Gerzon Running For Amherst Board Of Selectmen

By Len Gerzon

AMHERST, NH — During my 32 years as a resident in Amherst I have served on numerous local boards and committees, including the Amherst Land Trust, the Amherst Conservation Commission, the Peabody Mill Environmental Center (Chairman of the building project) and the Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce.

I have been nominated by Republican and Democratic Governors to serve on a range of NH State Boards, including the Real Estate Appraiser Board (Vice Chairman) and the Supreme Court’s Attorney Discipline Board (Public member).

In each of these volunteer roles I have served with transparency, accountability, diligence and good humor. It is with this spirit that I have submitted my candidacy for the Amherst Board of Selectmen. It is my hope that my experience will allow me to continue the good work and transparent public processes that the Amherst Selectmen have cultivated over the past several years.

During my career, I became recognized as a state and national leader in my profession. As the director of property taxes for PSNH, the largest property owner in New Hampshire, I managed a budget of over $60 million of annual property taxes. I also served as senior advisor to Northeast Utilities, an $18 billion company and the largest property taxpayer in New England. I began my career in state and local government, and was the first professional tax Assessor for the City of Everett, Mass; a city of 48,000.

I deeply understand the role of local property revaluations and how they serve the complex needs of towns, state government and taxpayers. In 2001, following a court case on property tax administration, I helped write legislation that created the NH Assessing Standards Board (ASB). I served on the ASB for 15 years, 4 as Chairman. During my 7 year tenure as Vice Chairman, I led state legislators and local government officials to develop Understanding NH Property Taxes: Reference Manual For Selectmen, Assessors and Taxpayers. This manual is the guide for local property tax management that is used throughout the state of New Hampshire, and it includes key guidance that outlines the requirements for the local property revaluation process. My expertise in this area makes me uniquely qualified to guide Amherst’s upcoming revaluation project, should I be elected to the Board of Selectmen.

I respectfully ask for your vote on March 11. If you would like to learn more about my candidacy, please email me at len.gerzon@gmail.com. Thank you.

Len Gerzon lives in Amherst.