Newly elected Linn County Assessor and Tax Collector Matt Pitcher and Treasurer Michelle Hawkins, who has served more than 29 years, were among Linn County elected officials who took their oath of office Thursday morning in the Linn County Circuit Court.
Presiding Linn County Circuit Court Judge the Honorable Thomas McHill presided over the proceedings.
“The new year is a time of new beginnings and today is also a day of joy,” Judge McHill said. “It’s a day when our public officials appear before the public and confirm their commitment to them.”
Pitcher succeeds Andy Stevens, who retired, and Hawkins said this will be her last term in office.
Hawkins thanked her husband, family, friends and staff for making her time in office possible. This is her seventh term in office. She used a wheelchair after fracturing her right foot in a farming accident.
She also noted that she has worked with four County Assessors, two County Clerks, three County Surveyors, two District Attorneys, five County Sheriffs and nine County Commissioners.
She said that Linn County is not only a special place to live, but also a special place to work.
“That is why people come to work for the county and don’t leave for a long time,” Hawkins said.
Also taking the oath of office were Commissioner Roger Nyquist, starting his seventh term; Commissioner Sherrie Sprenger, her second term; Surveyor Tom Casey, his second full term in office after completing the term of Chuck Gibbs, who retired; District Attorney Doug Marteeny, his fourth term in office and Clerk Marcie Richey, her first full term in office, after being appointed to fill the term of former Clerk Steve Druckenmiller, who died while in office.
Matt Pitcher said the opportunity to work with a “great bunch of people” made his decision to run for office as Linn County Assessor and Tax Collector much easier.
The almost 44-year-old Monroe native has plenty of background experience for the position, joining the team as an appraiser in 2010. He spent three years before that doing the same work in Lane County.
Pitcher said his path to running for office began a couple years ago when Andy Stevens announced his retirement plans. Pitcher has served as Chief Appraiser and Deputy Assessor since 2018.
Pitcher grew up on a mint farm near Monroe and says he could imagine a life as a farmer, but his father suggested he go to college. A 1999 Monroe High School graduate, Pitcher studied at Lane Community College and earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Oregon in 2006.
“I was always interested in real estate and I went to work as an appraiser in Lane County in 2007,” he said.
He said he doesn’t regret the move to Linn County.
“We were living in Monroe,” Pitcher said. The family moved to Jefferson and now lives in Albany. “It has been a great place to work. Everyone has been so supportive, from our staff to the Board of Commissioners.”
Pitcher said he enjoys the great daily variety of his job.
“Every day there are new challenges,” he said. There is a lot to our tax system. I really like helping people and I especially enjoy helping them understand sometimes complicated issues.”
Pitcher said property taxes are among the oldest type of taxes in the world. He said they started in ancient Egypt and helped fund the construction of the great pyramids.
“You can see where your property taxes go,” Pitcher said.
Pitcher and his wife, Valarie, have two sons, Cody, 18, and Mason, 14.
He enjoys being outdoors, everything from hunting and fishing to golfing. He is an avid Oregon Ducks football fan.
Pitcher said he has a staff of 19 people.
“I can’t say enough about our staff,” Pitcher said. “It is a great staff.”x