Dedham 2014 Candidate Profile: Chris Polito, Board of Assessors

Chris Polito is running for Dedham Board of Assessors this April against George Panagopoulos. Dedham Patch recently spoke with him regarding his campaign. For more information on Polito, visit his Facebook page at Chris Polito for Assessor.

Why are you running?

I am running for the Board of Assessors as I am eager to bring the education, knowledge, and experience that I possess to the position. I am running to help educate and bring awareness of what the assessed value of a home actually means. There are many first time home buyers coming to Dedham many of whom do not know how their real estate valuations are calculated. Some of the most frequent questions that I am asked in my tax practice relate to real estate taxes. The questions always have a common theme, “why are my taxes so high” and “what are my taxes based on”.

What do you hope to accomplish on the board?

It would be my goal as an assessor to help set up seminars to educate residents and businesses to better understand their real estate tax bill along with the programs that the assessor’s office have to offer.

What do you see is the most pressing issue facing Dedham right now in relation to the seat for which you're running?

One of the most pressing issues facing Dedham residents is their real estate taxes. Many residents say that they are at the point where if their taxes increase then they will not longer be able to afford them and will have to leave the town.

What do you think you could do to help resolve this issue?

I work with the other boards in the town to help control spending with the ultimate goal or lowering the real estate taxes.

Name one unique idea you would like to bring to the table if elected in April.

I would use my experience and education to help explore different means of raising the necessary funds to operate the town.

What is one thing voters might not know about you? 

I enjoy "golfing". I use quotation marks because I am really not that good at it!