in the east county.

Tingstrom said he plans to use endorsements from local politicians in the east county to help him attract votes in the assessor’s race.

Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton and Thousand Oaks Councilman Frank Schillo both said Friday that they will endorse Tingstrom and try to help his campaign.

In turn, Tingstrom is endorsing Stratton and Schillo in their races. Stratton is running for county auditor-controller and Schillo has taken out forms for Supervisor Maria VanderKolk’s seat.

Tingstrom’s only opponent in the assessor’s race so far is Gray, who has worked in the assessor’s office for 31 years, including seven years as assistant assessor. A Ventura resident, Gray was appointed in June, 1993, to fill the unexpired term of R. J. Sanford, who died in office.

In an interview this week, Gray said his campaign for the job will emphasize his experience. Like Tingstrom, Gray said the election will be won on name recognition.

“Every piece of paper that goes out of this office has my name on it,” Gray said. “I think that will help some.”

Gray said he plans to file candidacy papers Monday. Tingstrom said he will submit his papers later. The filing deadline is March 11.