SCOTT ASSESSOR IS LEAVING OFFICE HE HELD 16 YEARS

BENTON -- Over nearly two decades, Gerald Inman has worn the title of Scott County assessor like a good pair of jeans.

From all appearances, it's been a good fit.

But after 16 years and eight months as assessor, Inman's career is coming to an end. His last day in office is Tuesday, just over a year after he lost his re-election bid in the August Democratic primary.

Unlike other county officials, assessors take office on Sept. 1.

Sikeston businesswoman and former school teacher Teresa Houchin won the three-way 1992 primary race and ran unopposed in the November election.

In heavily Democratic Scott County a primary win is tantamount to election as Republican candidates for county office are a rarity.

The 60-year-old Inman says he would have liked to have served a fifth term, but he's not complaining.

He concedes he'll miss the courthouse camaraderie, borne in a career of friendships with fellow officeholders and employees alike. "I'll miss it, but I think I'll be all right," he said.

His courthouse office once a storeroom is now bare of pictures, many of them campaign snapshots. He's already started the process of moving out.

Dressed in blue jeans and loafers you won't find him in a tie the Sikeston man reflected on his career.

"I don't do the tie and all that jazz," said Inman. However, he confides that he used to wear a tie to work. But those days are long gone.

On Thursday, Scotland County's assessor called to wish Inman well. The Scotland County assessor is also leaving office, having been defeated by a Republican in that Iowa-bordering county of Missouri.

"At my age, who wants to work a lot?" Inman told the well-wisher. "I didn't even want to work when I was young," he lightheartedly observed.

Actually, Inman who grew up in Sikeston admits to having done "a little bit of everything" when it comes to making a living.

Before becoming assessor, he was at various times a restaurant owner, an insurance agent and a car salesman.

He served in the Navy for three years during the Korean War, enlisting at the age of 17 and serving on the Yorktown and other aircraft carriers.

By the time he got out of the service in 1954 and returned to Sikeston, he had seen enough of the Pacific Ocean. "I had about all the water I want," recalled Inman.

Before being elected assessor, he served as deputy sheriff for eight years under then-sheriff John Dennis.

In 1976, Dennis ran successfully for state senator. In that same election, Bill Ferrell who was then Scott County assessor ran for sheriff and won. And Inman was elected assessor.

Ferrell, who is still Scott County's sheriff today, took office in January 1977. Then-governor Christopher Bond, a Republican, appointed Inman to serve the remainder of Ferrell's term as assessor. The result was that Inman ended up serving for eight months prior to the start of his first term as assessor.

In his years in office, the job of assessor has changed significantly.

When Inman took office, the regular staff consisted of himself and one other person.

He and a part-time employee handled all of the work out in the field assessing properties.

Now the office has a staff of eight, not counting the assessor.

In 1977, the office had no computers. "We didn't even have a map when I came into office," he said. All the assessment books were done by hand.

"We just barely had typewriters. We didn't have nothing, including people," Inman recalled in his easy, down-home style.

The assessor's office got its first computer in the early 1980s. Now, all of the records are computerized.

Inman's part-time worker in 1977 was a man who had run unsuccessfully against him in the assessor's race. "He and I did the whole county the first year."

Now, he has two field assessors as well as persons to handle mapping and other assessment duties.

The office has expanded in terms of space as well. It now has office space on both the first and second floors of the stately brick courthouse in Benton.

"During reassessment in 1985, I had 35 employees," said Inman. "We had the whole top floor. You should have seen the upstairs when we were doing reassessment: it was like a beehive."

Inman said, "We found a lot of property that had never been on the books."

In 1976, Scott County's assessed valuation totaled about $80 million. That jumped to $86.4 million in Inman's first year in office.

Last year assessed valuation totaled nearly $238 million. Scott County has more than 20,000 parcels of real estate.

Inman says he's enjoyed working with the public and he gives a lot of credit to his staff.

"I think your office is only as good as your employees and I have excellent employees," he said.

"One of my policies was not to hire anyone that wasn't smarter than me."

As to the job of county assessor, Inman said, "It's gotten to where it is more of an administrative job than a physical job."

He no longer has to spend as much time out in the field viewing the real estate parcels. "I used to have to do it all myself."

The cost of government has also gone up during Inman's tenure. "Salaries have increased," said Inman, who has seen his salary climb from $14,000 to $32,000.

Inman says that in retirement he'll be back to visit his courthouse pals and may get into the private appraisal business. And he plans to do a lot of fishing.

He and some of his buddies are planning a fishing trip to Canada next year.

Inman says he has no plans to run again for political office.

In his years of political life, he's done a lot of campaigning Scott County-style: attending town picnics and fish fries, and going door-to-door to meet the voters.

"I've hung a lot of signs and passed out nail files and (campaign) cards," he said.

"To me, that (the nail file) was always the best thing." Inman says the nail files appealed both to women and men. Nail files, he points out, are good for sharpening fish hooks.

Election campaigns, even at the county level, aren't cheap, he notes. "I never spent under $10,000." Campaign contributions paid most of the expenses.

In Inman's view, it's been money well spent.