Meet Jason Lawrence, Town Assessor

Jason Lawrence, Tolland's new town assessor, knows that he has some big shoes to fill.

"My father was very fair, and he treated everybody the same," Jason said of the trait he admires most after watching in the assessor's office.

"That's the law of the land for assessors: fair and equitable."

Jason Lawrence began working in town hall on May 7. He has spent 15 years in municipal revaluation and private sector appraisal, according .

Lawrence said that he has worked throughout New England doing revaluation work, experience that he says will help him immensely during the town's five-year revaluation cycle.

Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone every day with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.

"My experience will help the revaluation be as accurate as possible," he said. Lawrence also hopes that his work with Vision Appraisal Technology could help him streamline the assessor's office with the latest software.

"My father was very paper oriented," he said. "There's a copy of everything everwhere. With all of the knowledge I have from Vision, we can make it a little bit more efficient," Lawrence said, explaining that a software update could also be used by multiple departments, possibly saving money for the town.

While this is Lawrence's first municipal job, he said he has completed the CCMA certification classes and will sit for the exam in the fall, which he said is the earliest testing opportunity for him.

He added that moving into the municipal side of the field was only a matter of time for him.

"I didn't initially think I'd end up in a town hall, but this is just a natural progression into a more stable place," Lawrence said.

And if he encounters any minor hiccups during his transition, Lawrence said that he will look to his role model for guidance.

"I can only hope that I live up to what my father's expectations are. I hope I can make him proud and do a good job by the town."

To read about Walter Lawrence's career, check out on his 38 years of work.