Politics & Government

Zimmerman Takes Early Lead In Assessor Race With Absentee Votes

Zimmerman takes 60.1 percent of the absentee balloting.

Jake Zimmerman took an early lead over L.K. “Chip” Wood after the St. Louis County Board of Elections reported the absentee ballot results.

Zimmerman has 5,062 votes to 3,344 for Wood. Polls were closed for nearly three hours before the Board of Elections posted the absentee results.

Zimmerman arrived at his election watch party at the Seven Gables Inn in Clayton to cheers from the crowded bar.

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He said, "It looks good, but it's early. Everybody have a beer."

The assessor election pits an experienced politician and legislator, Zimmerman, against Wood, a businessman with 37 years of experience in real estate.

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Zimmerman, of Olivette, has been the state representative for the District 83 since 2007. He also served as assistant attorney general and as deputy chief legal counsel for former Missouri Governor Bob Holden.

This was Wood’s first run for political office. He is a semi-retired executive with 38 years of real estate experience at his family-owned firm, L.K. Wood Real Estate. He said his real estate and business experience would be invaluable in determining assessments and running the St. Louis County Assessment Division.

St. Louis County voters decided last August to make the assessor an elected position. Supporters of the measure said it would make the position more responsive to residents rather than the politicians who appointed them. St. Louis County has had an appointed assessor since 1971.

Sparks flew between the candidates when Zimmerman’s campaign noted that Wood’s firm was late in paying city and county personal property taxes.

Wood said that the economic downturn had hurt his family’s real estate business, which found itself short of cash and faced with a decision to pay the City of St. Louis taxes totaling $12,458 or keep his business running, according to an article on stltoday.com.

His business also paid county personal property taxes late after the bill was sent to the wrong address, he said. Wood moved his office from Gravois Road in South St. Louis County to Hampton Road in the City of St. Louis, but the tax bills were mailed to the old address.

Wood had pointed out that Zimmerman twice voted against making the St. Louis County assessor an elected position rather than an appointed position.

Zimmerman said he voted against the change because he does not believe the State of Missouri should make that call for St. Louis County. It should be the county voters’ decision, he said.

St. Louis County voters approved making the assessor an elected position last August, approving the move with nearly a 74 percent majority.

The winner of this election will serve a term that runs through Dec. 31, 2014. Beginning with the election in November 2014, assessors will serve four-year terms. The position will be paid $95,000 a year.


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