Change is coming fast following the appointment earlier this month of Wesley Davis to be the new County Property Appraiser.
Deputy Property Appraiser Sissy Long, who had been recommended for the top job by David Nolte before he died in office last fall, has resigned.
In the No. 2 spot now on a consulting basis is Darlene “Beannie” Silverstein, who served as Nolte’s chief deputy for 25 years.
Davis has also added a familiar face to his team to improve interactions with the taxpaying public and the media.
Former Vero councilman and Vero Beach Chamber of Commerce official Charlie Wilson is now serving as director of communications and government affairs.
Wilson said the personnel changes fall within Davis’ current, approved agency budget. With Silverstein’s decades of experience, Wilson said moving her into Long’s spot has resulted in “no interruption of service.”
Davis also has reached out to local CPA Glenn Heran to help form a citizen audit committee that will take a hard look at the operations of the appraiser’s office.
Heran said he plans to work with Davis and the employees to learn more about internal controls, and the appraisal process, as well as the organizational structure and potential pay inequities within the office.
“One of my main goals is to get in there and talk to the appraisers and find out what they do and how they do appraisals, like I would do if I was doing an audit,” said Heran, who early in his career performed audits of agencies and organizations with KPMG.
People Heran has asked to help out in the transparency effort are County Commission Chair Bob Solari of Vero Beach, and Indian River Shores Vice Mayor Bob Auwaerter.
