Meet The Candidate: Charles Sanders For Southold Assessor

SOUTHOLD, NY —Suffolk County residents will be heading to the polls Tuesday to elect local representatives and make their voices heard.

Residents will weigh in on the race to represent one of the 18 legislative districts in Suffolk County, vote for Suffolk County District Attorney and Sheriff — and choose their local town elected officials.

In advance of the election, Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaign — and the results will be published as candidate profiles in the days leading up to the vote.

Charles Sanders and Kevin Webster are both running unopposed on the Republican and Conservative lines to fill two open Southold town assessor seats.

Following is Patch's full Q&A with Charles Sanders:

<b> Name<b>

Charles J. Sanders

<b>Age (as of Election Day)</b>

53

<b>Position Sought</b>

Assessor

<b>Party Affiliation</b>

Republican

<b>Family</b>

Wife Alina Sanders and we have a little Yorkie named Geoffrey

<b>Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?</b>

No

<b>Education</b>

2017 Master of Arts in United States History, Norwich University, Vermont
2002 Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, State University of New York Stony Brook
1994 Bachelor of Arts, Taylor University, Upland, Indiana

<b>Occupation</b>

Town assessor (4 years) Officer in the New York Army National Guard, Current Rank of Major (20 years), real estate sales associate (20 years)

<b>Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office</b>

Town trustee and assessor

<b>Campaign website</b>

https://www.southoldgop.com

<b>Why are you seeking elective office?</b>

I'm seeking public office to continue serving my community and provide for my family.

<b>The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.</b>

The assessor's office does not make policy, we execute New York State law. "The assessor is a local government official who estimates the value of real property within a city, town, or village's boundaries. This value is converted into an assessment, which is one component in the computation of real property tax bills," New York State says.

I intend to continue to execute the job of assessor to the best of my ability and serve my community.

<b>How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?</b>

The assessor's office was swift in its response to COVID-19 and quickly established the ability for the public to communicate digitally as well as interface with an assessor by using the town drive-up window.

<b>What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?</b>

I have been the town assessor for four years and have fulfilled all State of New York Department of Taxation and Finance educational requirements and I'm officially a state certified assessor. My time serving as an officer in the New York Army National Guard has contributed greatly to my leadership skills and ability to balance multiple complex projects simultaneously.

<b>The best advice ever shared with me was:</b>

Work hard and when you make mistakes...and you will...own up to them, learn from them, and continue to climb the hill.

<b>What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?</b>

I'm the Commander of the Southold American Legion Post 803. I'm also a Major in the New York Army National Guard and I'm the commander of 53rd Troop Command HHD. During my time in the National Guard I deployed to Afghanistan twice, once to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Cuba (GTMO) for the detainee operation and recently to NYC for the COVID-19 pandemic.