INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Despite a vigorous challenge by Tom Dehn, voters have sent Indian River County Property Appraiser David Nolte back to serve a ninth term in office.
Nolte said the night’s result, the strong vote of confidence for his continued service, was a “humbling experience.”
Dehn, who works as a property appraiser in the private sector, offered to bring recent real-world experience to the job, but 62 percent of the voters chose the tried and true Nolte, despite the criticism from Dehn that 32 years was too long for someone to hold one office.
Nolte garnered 16,659 votes, while Dehn received 10,029.
Nolte raised nearly $24,000 — more than twice his opponent, who collected nearly $11,000 from supporters. Nolte spent all but $1,200 of that money on signs, advertising and events to retain his office.
Dehn graciously wished Nolte well.
“I offer congratulations to my opponent and wish him continued success in his role. I was hopeful the community was ready for a change, however, their support indicates otherwise.”
On the campaign trail, Nolte touted his record of having 33 tax rolls approved by state officials since he took over as Property Appraiser. Prior to his tenure, Indian River County had experienced some difficulty with having tax rolls approved, leading to a precarious situation for property owners and for officials trying to budget for tax revenues.
Nolte returns to the job to keep running the Property Appraiser’s office. He will finish out this term and then be re-sworn in come January.
“We’ll just keep doing the same things that people have seemingly enjoyed us doing,” Nolte said.
Despite the fact that the outcome was not what he’d hoped for, Dehn remained positive.
“I have no regrets with the democratic process; it is the backbone of our great nation,” Dehn said.
